The Ninite Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Ninite in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Ninite
The Insider’s Guide
Installs and updates many Windows apps at once
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among desktop utilities, read from Ninite’s own pages.
Made by Secure By Design Inc. · checked Oct 9, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Ninite’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Ninite’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.2
GPA, above 93 of the 94 other desktop utilities we grade
Ninite is a Windows tool for installing and updating common apps in bulk. On the website you tick the apps you want and download a single installer that sets them all up in the background, without prompts or bundled extras; running it again updates them. The site is free for home use. Businesses pay for Ninite Pro, a browser-based patching console, or Nintune, which manages the same app catalog through Microsoft Intune.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Ninite, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No store rating on record, but at home there's nothing to set up: tick boxes, one download, no choices to click through.
- 1
Best for putting the usual apps on a Windows PC in one go
It only covers apps in its own catalog, and it's Windows only.
- 2
Paid plans start at $0.08 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $1 per machine / year (Nintune); Ninite Pro starts at $1 per machine / month.
- 3
There is a free plan
The Ninite website is free for home use, with no ads or junkware: pick apps and download one installer that also updates them. The free version is for personal use only.
- 4
It runs on 2 platforms
Windows and Web.
- 5
One installer for many apps
Pick apps on the website and download a single installer that sets them up in the background in their default locations, with no choices to click through and no toolbars or extras.
- 6
Run again to update
A Ninite installer always installs the latest stable versions, so running the same file later updates those apps and skips any that are already current.
- 7
Official, verified downloads
Apps are downloaded from each publisher's official site, and Ninite verifies digital signatures or hashes before running anything.
- 8
A 3.2 GPA, above 93 of 94
That is against the other desktop utilities we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Ninite you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Ninite at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $1 per machine / year (Nintune); Ninite Pro starts at $1 per machine / month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- Nintune: 30-day free trial, no credit card. Ninite Pro: 14-day free trial.
- Runs on
- Web, Windows
- Made by
- Secure By Design Inc., since 2009
- Category
- Desktop Utilities
- Our grade
- 3.2 GPA, very good
The report card
Best for putting the usual apps on a Windows PC in one go
Ninite builds one Windows installer for the apps you tick on its website, installs them in the background with no toolbars, and updates them when you run it again. The free site is for personal use only, so work use means Nintune at $1 a machine a year, which needs Microsoft Intune, or Ninite Pro from $1 a machine a month. It only covers apps in its own catalog, and it's Windows only.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Free at home. For work, Nintune is $1 per machine a year with no minimum, and Ninite Pro $1 per machine a month for the first 20, $0.50 for the next 400 and $0.25 after that, so 50 machines cost $35 a month. That's under the $2.99 a month per seat utilities here charge in the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | A | The website is free for home use, with no ads or junkware, and it both installs and updates. There's no cap a person at home would ever reach. It's personal use only, so anyone paid to run Ninite is asked to subscribe to Pro. |
| Features | C | Pick apps, get one installer, run it again to update, with downloads taken from each publisher's own site and checked before they run. The limit is its own: only apps in Ninite's catalog are covered, and Pro has no built-in support for custom applications. |
| Ease of use | B | No store rating on record, but at home there's nothing to set up: tick boxes, one download, no choices to click through. Work is more involved, with an agent on each PC for Pro and Microsoft Intune for Nintune. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Ninite Pro runs in a browser and ties into Microsoft Intune, WinGet and RMM tools such as Atera, Kaseya and N-able, which is what earns it a B. The machines it looks after are Windows only, though: 11, 10, 8.x and 7, plus the Server versions. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Ninite is for
- Fits if you're setting up a Windows PC and want the usual free apps on in one pass
- Works for admins patching many office PCs from one browser tab, at $1 a machine a month for the first 20
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you're on a Mac or Linux, as it only installs apps on Windows
- Not for you if you need an app that isn't in Ninite's catalog, since Pro has no built-in support for custom applications
- Tight if you hoped to use the free site at work, because it's licensed for personal use only
- Watch out: the $1 a year Nintune plan needs Microsoft Intune and leaves out Ninite Pro and the Ninite Agent
- Watch out: Ninite Pro's trial is 14 days, and Pro needs an agent on each PC
Good to know
Good for
- Setting up a new Windows PC with the usual free apps in one pass
- IT teams and MSPs patching third-party apps across many Windows machines
- Intune admins who want app updates without packaging each app themselves
Worth knowing
- Windows only: Ninite works on Windows 11, 10, 8.x and 7 and the equivalent Server versions.
