INSTALLSHIELD EDITIONS

Compare Features Across InstallShield Editions

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CREATE PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATIONS

 

InstallShield Premier

InstallShield Professional

 

The most powerful, capable, and widely used solution among installation developers worldwide. Get immediate access to our new Suite Installation functionality, installation streaming, 64-bit enhancements and more.

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A powerful yet easy-to-use solution, ideal for both novice and seasoned installation developers.

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Support for Azure Key Vault signing using Custom SigningYesYes
Support for .NET Core in Custom ActionsYesYes
Ability to create hourly scheduled tasks. YesYes
Support for signing using a custom sign toolYesYes
Support for Custom Extensions in MSIX ProjectsYesYes
Create MSIX Packages Checking for Updates Using App-InstallerYesYes
Modern and Simple InstallersYesYes
Support for Cloud BuildsYesNo
Enhanced support for Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022YesYes
Full ARM SupportYesYes

Support for fonts in MSIX

Ability to install fonts in an MSIX package so that the fonts are available for other apps in the machine.

YesYes

Build InstallShield Projects in an Azure DevOps Pipeline

InstallShield provides a native Azure DevOps Extension to build InstallShield projects in Azure DevOps pipelines. You can use in both a private agent or a Microsoft hosted agent.

Note: Node Locked licensing only supports private agents. Use of hosted agents require a concurrent license.


For more information, click here

YesNo
MSIX – Modification PackagesYesYes
MSIX – Support for MSIX CoreYesYes

Pure 64 installers

Build pure 64-bit installers for Basic MSI and Suite installers.

YesYes
MSIX BundlesYesYes
MSIX – Support for ServicesYesYes
AWS CloudHSM-based Digital SigningYesYes
Simplified Builds Within DockerYesYes
Automated Patch DesignYesYes
Create Windows® Installer (MSI) InstallationsYesYes
Create Windows Installer Patches (MSP)YesYes
Create MSIX packagesYesYes
Easily convert any MSI file into an MSIX packageYesYes

Create InstallScript (Setup.exe) Installations

Use our proprietary scripting language - InstallScript to fully script each and every component of your installer.

YesYes

Create Advanced Bootstrappers with Suite Installations

Use the suite project to bundle multiple installers like .exe, .msi, .prq, .appv or .msix - all into a single package so that your users can have a single consistent experience.

YesNo

Streaming Installations that Download Installation Components as Needed

Create light weight installers by configuring the Suite project to download selected components on the fly from a web location rather than bundling everything with your installer. This keeps the installer very light.

YesNo
Install/Upgrade Multi-Instance Product InstallationsYesYes

Check for the Latest Version of a Setup Any Time an Installation is Run

Use our suite updates feature to alert your users for latest version of the installers before the deployment begins.

YesYes

Advanced UI Editor

Leverage our WYSIWYG editor to fully customize the installer experience and preview the experience during development.

YesYes
Windows Installer Dialog EditorYesYes
End-User Dialog Themes for Windows Installer-Based ProjectsYes

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Billboard Support for Custom BrandingYesYes
One-Click Installations from the WebYesYes
DLL, EXE, VBScript, and JScript Custom ActionsYesYes
Extend Suite/Advanced UI Projects with C# and InstallScript ActionsYesNo
PowerShell Custom ActionsYesYes
Managed-Code Custom ActionsYesYes
Easily View MSI Table Relationships'YesYes
Support for Microsoft® Certificate Requirements including SHA 1 and SHA-256YesYes
Design DPI-Aware InstallationsInstallShield Premier CheckmarkCheckmark
 

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DEVELOP AND DEPLOY GLOBALLY

 

InstallShield Premier

InstallShield Professional

 

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Multilingual Support – 35 LanguagesYesNo
Unicode Support in Most InstallShield ViewsYesYes
Create Pure 64-Bit Installations (Windows Installer)YesYes
Install 64-bit ApplicationsYesYes
Install Windows Device Drivers Using DIFx 2.1.1YesYes
Support for .NET Framework 4.5 (32-bit and 64-bit)YesYes
Multi-Tier Installation TemplateYesNo
Install Web Applications to Microsoft® Azure™ and Microsoft® IIS using Microsoft Web DeployYesNo
PowerShell Suite Actions for Server ConfigurationYesNo
Enable Windows Roles and Features During Your InstallationYesNo
Deploy Databases to Microsoft SQL Server/Oracle/MySQL/Azure SQL DatabasesYesYes
Database Import WizardYesYes
Deploy Websites to IIS 8 with SSL CertificatesYesYes
IIS Web Services SupportYesYes
IIS Tools for Web AppsYes

LIMITED

XML File UpdatingYesYes
Configure Windows Users and GroupsYesYes
 

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SAVE TIME AND DEVELOP EFFICIENTLY

 

InstallShield Premier

InstallShield Professional

 

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Free Trial

Ability to create hourly scheduled tasksYesYes
Integration with Visual Studio 2022YesYes
Install Packages from Windows Package ManagerYesYes
Identify what existing InstallShield projects require change to meet Microsoft MSIX standardsYesYes
Provision Virtual Machines from the InstallShield IDE for Testing InstallationsYesNo
Monitor for COM Extraction (32-bit and 64-bit)YesYes
Registry-Free COM Registration (Application Manifests)YesYes
COM+ SupportYesYes
Library of Redistributable Prerequisites for Windows Installer InstallationsYesYes
Library of Redistributable Prerequisites for InstallScript InstallationsYesYes
Associate Prerequisites with FeaturesYesYes
Prerequisite EditorYesYes
Network Repositories to Share Dialogs, Scripts and Templates with Team MembersYesNo
Local Repositories to Share Dialogs, Scripts and Templates Across Multiple ProjectsYesYes
Automate Events at Build TimeYesNo
Reusable Project TemplatesYesYes
LZX Compression Option (Windows Installer Projects)YesYes
Display Installation Progress on the TaskbarYesYes
Easily Edit Runtime Installation StringsYesYes
Specify Custom Icon and Version Resource PropertiesYesYes
Virtual Machine DetectionYesYes
Easily Edit XML Files During InstallationYesYes
Easily Edit Text Files on the Destination Machine During InstallationYesYes
Easily Create System SearchesYesYes
Mark Files for Deletion as Part of an Installation Through Interaction with MSI RemoveFiles ActionYesYes
Enforce End User License Agreement (EULA) Reading Before InstallingYesYes
Call .NET Assemblies from InstallScriptYesYes
Command-Line BuilderYesYes
Complete Project DebuggingYesYes
Source Code Control IntegrationYesYes
Microsoft Team Foundation Server IntegrationYesYes
Microsoft Build Engine (MSBuild) SupportYesYes
Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2019 IntegrationYesYes
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