Instead of UPX
UPX alternatives
UPX is a free executable packer for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It compresses formats including Windows programs and DLLs, macOS apps, Linux executables, and several DOS and Atari formats. The project says program and DLL sizes typically fall by about 50%–70%. UPX can list, test, and unpack files, and compressed programs generally run as before without added runtime or memory cost. It also provides source under GPL v2 or later, with an exception for unmodified UPX compressing commercial programs.
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Obsidian
Free plan Open source AndroidExtensioniPhone+3Local, linked notes across desktop and mobile devices — Obsidian is a note-taking app with Markdown files, graph links, Canvas, plugins, and web clipping rather than executable packing.
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StarForce Reader
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+2Viewing ordinary and protected documents on many platforms — StarForce Reader opens PDF, EPUB, SFPDF, and PCDOC files, and protected mobile video, instead of packing executables.
Free plan Visit site - 3
Crinkler
Free plan WindowsTiny 32-bit Windows demoscene intros — Crinkler combines linking and compression for few-kilobyte Windows demoscene executables, unlike UPX's broader executable coverage.
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MPRESS
Free plan MacWindowsPacking PE, .NET, and Mac-Darwin programs — MPRESS packs PE32, PE32+, .NET, and MAC-DARWIN files, with optional LZMA and content-stripping options.
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papaw
Free plan LinuxSelf-hostedLinux devices with limited disk space — papaw targets statically linked executables, supports several algorithms, self-replacement, and optional basic anti-debugging protection.
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Windows PE Packer
Free plan WindowsStudying 32-bit Windows PE packing — Windows PE Packer encrypts sections, transforms imports, and adds a shell-entry, but handles only 32-bit EXEs and is described as impractical.
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AlushPacker
Free plan WindowsIn-memory packing of native Windows executables — AlushPacker compresses and XTEA-encrypts x86 or x64 native EXEs, then reflectively loads them from memory without disk I/O.
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Dhaedalida
Free plan Windows - 9
Enigma Virtual Box
Free plan Windows - 10
Fatpack
Free plan Windows - 11
Enigma Protector
Free trial APILinuxSelf-hosted+2 - 12
Silent_Packer
Free plan Linux - 13
TinyLoad
Free plan Windows - 14
zELF
Free plan Linux - 15
BoxedApp Packer
Free trial Windows - 16
DotFix NiceProtect
Free trial Windows - 17
Virbox Protector
Free trial AndroidiPhoneLinux+2 - 18
PECompact
Free trial Windows - 19
VMProtect
Free trial LinuxMacWindows5.8 Visit site - 20
PELock
Free trial Windows - 21
Themida
Free trial Windows - 22
Obsidium
Free trial Windows5.5 Visit site - 23
WinLicense
Free trial Windows - 24
Safengine Protector
Paid Windows - 25
Yugami
Paid Windows
Readers may seek another tool when they need protection or encryption, since UPX explicitly provides neither. Linux deployments also have specific tradeoffs: compressed executables do not share RAM like file-mapped programs, and its generic Linux format recreates the original in /tmp before running. Consider whether you need broad executable-format coverage or a narrower workflow, such as tiny Windows demos, protected documents, in-memory loading, or mobile access. Check the target platform, file type, compression or security goal, and runtime behavior before replacing UPX.