After you get a new computer or install your Windows operating system from scratch, the next most important thing that follows it is the installation of all the programs that you will need for everyday usage. From your favourite web browser to office programs, media players and everything else, it will take a significant amount of time to download them individually and install them on your computer. In most cases, the installation of multiple small programs takes a much longer time compared to the installation of a single big program, as small utility programs are available in plenty compared to a handful of big productivity apps.
However, there is a way you can automate this task of installation of new programs on your computer and save a lot of useful time after your new Windows computer is ready. It is possible with Ninite, which is a kind of application package manager for Windows, where you can choose all the programs that you need and start the process of download and installation with just a single click. So multiple downloads and installation of individual programs will now be replaced with a few clicks if you use Ninite. Ninite is undoubtedly a great option to set up your new computer after the operating system installation is complete. However, Ninite only helps you in download and installation of programs. I will talk about a few alternatives of Ninite which will do the same job for you along with support for a few other nifty features that you can find in handy.
Best alternatives to Ninite package management for Windows 10/8/7
So, without any further delay, let’s get started with that of alternatives of Ninite, which you can use for automating download and installation of programs on your Windows computer.
Chocolatey Package Manager
It is the best Ninite alternative even better all available one. I have discussed how much time is wasted after setting up a new computer, and it involves going through the download process of the program that you need. But the Choco Package Manager for Windows makes everything easier for you. Choco Package Manager for Windows is just like the same package manager you can find on Linux distributions from where you can search for the software you need, and install them with just a single command.
As in Ninite, you have to choose the programs at the beginning to download and install, with Choco, you can maintain a script, write the installation commands in a list and you can start executing the same to automatically download and install the programs that you will need on your Windows computer.
Choco Package Manager also approves the packages that are available on the platform and you can find the tag ‘Possibly broken’, which means you have to take a chance with your decision of downloading and installing that particular package.
Choco Package Manager for Windows doesn’t have a GUI, but that isn’t an issue at all. On Windows, it can be the best tool for you if you have switched from a Linux system or use Linux System at the same time.
Besides managing downloads and installation, the Choco Package Manager for windows can even update the packages individually or all at once using a specific command. Choco Package Manager for Windows is, in many times more feature-rich than that of Ninite, and also acts as an alternative for the command-line package managers that are available for different Linux distributions.
Choco Package Manager also has richer repository of software and packages that that of Ninite, which is yet another point that is worth considering. You can find, how to setup Choco Package Manager on Windows.
PortableApps.com
As it is evident from the name, PortableApps is another Ninite alternative platform where you can download and install portable versions of different useful apps on your Windows computer.
Unlike Ninite, you can download and install portable apps using this tool anytime and it can also help you handle updates for the programs. With PortableApps.com, you can download the portable version of different useful programs, which means, you can keep the program on a flash drive and use it on any Windows computer that you have access to.
Depending upon the number of programs that you want to use, you will need a flash drive that allows storage of all the programs that you have downloaded using PortableApps.com.
Just like the Choco Package Manager for Windows, PortableApps.com also has a collection of hundreds of useful apps and programs that are available for Windows computers.
You can even download portable apps from the website of the particular software developer and make it compatible with the PortableApps platform. So, besides the availability of programs from the PortableApps.com website, it offers a lot of flexibility unlike Ninite and Choco Package Manager to deal with portable apps and programs that you download from other sources. You can find my article on portable apps.
LiberKey
Just like PortableApps alternative, LiberKey is another great alternative for Ninite to download portable apps for your Windows computer. As of now, there are 294 free and open-source programs available for download on LiberKey, which should cover the requirement of most users out there.
From productivity apps, utility programs and a lot more, you can find almost everything on LiberKey. If a good user interface is something that matters to you, and heart portable apps, LiberKey can be the best alternative for you, as it comes with a shiny and polished user interface that is liked by most users.
If you compare it with PortableApps, LiberKey offers the same level of software choices, and thus, it is worth giving a try. You can find the complete collection of LiberKey by visiting the official website, which I have linked.
If you don’t want to go through the process of creating your LiberKey, which is a kind of customized package like that you can create on Ninite, you can download the appropriate package among basic, standard and premium suites from the LiberKey website.
The basic standard and premium suites are the pre-customised set of portable applications, designed with the target users in mind, and you can download them with a single click from the LiberKey website. Needless to say, just like PortableApps, you can even uninstall or update the specific portable apps using the LiberKey interface.
So, those are the top alternatives to Ninite that you can use to manage packages on a Windows computer. Even though Ninite offers the most simplicity compared to all the alternatives all the three alternatives, those that are mentioned here will offer more functionalities and features along with an overall better choice of applications compared to that of Ninite, and that too completely for free.
Ninite Pro offers more functionalities not to mention it comes with a price tag. So if you are looking for free alternatives to Ninite, all those that I have mentioned here should get the job done for you in a better way.
Do you know any other great alternative to Ninite? Feel free to comment on the same below.