Comparison
In this document, we'll compare and show the advantages of PortableApps.com over other platforms.
Summary
| Product | Price | Device Independent | Open API | “Start” Menu | Autoruns | Allows any application | Security | Works on user accounts | Vista compatible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U3 | Depends on drive | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| VMWare ThinApp | USD$6050 | Yes | n/a | n/a | No | Almost | No | Yes | Yes |
| Ceedo (Personal edition) | USD$39 | Yes | No | Yes | Unknown | Partial | Almost | Yes | Yes |
| MojoPac | Free (additional cost per application) | Partial | n/a | n/a | Unknown | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| MokaFive | Free | Unknown | n/a | n/a | Unknown | Yes | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| PortableApps.com | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Almost | Almost | Yes | Yes |
U3
| Price | Depends on drive |
|---|---|
| Device Independent | No |
| Open API | No |
| “Start” Menu | Yes |
| Autoruns | Yes |
| Allows any application | No |
| Security | Partial |
| Works on user accounts | Partial |
| Vista compatible | Partial |
Developed by SanDisk and M-Systems, U3 is included on some flash drives by various manufacturers and as such, is one of the most well-known for portable applications. U3 is only available with a drive, unlike all other products listed here, which are mainly device independent. The software is based on making two partitions on the drive, with one configured to look like a CD-ROM and the other containing the user's data and applications, which enables autorun to work more consistently and, in most cases, without a dialog. To remove the U3 software completely, you must use the vendor's software remover, which reformats the whole drive; it is not enough to delete the U3 launcher software. PortableApps.com applications can be used on a U3 drive, as can natively portable applications.
VMWare ThinApp
| Price | USD$6050 |
|---|---|
| Device Independent | Yes |
| Open API | n/a |
| “Start” Menu | n/a |
| Autoruns | No |
| Allows any application | Almost |
| Security | No |
| Works on user accounts | Yes |
| Vista compatible | Yes |
Ceedo (Personal edition)
| Price | USD $39 |
|---|---|
| Device Independent | Yes |
| Open API | No |
| “Start” Menu | Yes |
| Autoruns | Unknown |
| Allows any application | Partial |
| Security | Almost |
| Works on user accounts | Yes |
| Vista compatible | Yes |
Another fairly popular solution, Ceedo also has its down sides.
MojoPac
| Price | Free |
|---|---|
| Device Independent | Yes |
| Open API | n/a |
| “Start” Menu | n/a |
| Autoruns | Unknown |
| Allows any application | Yes |
| Security | Yes |
| Works on user accounts | No |
| Vista compatible | No |
MokaFive
| Price | Free |
|---|---|
| Device Independent | Yes |
| Open API | n/a |
| “Start” Menu | n/a |
| Autoruns | Unknown |
| Allows any application | Yes |
| Security | Unknown |
| Works on user accounts | Unknown |
| Vista compatible | Unknown |
Similar in functionality to MojoPac, MokaFive uses a portablized version of VMWare's Virtual Machine on an otherwise normal flash or other external drive. It shares some of the same advantages and disadvantages as VMWare. It requires a lot of memory, a higher performance CPU, and creates a separate contained environment with limited interaction with data and applications on the host computer.
PortableApps.com
| Price | Free |
|---|---|
| Device Independent | Yes |
| Open API | Yes |
| “Start” Menu | Yes |
| Autoruns | No |
| Allows any application | Almost |
| Security | Almost |
| Works on user accounts | Yes |
| Vista compatible | Yes |
