Comments on: Software Update Checker Comparison

By: Emil

Emil — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:14:58 +0000

updatechecker.filerex.com is not popular.

By: perse adrian

perse adrian — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:39:14 +0000

Try updatechecker.filerex.com

By: juanmah

juanmah — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:38:14 +0000

Great comparison. Thanks!

By: Software Updates Checker

Software Updates Checker — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:15:25 +0000

[...] system. Several third party software programs are available. A while back we compared five software update checkers which were more or less able to scan the installed software programs to check their versions [...]

By: Emil

Emil — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:34:35 +0000

I am agree. At the moment for me the best software updater is Update Notifier: http://cleansofts.org/. It has ‘run in background’ option and large software base.

By: Keith Petersen

Keith Petersen — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 08:23:50 +0000

The Update Notifier is a small utility that scans your computer for installed software and displays a list of updates. Also you can see the latest updates for applications from your Watch List.

http://cleansofts.org/view/update-notifier.html

I am particularly impressed that they use authors PAD files to track their updates and the fact that when you click on the download links you are taken to the author’s official web site, not a third party software archive. This program tracks many programs not covered by the FileHippo Update Checker.

By: Software/Game/Driver Update Checker? - Vista Forums

Software/Game/Driver Update Checker? - Vista Forums — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:03:49 +0000

[...] Re: Software/Game/Driver Update Checker? You’ll probably want to read this: Software Update Checker Comparison [...]

By: Frank

Frank — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:40:08 +0000

It is important to realise that many of these programs settings may be changed to detect more software. For FileHippo.com’s update checker I added my “Program Files” folder to the custom search list, then it finds all the software I have that they keep.

Like Robert said, Secunia’s PSI is only for security upgrades, so perfect for those that are more security-minded than those (like me) who like to have the latest and greatest.

I really disliked RadarSync, I would not touch it again.

I came across this website claiming that Software Informer is in fact dangerous software. True? I don’t know.

Check out my impressions of these software at http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-software-update-monitor.htm

By: John Kahan

John Kahan — Fri, 30 May 2008 21:59:40 +0000

Great finding, Martin!! Sumo is not bad but kind of “lite” for me. I know you didn’t like RadarSync so much but I do, I use it for several days now (it’s a freeware since last week!!), it works for me… found WinSCP, WinRAR, pingin, and 2 awesome drivers (Intel and Realtek), so I do appreciate that. FileHippo is not so cool, b/c it’s a shareware site, nothing comes direct from the ORIGINAL manufacturer of the file, so you don’t know what they compile into the file, etc., I never trust third party (where RadarSync links are direct to the original manufacturers)

By: Robert

Robert — Fri, 30 May 2008 05:51:06 +0000

Securina PSI is not designed to simply find updates to your software. It is designed to find Security vulnerabilities and make you aware of updates available to fix those vulnerabilities.

It also will now show you problems that are not easy to update by default. Those applications are only shown when the settings are changed. This makes it easy for the average Joe to use it while giving someone with more computer savvy to find even more issues and correct them as well. It’s also not released yet. It’s still beta although it is very near final release.

By: -=Ben=-

-=Ben=- — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:03:23 +0000

Update Star.
That is the program I use
That and Filehippo’s one

By: Shaun

Shaun — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:19:33 +0000

I like radarsync. Software updates are nice but driver updates is the thing that’s actually hard to do successfully yourself, and Radarsync does a good job with that. It’s the only freeware I’ve found that does that.

By: Rarst

Rarst — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:00:54 +0000

>The biggest problem of Appget is that they are mixing beta versions and release versions which they should not.

Appget system simply works that way. There is no moderation, whatever users are submitting (if you connect with appget and have some versions it doesn’t know you submit it to database).

Problem is there are often no way to distinguish beta from non-beta on software level. Humans can read site and understand which is beta, but for software it’s just bunch of numbers coded in somewhere in apps.

So appget indeed gives some false stuff but it has very impressive and kinda self-updating and self-filling database. I just hope it stays alive, next version was planned for like october 2007 and author is long gone into “I-am-busy-later” mode. :(

By: Martin

Martin — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:29:21 +0000

Rarst you are right, I forget that one. I tried it just a minute ago. It definitely found the most applications (30) that needed an update. Unfortunately though it listed a lot of false positives, like True Crypt 6 or WinSCP 4.1 beta although I was running 4.1.1 beta.

It also listed Firefox 3b5 as an update for Firefox 2.0.0.14 which it is not.

The biggest problem of Appget is that they are mixing beta versions and release versions which they should not. Mentioning beta versions is fine but not as a update of a full version.

Providing a switch in the options to turn beta versions on or off would be great.

They also have to work on the false positives.

But it works so it’s definitely a step forward. It’s not a bad software.

By: Terence Hill

Terence Hill — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:49:23 +0000

The best for me is SUMO.

I have also many setup files of programs (I collect them) and it is capable to scan them, so I can keep my collection updated.

It will be nice if the developers implement the scanning of setup files included on compressed files (zip at least).

Btw I mainly use feeds of many sites to update the softwares, it’s the best solution when you have a big amount of software.

By: Rarst

Rarst — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:45:24 +0000

No appget this time? I remember you had trouble with it in last comparision.

Appget has main difference from the usual bunch of updaters – it uses user-submitted data on versions instead of human-managed. It is both advantage and disadvantage but I think it is worth it. It’s a pity author hibernated…

FileHippo checking only software they have on site, but they have really nice selection of it. :)

SecuniaPSI found nothing? Rather weird, when I tried it it found bunch of fantastic crap like some dlls deep inside microsoft office… It’s more of security thing than updater.

By: Michael Shi

Michael Shi — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:40:48 +0000

What about radarsync? not only software but also Windows updates and driver updates.

By: Noel

Noel — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:51:55 +0000

All I want is something that updates my drivers as most of the softwares can be set to check for updates automatically so no need to have extra software for that but for the drivers, I found its not that easy so its good to have something for that..

By: Tysen Woodlock

Tysen Woodlock — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:26:29 +0000

Good investigating Martin, I’m glad that there are people like you willing to do this kind of research.

As I mentioned in the RadarSynch post, I found it disappointing, so maybe I’ll give Sumo and FileHippo a go.

By: Jojo

Jojo — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:15:54 +0000

I have now tried SUMO and I am liking it a lot.