Makeself vs InstallAware

Struggling to choose between Makeself and InstallAware? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Makeself is a Os & Utilities solution with tags like selfextracting, installer, packaging, unix.

It boasts features such as Creates self-extracting shell scripts, Packages software into a single executable file, Works on Unix-like systems, Easy distribution and installation of software, Compression using gzip, bzip2, lzma or xz, MD5 checksum verification, Progress bar during extraction, Customizable messages, prompts and license agreement and pros including Simple and easy to use, Good for distributing software, Does not require root access or special permissions, Works across different Unix distributions, Lightweight and efficient.

On the other hand, InstallAware is a Development product tagged with installer, authoring, setup, deployment.

Its standout features include Visual editor for creating installers, Support for advanced installation features like custom actions, prerequisites, runtime variables, etc, Build installers, patches and updates for Windows software, Package files, folders, registry data, shortcuts, etc into installers, Support for silent install, command line install and uninstall, Integrates with Visual Studio and CI/CD pipelines, Build multi-language installers, Digitally sign installers, and it shines with pros like Powerful visual editor makes creating installers easy, Lots of advanced installation features for complex deployments, Good for packaging desktop applications for Windows, Integrates into developer workflows and tools like Visual Studio, Active community support and regular updates.

Feature	Makeself	InstallAware
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Os & Utilities	Development

Product Overview

Makeself

Description: Makeself is a small shell script that generates a self-extractable tarball for Unix. It packages software into a single executable file for easy distribution and installation.

InstallAware

Description: InstallAware is a software installation authoring tool used to build installers, patches, and updates for Windows software. It includes a visual editor and supports advanced installation features like custom actions, install prerequisites, uninstall capabilities, runtime variables, and much more.

Key Features Comparison

Makeself Features

• Creates self-extracting shell scripts
• Packages software into a single executable file
• Works on Unix-like systems
• Easy distribution and installation of software
• Compression using gzip, bzip2, lzma or xz
• MD5 checksum verification
• Progress bar during extraction
• Customizable messages, prompts and license agreement

InstallAware Features

• Visual editor for creating installers
• Support for advanced installation features like custom actions, prerequisites, runtime variables, etc
• Build installers, patches and updates for Windows software
• Package files, folders, registry data, shortcuts, etc into installers
• Support for silent install, command line install and uninstall
• Integrates with Visual Studio and CI/CD pipelines
• Build multi-language installers
• Digitally sign installers

Pros & Cons Analysis

Makeself

Pros

• Simple and easy to use
• Good for distributing software
• Does not require root access or special permissions
• Works across different Unix distributions
• Lightweight and efficient

Cons

• Limited to Unix-like systems
• Not as full-featured as other packaging systems
• No dependency handling
• No uninstall capability
• Lacks some advanced features

InstallAware

Pros

• Powerful visual editor makes creating installers easy
• Lots of advanced installation features for complex deployments
• Good for packaging desktop applications for Windows
• Integrates into developer workflows and tools like Visual Studio
• Active community support and regular updates

Cons

• Fairly steep learning curve
• Can be overkill for simple installations
• Limited platform support beyond Windows
• Pricing may be prohibitive for small teams or projects

Pricing Comparison

Makeself

• Open Source

InstallAware

• One-time Purchase
• Subscription-Based