What InstallShield Software does

InstallShield Software is a privately held developer tools business that has been operating since 1987 and is currently owned by Revenera (itself a private software company that owns the former Flexera InstallShield line). Headquartered in Schaumburg, United States, the company builds the InstallShield product family — the de facto standard tool for authoring, packaging, and testing Windows installers in MSI, MSIX, EXE, and APPX formats. The core technology stack combines native Windows Installer (MSI) and MSIX packaging, a proprietary InstallScript language for custom actions, deep Microsoft Visual Studio integration, and a Cloud License Server infrastructure that supports installer builds inside DevOps pipelines (Azure DevOps, AWS, GCP). Supporting capabilities include digital signing, suite/multi-package projects, prerequisite editing, virtual machine provisioning for testing, multi-language installs, and detection of virtualized environments (VMware, Hyper-V, EC2, Azure).

Name

InstallShield Software

Legal name

Flexera Software

Website

https://installshield.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

InstallShield Software builds the InstallShield Windows installer development tool, sold since 1987 to software developers and DevOps teams for authoring MSI, MSIX, and EXE packages with deep Microsoft Visual Studio and cloud CI/CD integration, operated by Revenera.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Software Installation Development Tools

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Platform Engineering & Internal Developer Platforms (IDP) (BPAEAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Embedded Software & Firmware Tools (Compilers, Debug, RTOS tooling) (HDAHAFAE), Software Engineering & Application Development Training (Languages, Frameworks, Testing) (BPAEANAI)

Keywords

• Windows installer development
• Software packaging tools
• MSIX packaging software
• MSI creation tools
• Installation development software

Headquarters

HQ city

Schaumburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing - InstallShield Professional: Node-locked subscription licensing for individual developers. Includes 3-year subscription term with pricing at $4,723 total.
2. Software Licensing - InstallShield Premier: Premium subscription licensing with expanded features including multi-language support, advanced bootstrappers, and virtual machine provisioning. Priced at $7,795 total for 3-year term.
3. Local License Server: Concurrent licensing model allowing team license sharing. Custom pricing based on organizational needs. Includes 99 SAB licenses per LLS license.
4. Cloud License Server: Cloud-hosted concurrent licensing for DevOps pipeline integration. Custom pricing with 99 SAB licenses per CLS instance.
5. Training and Professional Services: Monetization Advisory Services, Implementation Services, and Training offerings for product deployment and optimization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

InstallShield Software provides professional Windows software installation and development tools, enabling developers to build MSI, EXE, APPX, and MSIX installers with deep Microsoft Visual Studio integration. The product is offered in Professional and Premier editions with optional Local License Server and Cloud License Server add-ons for team-based and DevOps-driven deployment workflows.

