Best UPX Alternatives in 2026

Updated October 2026

20 apps from executable packers ranked against UPX on the same published basis.

UPX alternatives compared

#	App	Score	Free plan	From	Runs on
1	Obsidian	6.7	Free plan	$4/mo	Android, Browser, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows
2	StarForce Reader	6.7	Free plan	Free	Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows
4	MPRESS	6.4	Free plan	Free	Mac, Windows
5	AlushPacker	6.3	Free plan	Free	Windows
6	Enigma Virtual Box	6.3	Free plan	Free	Windows
7	Sentinel EMS	5.7	No	—	API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows
8	TinyLoad	5.4	No	—	Windows
9	Virbox Protector	5.4	No	—	Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows
10	Crinkler	5.2	No	—	Windows
11	Dhaedalida	5.2	No	—	Windows
12	Fatpack	5.2	No	—	Windows
13	papaw	5.2	No	—	Linux
14	PECompact	5.2	No	—	Windows
15	VMProtect	5.2	No	$16.58/mo	Linux, Mac, Windows
16	Windows PE Packer	5.2	No	—	Windows
17	Silent_Packer	5.1	No	—	Linux
18	Yugami	5.1	No	—	Windows
19	zELF	5.1	No	—	Linux
20	BoxedApp Packer	4.8	No	—	Windows
21	DotFix NiceProtect	4.8	No	—	Windows

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What is the best alternative to UPX?

Obsidian, number 1 in executable packers with a score of 6.7 out of 10. The others here: StarForce Reader, MPRESS, AlushPacker and 16 more.

What is the best free alternative to UPX?

Obsidian is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 5 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.

How are these alternatives ranked?

Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.