Want to Install and Update Software in a Flash? Try Ninite
Install everything you need. Fast.
If there’s one limited resource in business, it’s time, closely followed by money! We’ve detailed some of the ways that you can save money with free software resources, but what about saving time?
Hunting down and installing software can be a lengthy and laborious process; fortunately, there’s a simple and elegant solution that makes things easy: Ninite.
This guide explains how Ninite can save you time, install your software and keep your applications up to date.
In this article, I’ll discuss:
- Find out what Ninite is and how it works
- Discover the free applications that are included
- See how it all fits together
Benefits to you are:
- Save time locating and installing software
- Keep your software updated
Ninite is an easy-to-use, automated software installation and update service that takes all of the hassle out of locating, installing and upgrading popular software on your PC. It currently features over 90 free applications that you can choose to have Ninite install for you.
How does it work?
Ninite has been designed to be quick, simple and easy to use, it works as follows:
- Go to the Ninite website — Visit the website at Ninite.com
- Browse the application categories — There are several different categories of software including browsers, utilities, storage, imaging and more, several of which have been discussed in our free software resources page
- Choose the applications that you want — There are over 90 applications available, with the vast majority being completely free software (the others are free trial versions)
- Click ‘Get Installer’ — Ninite prepares a specialist installer for you containing the applications that you have selected
- Install the software — Once the installer is ready, just install it as normal
- Periodically re-run the installer to upgrade your software — If you run the installer every four to six weeks, it will automatically get and download the latest versions of the software for you
Is it safe?
Yes, Ninite say on their site that:
- They only install popular, tested, reliable applications
- All installations are completed as ‘standard’, this means that they won’t install unwanted software like toolbars, junk or other addons
- There is no spyware or any other type of malware in their installers or other applications
You can choose exactly what you do and don’t want to install with Ninite | Source
There are plenty of applications available via Ninite, they are split into categories, such as:
- Browsers — Firefox, Chrome, Safari and others
- Messaging — Including Skype, Thunderbird (email), AIM and Windows Messenger
- Media — Good media software including Audacity (audio editing), Quick Time (video), MediaMonkey, Songbird and more
- Frameworks — Several runtime and operating frameworks including Flash, Java, Air and .NET
- Imaging — Popular image software including Paint.net, Picasa, GIMP and others
- Document software — The well known LibreOffice and OpenOffice and several PDF programs
- Antivirus software — Lots of good business security software including Malwarebytes, Avast, AVG and Microsoft Essentials
- Storage — Backup and storage solutions including Dropbox, Google Drive and Mozy
- Other — And lots of other applications besides including utilities, compression software and developer tools
You can see how this all fits together in the diagram below.
Ninite is available for free for home use and as a thirty day trial for business use, so you can give it a try to see if you like it. I hope you find this resource useful and that it saves you time.
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I’m a professional freelance writer, creating content on business, finance, and technology. You can read more in my freelance writing portfolio.