Product overview

InstallShield Software, now part of Revenera (formerly Flexera), offers a portfolio of software installation and monetization solutions. The core offering is InstallShield, the industry's premier Windows installer development tool available in Professional and Premier editions with optional Local License Server and Cloud License Server add-ons. InstallShield enables building MSI, EXE, MSIX, and APPX installers with deep Microsoft Visual Studio integration. The broader Revenera portfolio includes InstallAnywhere for cross-platform installations, FlexNet Operations for entitlement and license management, FlexNet Code Insight for software composition analysis, and SBOM Insights for bill of materials management. These products work together to address the full software monetization lifecycle from installation and delivery through licensing, compliance, and analytics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• InstallShield The industry's premier Windows installation development tool available in Professional and Premier subscription editions. Supports building MSI, EXE, APPX, and MSIX installers with Microsoft Visual Studio integration, standalone command-line builds, multi-language installations, advanced bootstrappers, suite installations, and Azure/IIS web application deployment. Node-locked licensing priced at $4,723 (Professional) and $7,795 (Premier) for a 3-year subscription term.
• InstallShield Cloud License Server Cloud-based concurrent licensing solution enabling software installer builds directly in DevOps pipelines. Works on Azure DevOps, AWS, and GCP cloud environments with dynamically created VMs. Hosted in Revenera data centers with 99 SAB licenses per CLS license. Custom pricing for enterprise teams.
• InstallShield Local License Server On-premises concurrent license server enabling license sharing among team members. Includes standalone build (SAB) access, previous version access, support for dynamic MAC addresses, and 99 SAB licenses per LLS license. Instances hosted in customer data centers. Custom pricing based on organizational needs.
• InstallAnywhere Cross-platform installation development tool (formerly Flexera InstallAnywhere) for creating installers across different operating systems and environments. Available for purchase and free trial evaluation.
• InstallShield Training Professional training services including Advanced Windows Installer (MSI), InstallShield Refresher/Advanced, and MSI Projects Training courses for installation developers.
• InstallShield MicroConsulting Expert setup assistance and consulting services for InstallShield implementation and configuration. Provided through channel partner ecosystem.
• FlexNet Operations Entitlement management platform enabling software delivery, updates, and renewal management for software monetization across the broader Revenera portfolio.
• FlexNet Code Insight Software composition analysis tool providing scan and analysis capabilities for open source vulnerability management and license compliance.
• SBOM Insights Software Bill of Materials management solution for tracking and managing software components and dependencies.
• OSS Inspector Plugin Open source inspection plugin for analyzing and identifying open source components within software projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• NetApp reported being able to build software installations 70% faster since switching to InstallShield.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Feature14 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationDeep technology integration partnership with Microsoft for Visual Studio integration, Azure support, IIS deployment, Windows Server 2025 support, and MSIX packaging standards. InstallShield creates native MSI and MSIX installers directly within Microsoft Visual Studio.
• Azure DevOpscoreTechnology or IntegrationCloud License Server integration with Azure DevOps for building installers on dynamically created VMs in cloud environments. Supports hosted agents in Azure DevOps pipelines.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)supportingTechnology or IntegrationCloud License Server works with AWS for DevOps pipeline integration and cloud-based build environments.
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)supportingTechnology or IntegrationCloud License Server supports GCP for multi-cloud DevOps pipeline integration and cloud-based build environments.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Inno Setup: Inno Setup is a long-running free Windows installer system popular with open-source projects; it represents the free alternative end of the market that constrains InstallShield's pricing power for individual developers.
• NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System): NSIS is an open-source scriptable Windows installer system with a large community; it competes with InstallShield at the low end for developers willing to write custom installation logic rather than use a visual IDE.

Broad incumbents

• Revenera: Revenera is the current parent of InstallShield and operates adjacent software composition analysis and monetization products; it is the natural umbrella reference point for the InstallShield product line's enterprise positioning.
• Flexera (parent company): Flexera is the broader IT asset management and software monetization parent that historically owned InstallShield; it remains relevant as a peer due to overlapping enterprise software installation and licensing concerns.
• Microsoft Visual Studio Installer Projects: Microsoft bundles basic MSI/VSIX setup project capabilities into Visual Studio, providing a free first-party alternative to InstallShield for developers already in the Microsoft ecosystem.

Direct peers

• WiX Toolset: WiX is Microsoft's open-source MSI authoring toolkit and serves the same installation developer use case as InstallShield; its free price point makes it the most direct low-end competitor in the Windows installer category.
• BitRock InstallBuilder: BitRock InstallBuilder is a cross-platform installer development tool that competes with InstallAnywhere and InstallShield for teams needing to ship installers across multiple operating systems from a single project.
• Advanced Installer: Advanced Installer is a direct commercial competitor to InstallShield, offering Windows MSI/MSIX authoring with Visual Studio integration and a freemium tier that targets the same installation developer persona.
• Indigo Rose Software (Setup Factory): Setup Factory is a commercial Windows installer builder targeting small-to-mid-market developers, directly competing with InstallShield Professional on price and ease-of-use for non-enterprise installation projects.
• ej-technologies Install4j: Install4j is a cross-platform Java installer builder that competes for installation developer budget, particularly for enterprise Java applications requiring professional-grade installers across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about InstallShield Software