When you set up a Windows 11 computer, you have to install a lot of apps, and even after than initial period, you're bound to need more software at one point or another. For most people, installing software boils down to searching the web, opening the official website, an download the app you want.

But when you have a lot of apps and you want to do things quickly, this method can get old fast. Over on Linux, package managers have been the way to go for a long time, and thankfully, Windows has some package managers of its opwn that can make your life much easier when it comes to installing new apps.

6 Ninite

A basic way to get started

Package managers are often thought as tools that you use with a command line interface, but Ninite is a great choice for beginners who have a smaller library of apps they want to install. Ninite is more of a GUI-based package, and it's really simple to use. All you need to do is go to the Ninite website and choose the apps you want to install from the list.

Then, you click Get your Ninite, and a very small package will be downloaded to your PC. When you run this app, it will automatically download and install the latest versions of the apps you selected, so it's really easy to get up and running. When you want to update the apps, simply run the Ninite package again and it will update your packages with no issues.

A benefit of Ninite is that it skips optional junk some apps try to install, so you're getting a clean version of the app you want. The selection of apps available through Ninite is fairly small, but it includes all the major necessities, so it's probably more than good enough for most users.

5 RuckZuck

GUI or command line

RuckZuck is another great option that's kind of similar to Ninite in that it's available with a more standard GUI instead of forcing you to use the command line. However, RuckZuck is a proper standalone app you can use to browse the catalog of software available, as well as easily update all your installed apps to the latest versions in the repository.

However, the list of apps available and maintained on RuckZuck totals over 600 pieces of software, which is a much larger number and makes this a much more useful tool right out of the gate. Having such an extensive libary of software makes it much easier to get started if you have a lot of apps, and if you do prefer using a command line interface, RuckZuck is also available this way, under the name RZGet. It does require a bit of setup to fully get it working, but having the option at all is great.

You can also visit the RuckZuck website to view the repository of available apps, the latest version, and the date of the last update. Whether you get the GUI or command line version, RuckZuck is a great option for installing and updating software on Windows.

4 Scoop

Install all your apps in a portable way

Scoop is an interesting package manager that functions a bit differently from the rest in a couple of major ways. First off, Scoop works with the concept of buckets, with each bucket containing a set of apps. There are a few official buckets that include a lot of the major apps, but there are also tons of user-created buckets that may only have apps for very specific purposes, so you can kind of tailor your experience to only have the apps you care about available.

But Scoop is also different in the way that it installs apps. Instead of installing them "properly", all of the apps you get through Scoop are portable packages, stored specifically in the Scoop folder. The big benefit of this is, of course, these packages are portable and you can move your Scoop installations anywhere. But it also makes it that much easier to uninstall Scoop and all the apps you installed with it in one fell swoop by simply deleting the folder.

Scoop does require a bit of setup since you have to think about adding buckets to your installation and also consider a couple of dependencies required for it to work, but otherwise, it's pretty easy to use and set up your apps. You can also export your installed apps as a JSON file and import on a new PC to get up and running that much faster.

3 Chocolatey

One of the most popular options

Before our top pick burst onto the scene, Chocolatey was the quintessential package manager for Windows, and it continues to be one of the most popular picks. Chocolatey has a very large community behind and support behind it, with over 10,000 packages listed in its community repository.

What's more, Chocolatey's repository much more detailed and in-depth than other options here. Most apps have descriptions that let you know the parameters of the install for a given package, such as whether a desktop icon will be created. Plus, users can comment on each app listing, so you can get more information about any potential programs a specific app may have when installed this way. Even installing apps using Chocolatey itself is a bit more verbose, so you get more insight into everything that's being done on your PC.

As one of the most popular package managers, Chocolatey continues to be one of the best.

2 WinGet (Windows Package Manager)

Why go any further?

Finally, the top pick is one you don't even have to install. For a few years now, Microsoft has offered a built-in package manager on Windows called WinGet, or Windows Package Manager, and really, this is the way to go for most people, because it's right there. It doesn't have the extensive app descriptions in the official repository like Chocolatey, but Winget does what it needs to do, and it does it well. Despite being a Microsoft tool, the package repository is maintained by the community, so there are hundreds, if not thousands of apps available.

There's an extra benefit to winget, too, in that it can install apps from the Microsoft Store as well, so you get thousands more apps through this method. This even includes support for externally hosted apps on the Store, so it works with everything without having to think about it.

Just like Scoop or Chocolatey, Winget also supports exporting and importing apps, so you can set up a new PC that much more quickly. Ultiumately,. what makes this the best pick is that it's available right away without any complex setup, and anyone can use it easily. This is my go-to tool, and even after trying all the others, I still prefer it.

1 UniGetUI

Why choose just one?

Finally, we have to round things out with the cream of the crop. Why choose between the options above when you can have them all in one unified user interface that gives you everything you could really want? That's what UniGetUI is. This graphical user interface integrated WinGet, Scoop, and Chocolatey, but also package managers with more specific purposes, like the PowerShell Gallery, Pip (for Python), and Npm for Node.js. I's a true all-in-one solutiom, and it's easier to use if you're not a big fan of the command line.

UniGet UI has a ton of features, including the ability to back up your installed packages or create specific bundles of apps across different sources, so you can easily install them all in one go. We've already done over the different package managers above, so what else can really be said about a solution that combines all of them? This is a must-have package manager for anyone.

Package managers are a dream

Regardless of whichever one of these you end up using, we can all agree that package managers are a blessing when it comes to using Windows. For me, someone who sets up new PCs on a very regular basis due to reviews, using a package manager makes it so much easier to install my apps more quickly, especially when you can export all those apps and install them in one fell swoop on a new computer.

If you've been installing apps the old school way, all of these are great options.