Actual Installer

What Actual Installer does

Actual Installer, operated by Softeza Development and founded by Ruslan Kamalov in 2004, is a Windows software installer creation tool that allows developers to compile application files, configuration metadata, and a customizable setup UI into a standalone Setup.exe executable. The core technology uses ZIP compression for standard packages and 7-Zip/LZMA for large "Setup EXE + Data" online installer packages, with support for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows, 13+ setup UI languages, prerequisite checking (.NET, C++, SQL Server, Java, etc.), Windows registry and INI file modification, custom actions, and bundled Actual Updater integration for auto-update functionality.

The product is offered in four tiers — Free, Lite ($49.95–$299.95), Pro ($69.95–$499.95), and Pro+ ($119.95–$899.95) — sold as one-time perpetual licenses (with optional 12-month maintenance renewals) via the actualinstaller.com website through PayPro Global and BMT Micro. Go-to-market is product-led: a commercially-usable free edition serves as the try-before-you-buy acquisition channel, converting developers self-serve into paid tiers based on feature needs (multilanguage, custom components, template editor, auto-update). Distribution is organic, relying on SEO, third-party software directory reviews, testimonials, and a community forum. Customers are primarily individual developers, freelance programmers, and small software houses — the company cites 1,000+ professional developers worldwide using the product.

The company also operates companion tools: Actual Updater (software update notifications), Actual Downloader (command-line file downloads), and 1Click Uninstaller (program removal). It remains founder-owned with no external funding, 11–50 employees, and a continuous release cadence — nine product updates shipped between May 2024 and May 2026, including major version 10.0 adding 64-bit setup support and the introduction of a new Lite Edition tier.

Name

Actual Installer

Legal name

Softeza Development

Website

https://actualinstaller.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software License Sales: One-time perpetual license purchases for Lite, Pro, and Pro+ editions with tiered pricing based on license type (Single Developer, Company, Corporate). Includes 12-month maintenance plan with free updates and priority technical support.
2. Free Edition: Free edition allows creating simple installers for any purpose including commercial use. Generates revenue through conversion to paid editions and serves as try-before-you-buy acquisition channel.
3. Maintenance Renewal: After initial 12-month maintenance plan expires, customers can renew to continue receiving updates and technical support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Actual Installer is a Windows software installation authoring tool that allows developers to create professional standalone Setup.exe installers, online/web installers, and update packages through a visual wizard-based interface without requiring scripting knowledge. The tool compiles application files, configuration data, and a customizable UI into a single redistributable executable, with support for both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows applications, multilingual setup interfaces, registry and INI modification, prerequisites handling, file associations, and bundling of Actual Updater for auto-update functionality.

Product overview

Actual Installer is a software installation tool that provides a complete product portfolio centered on its core Actual Installer product for creating Windows setup programs. The product line includes four editions (Free, Lite, Pro, Pro+) with escalating feature sets, alongside companion tools Actual Updater (for software update functionality), Actual Downloader (for command-line file downloading), and 1Click Uninstaller (for program removal). The Pro+ edition bundles Actual Updater Pro for auto-update capabilities. The architecture is designed as a single application with modular upgrades rather than a platform-plus-modules approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Actual Updater: A tool for integrating update functionality into Windows applications
• Actual Downloader
• 1Click Uninstaller

Products and services

• Actual Installer A Windows software installation authoring tool for software developers and ISVs that creates professional standalone Setup.exe installers, online/web installers, and update packages via a visual wizard interface without requiring scripting knowledge.
• Actual Updater A software updater utility that can be bundled with installations created by Actual Installer to notify users of new versions and automate the download and installation of updates. The Pro version is bundled with the Actual Installer Pro+ edition.
• Actual Downloader A command-line download tool supporting single and multiple file downloads with progress display, error handling, authentication, and mirror links, distributed with Actual Installer Lite/Pro/Pro+ editions.
• 1Click Uninstaller A free utility for quickly and completely uninstalling programs from Windows systems, provided by Softeza Development as a companion to the Actual Installer product line.

Quantifiable outcome

• Create first installation in under 5 minutes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature14 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• InstallSite.orgminorOthersResources partner for software developers. Listed as a partner providing additional resources for Actual Installer users.
• 7-ZipcoreTechnology or Integration7-Zip (by Igor Pavlov) is used by Actual Installer for creating online/web installers and packaging large applications. Distributed as third-party component with its own license agreement. Used for LZMA compression when creating Setup EXE + Data packages.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Advanced Installer: Direct competitor offering a Windows installer authoring tool with a free edition, paid tiers, and similar feature set (prerequisites, registry, custom actions, repackaging). Most direct comparable by product, customer base, and pricing model.
• WiX Toolset: Free, open-source toolset from Microsoft for building Windows Installer (MSI) packages. Competes for the same developer audience, particularly those comfortable with declarative XML-based installer authoring.
• InstallAware: Commercial Windows installer authoring tool with both free and paid editions. Competes head-to-head with Actual Installer in the SMB to mid-market Windows-installer segment.
• Inno Setup: Free, open-source Windows installer creator widely used by independent developers. Competes directly with Actual Installer's free and Lite editions for the same SMB developer segment.
• NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System): Free, open-source scriptable Windows installer system with a large developer community. Targets the same independent Windows-software developers and is referenced in Actual Installer testimonials as a competing tool.
• Setup Factory: Windows installer builder from Indigo Rose targeted at software developers creating Setup.exe installers, with comparable wizard-based workflow and pricing model.
• CreateInstall: Lightweight commercial installer creation tool for Windows. Competes with Actual Installer in the same SMB developer segment with similar one-time license pricing.

Emerging players

• BitRock InstallBuilder: Multiplatform installer generator producing installers for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Comparable product category with a broader cross-platform footprint than Actual Installer.
• MSI Wrapper: Specialized tool that wraps existing EXE installers into MSI packages for enterprise deployment. Adjacent product category sharing the same Windows-software-distribution developer customer base.

Broad incumbents

• InstallShield (Flexera): Enterprise-grade installer authoring tool owned by Flexera. Competes in the same product category but targets larger ISVs and enterprises with subscription pricing, serving as the high-end alternative to Actual Installer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/installmaker

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Actual Installer