Free software for Windows installers: NSIS vs. WiX? [closed]

Answer 1

Personally I've only tried WiX. It has a slightly steep learning curve (unless you manage to find a nice graphical UI for it), but should pay off in the end because it uses the Windows Installer format (MSI) rather than a custom EXE as (I believe) NSIS does. The declarative approach of WiX/MSI is generally favoured nowadays, and is considered more reliable. However, if you just want a quick and easy solution, NSIS might be the option as it ought to have many samples and a good support base (though personally I would just use a Visual Studio setup package for something like that). This blog post seems to discuss the matter pretty well.

Answer 2

I have used NSIS. I can't really comment on the others, however I think there are quite a few comments that help to make an objective decision (if you haven't already). The HMNSIS software is great for creating a simple installer for a simple application. It has a built in wizard and is good little IDE for NSIS.

I also agree that it is a fairly well documented, free software. However, like I said, due to the fact that I haven't needed anything else (because I like NSIS) I cannot compare.