Software Alternatives & Reviews

WiX (Windows Installer XML) VS InstallShield

Compare WiX (Windows Installer XML) VS InstallShield and see what are their differences

WiX (Windows Installer XML) logo WiX (Windows Installer XML)

WiX (Windows Installer XML) is a toolset that allows developers to build Windows installation packages through source codes.

InstallShield logo InstallShield

If your software targets Windows, InstallShield is your solution.
  • WiX (Windows Installer XML) Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-14
  • InstallShield Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-30

WiX (Windows Installer XML) videos

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InstallShield videos

InstallShield - Build an Installer

More videos:

  • Review - A quick look at InstallShield 2013

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to WiX (Windows Installer XML) and InstallShield)
Website Builder
43 43%
57% 57
Package Builder
30 30%
70% 70
Website Design
39 39%
61% 61
Package Distribution
33 33%
67% 67

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, WiX (Windows Installer XML) seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 35 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

WiX (Windows Installer XML) mentions (35)

  • Twenty years maintaining the WiX Toolset
    For those like me (I never used Windows) who do not know WiX; https://wixtoolset.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 23 days ago
  • Win32 App Isolation
    I actually like WiX[1] — it has a bit of a learning curve, but, so long as I'm building on Windows and don't stray far from the default UI flows, I haven't found an easier tool for creating Windows installers as part of a product build process, especially those that require Windows-specific bits like COM component registration, Windows service management, setting restrictive ACLs on installed components, etc. And... - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • packaging games
    For Windows, in the past, I’ve used the WiX toolset to create installers (https://wixtoolset.org/). Source: about 1 year ago
  • Can I publish and release a .NET Service with an installation executable on GitHub?
    Https://wixtoolset.org/ should be able to help you out there. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Production C++ software guide
    For windows - store: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-store/register/ - requirements: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/publish/publish-your-app/app-package-requirements?pivots=store-installer-msix - alternatively you can make MSIs and distribute them through your own website or another service. https://wixtoolset.org/ - publishing with chocolatey isn't a terrible option to help users... Source: about 1 year ago
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InstallShield mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of InstallShield yet. Tracking of InstallShield recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing WiX (Windows Installer XML) and InstallShield, you can also consider the following products

Inno Setup - Inno Setup is a free installer for Windows programs.

Advanced Installer - Advanced Installer is a Windows installer authoring tool for installing, updating, and configuring your products safely, securely, and reliably.

InstallForge - A very simplistic and streamlined program for creating installation files.

NSIS - NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) is a professional open source system to create Windows...

Packin - Packin is a graphical Linux package creator wizard which compiles packages in the popular debian...

InstallAware - Windows Installer InstallAware provides free installation (MSI) authoring, MSI compression, and MSI repackaging solutions. Tools include: InstallAware for Windows Installer, Setup Squeezer for MSI, and Setup Squeezer for InstallShield.