- The free website is licensed for personal use only; anyone paid to run Ninite is asked to subscribe to Ninite Pro.
- Only apps in Ninite's own catalog are covered, and Ninite Pro has no built-in support for custom applications.
- The $1 per machine per year Nintune plan requires Microsoft Intune and does not include Ninite Pro or the Ninite Agent.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$0.08
A month to start, paid by the year. There is a free plan too
Ninite has a free plan. Paid plans start at $1 per machine / year (Nintune); Ninite Pro starts at $1 per machine / month.
The website is free for home use, with no ads or junkware, and it both installs and updates.
Ninite
$0
The website's custom installer and updater for home use. Licensed for personal use only.
Nintune
$1
per machine / year, no minimum machine count
Ninite's catalog plus WinGet apps managed through Microsoft Intune, for unlimited technicians. Does not include Ninite Pro or the Ninite Agent.
Ninite Pro
$1
per machine / month for the first 20 machines
Tiered: $1.00 each for the first 20 machines, $0.50 for the next 400 and $0.25 after that, so 50 machines cost $35 a month. Includes Pro Classic.
The free plan
The Ninite website is free for home use, with no ads or junkware: pick apps and download one installer that also updates them. The free version is for personal use only.
Trying it first
Nintune: 30-day free trial, no credit card. Ninite Pro: 14-day free trial.
Read from ninite.com on Oct 9, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: Web and Windows
Installs and updates many Windows apps at once. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: workflow automation, reports.
Pick apps, get one installer, run it again to update, with downloads taken from each publisher's own site and checked before they run.
- One installer for many apps
- Pick apps on the website and download a single installer that sets them up in the background in their default locations, with no choices to click through and no toolbars or extras.
- Run again to update
- A Ninite installer always installs the latest stable versions, so running the same file later updates those apps and skips any that are already current.
- Official, verified downloads
- Apps are downloaded from each publisher's official site, and Ninite verifies digital signatures or hashes before running anything.
- Ninite Pro web console
- An agent on each Windows PC reports to a live grid in the browser, one row per machine and one column per app, for bulk installs, updates, uninstalls and auto-update policies.
- Nintune for Microsoft Intune
- Publishes Ninite's catalog plus thousands of WinGet apps as Intune apps, with Required, Available, Update Only and Uninstall assignments and custom install scripts.
- Pro Classic command line
- Included with every Pro account: a scriptable silent mode, fully offline installers, download caching and command-line switches for use with scripts and RMM tools.
Where it runs
- Web
- Windows
What it works with
- Microsoft Intune
- WinGet
- Atera
- Kaseya
- N-able
- SCCM
- KACE
- ZENworks
Who makes Ninite
Ninite is made by Secure By Design Inc., a New York company founded by Patrick Swieskowski and Sascha Kuzins and backed by Y Combinator and angel investors. The installer for home use is free; the money comes from Ninite Pro and Nintune, its paid tools for IT staff.
