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Instead of Electron Forge

Electron Forge alternatives

Electron Forge gives Electron developers a route from project setup to distribution. Its first-party Webpack and Vite templates, including TypeScript variants, support building apps, while Makers produce platform-specific packages and Publishers send them to distribution services, update servers, or storage. Plugins and custom makers or publishers let teams adapt the pipeline, which also covers code signing and auto-update options. Forge is free and supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.

1. 1

   Tauri Bundler

   Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+2

   Teams distributing apps through desktop and mobile stores — Tauri adds Android and iOS builds and store distribution alongside desktop installers, while Forge targets desktop platforms.

   6.9 Free plan Visit site
2. 2 M

   makeself

   Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1

   Creating self-extracting shell archives — Makeself creates compressed tar archives with extraction controls, checksums, and optional encryption rather than Forge’s Electron app packages.

   7.1 Free plan Visit site
3. 3 N

   nFPM

   Free plan LinuxMacWeb+1

   Building Linux and Windows packages from YAML — nFPM creates deb, rpm, apk, ipk, Arch Linux, and MSIX packages as a Go tool or library, rather than packaging Electron apps end to end.

   7.1 Free plan Visit site
4. 4

   electron-builder

   Free plan LinuxMacWindows

   Electron teams needing advanced update controls — electron-builder adds differential updates, staged rollouts, multiple providers, and optional signed update manifests beyond Forge’s documented update options.

   7.4 Open source Visit site
5. 5 E

   electron-packager

   Free plan LinuxMacWindows

   Bundling Electron apps into platform folders — electron-packager focuses on bundling source with an Electron executable into app folders, while Forge adds makers, publishers, and build tooling.

   7.3 Free plan Visit site
6. 6

   InstallAware

   Free plan LinuxMacWindows

   Building multi-platform application installers — InstallAware offers a setup builder with DEB, RPM, and PKG formats, web-deployed setups, and Visual Studio integration beyond Forge’s Electron pipeline.

   7.2 Free plan · 30-day trial Visit site
7. 7 I

   IzPack

   Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1

   Generating Java-based cross-platform installers — IzPack creates a single installer for systems with a Java virtual machine, unlike Forge’s Electron app packaging and platform-specific distributables.

   7.2 Free plan Visit site
8. 8 A

   Avidemux

   Free plan Open source LinuxMacWeb+1
   9.2 Free plan Visit site
9. 9

   Advanced Installer

   Free plan Windows
   7.3 Free plan · 30-day trial Visit site
10. 10 C

    cargo-bundle

    Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+2
    7.3 Open source Visit site
11. 11 A

    appimagetool

    Free plan Linux
    7.2 Free plan Visit site
12. 12 F

    fpm

    Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted
    7.2 Open source Visit site
13. 13 C

    CyberInstaller Suite

    Free plan Windows
    7.1 Free plan · paid from €39.90 Visit site
14. 14 D

    Debreate

    Free plan Linux
    7.1 Open source Visit site
15. 15 F

    Flatpak Builder

    Free plan Linux
    7.0 Open source Visit site
16. 16

    Inno Setup

    Free plan Windows
    6.9 Open source Visit site
17. 17 N

    NSIS

    Free plan LinuxMacWindows
    6.9 Free plan Visit site
18. 18 I

    InstallForge

    Free plan Windows
    6.8 Free plan Visit site
19. 19

    WiX Toolset

    Free plan APIExtensionWindows
    6.8 Open source Visit site
20. 20 M

    Master Packager Suite

    Free plan Windows
    6.7 Free plan · paid from $1,199/user/yr · 30-day trial Visit site
21. 21 S

    Squirrel.Windows

    Free plan Windows
    6.5 Open source Visit site
22. 22

    install4j

    Free trial LinuxMacWindows
    6.1 Visit site
23. 23 I

    InstallBuilder

    Free trial LinuxMacWindows
    6.0 From $995 · 30-day trial Visit site
24. 24 E

    EMCO MSI Package Builder

    Free trial Windows
    5.9 30-day trial Visit site

Its scope has limits: it targets desktop platforms, requires Node.js 16.4.0 or later, Git, and a JavaScript package manager, and packaging needs node_modules on disk. Its resolver does not account for symlinked dependencies or Yarn Plug'n'Play. Readers may look elsewhere for mobile-store distribution, a focused packaging utility, or different installer and update workflows. Compare each option’s target platforms and output formats, then weigh the build approach, prerequisites, signing needs, and whether you need a complete Electron pipeline or a narrower tool.

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