NSIS vs Makeself

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

NSIS is a Development solution with tags like installer, windows, open-source.

It boasts features such as Scriptable installer builder, Small executable size, Plugin architecture, Unicode support, Customizable and themeable UI, Installer compression, Registry and file manipulation, Execution of external programs and pros including Open source and free, Lightweight and fast, Cross-platform, Active community support, Easy to learn scripting language, Highly customizable and extensible.

On the other hand, Makeself is a Os & Utilities product tagged with selfextracting, installer, packaging, unix.

Its standout features include 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 it shines with pros like 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.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

NSIS

NSIS

NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) is an open source system utility for creating installers on Windows. It provides a simple scripting language to build the logic and UI of installers. NSIS is useful for bundling software into distributable packages with installers.

Categories:
installer windows open-source

NSIS Features

  1. Scriptable installer builder
  2. Small executable size
  3. Plugin architecture
  4. Unicode support
  5. Customizable and themeable UI
  6. Installer compression
  7. Registry and file manipulation
  8. Execution of external programs

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Open source and free

Lightweight and fast

Cross-platform

Active community support

Easy to learn scripting language

Highly customizable and extensible

Cons

Windows only

Limited built-in functionality

Steep learning curve for advanced tasks

Not ideal for complex installers

Lacks some features of commercial installers


Makeself

Makeself

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.

Categories:
selfextracting installer packaging unix

Makeself Features

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

Pricing

  • Open Source

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