- Founded
- 2009ninite.com
- Based
- New York, New Yorkninite.com
- Ownership
- Privately held. Privately held: the About page names Secure By Design Inc. as the company behind Ninite, founded by two people, with Y Combinator and a small group of angel investors among its backers. No parent company is named.ninite.com
- Funding
- No round has been announced. The About page says only that the investors include Y Combinator and a small collection of angel investors; it gives no amount, no date and no names beyond that.ninite.com
- Founders and leaders
- Patrick Swieskowski, Founderninite.com
- Sascha Kuzins, Founderninite.com
- Hiring
- No open roles: the jobs page says the company is not hiring at the moment and asks people to check backninite.com
Read on Oct 18, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
93/94
Other desktop utilities it is graded above
Ninite's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 93 of the 94 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 49 of 94) and worst on features (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $0.08 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $2.50 for the category: 0 of the 17 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 95 desktop utilities we grade, cut by the letter each got. Ninite’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 24 of 94
- AFree plan and trialAbove 49 of 94
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 94
- BEase of useAbove 33 of 94
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 86 of 94
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 55 desktop utilities. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Ninite is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Ninite you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 93 of the 94 other desktop utilities we grade. It costs $1 a year.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- A real app for Windows. Something home-made would be a web page.
What this rests on. Ninite’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
UniGetUI, CCleaner, Setapp and CleanMyMac
The 4 tools Ninite is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
UniGetUI
Free
Free graphical front end for WinGet, Scoop, Chocolatey and more.
- Only Ninite lists a web app.
- Only UniGetUI lists macOS and Linux apps.
- UniGetUI is open source, according to its own site.
- 2.8GPA
CCleaner
Free plan · from $44.95/yr
Junk cleaner and PC optimizer for Windows, Mac and mobile.
- Only Ninite lists a web app.
- Only CCleaner lists macOS, Android and iOS apps.
- Ninite also covers workflow automation and reports.
- 2.0GPA
Setapp
Free trial · from $14.99/mo
One subscription for a catalog of 300+ Mac and iOS apps.
- Ninite has a free plan. Setapp does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Ninite lists a web app.
- Only Ninite lists a Windows app.
- 1.8GPA
CleanMyMac
Free trial · from $39.99/yr
Mac cleanup, malware removal and maintenance in one app.
- Ninite has a free plan. CleanMyMac does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Ninite lists a web app.
- Only Ninite lists a Windows app.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Ninite free?
Ninite has a free plan. The Ninite website is free for home use, with no ads or junkware: pick apps and download one installer that also updates them.
How much does Ninite cost?
Ninite lists 3 plans. Ninite: $0.
What platforms does Ninite work on?
Ninite is available on Windows and Web.
Does Ninite have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Ninite is listed for Windows and Web.
Does Ninite have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Ninite is listed for Windows and Web.
Is Ninite open source?
Ninite is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 9, 2026.
What does Ninite integrate with?
Ninite's listing names Microsoft Intune, WinGet, Atera, Kaseya, N-able, SCCM, KACE and ZENworks.
Does Ninite have a free trial?
Yes. Nintune: 30-day free trial, no credit card.
Who makes Ninite?
Ninite is made by Secure By Design Inc. Privately held: the About page names Secure By Design Inc. as the company behind Ninite, founded by two people, with Y Combinator and a small group of angel investors among its backers.
What are the alternatives to Ninite?
The closest alternatives to Ninite in our directory are UniGetUI, CCleaner, Setapp and CleanMyMac.
How does Ninite compare with other desktop utilities?
Ninite's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 93 of the 94 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 1.
Is Ninite good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Ninite A for value for money. Its paid plans start at $0.08 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $2.50 for the category: 0 of the 17 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Ninite?
To replace Ninite you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Ninite’s own pages on Oct 9, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Ninite's own pages on 9 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-05-14.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Secure By Design Inc. Prices change, so check ninite.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Ninite, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/ninite
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Ninite: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 9, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/ninite
Know someone choosing between desktop utilities?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/ninite/guide
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See our other guides
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- 7-Zip Insider's GuideFree, open-source file archiver with the 7z format3.0 GPA
- BleachBit Insider's GuideFree, open-source disk cleaner for Windows and Linux3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Ninite’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Ninite is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Secure By Design Inc. Prices and plans change: check ninite.com before you buy.