(Guide/Review) A look at IObit Software Updater 3

[Karlston]

A look at IObit Software Updater 3

IObit released a new version of the company's Software Updater this week that brings the version of the application to 3 and extends software support significantly.

 

The application is designed to find out if updates are available for programs on Windows devices, and to download and install these on the user's request.IObit Software Updater is not the only program that offers the functionality. You can check out SUMO which is an excellent program.

 

IObit Software Updater is available as a free and pro version. The IOBit website provides no information on the differences between the versions. Free users will run into limitations quickly when they use the program though. The main limitation is that IObit Software Updater allows free users to update only 2 applications per day. It may also include ads (for IObit products it seems), and does not support scheduled updates.

IObit Software Updater

 

The installation of IObit Software Updater Free is straightforward. You may customize the installation and disable the creation of desktop and taskbar icons.

 

Note: IObit Software Updater installs three scheduled tasks on Windows when it is installed that are used to check for updates and to bypass UAC when the program is started.

 

You may disable those tasks in the Task Scheduler.

 

The interface of the application displays entry points in a sidebar. It loads the installed applications and information on start. Programs are separated into "up to date" and "update available" groups.

 

The update all button at the top will update the two checked programs in the "update available" group. You will run into the 2-updates per day limitation there if more than two programs are listed there.

 

Updates happen silently in the background if supported by the application. All it takes is to activate the update button to update the selected program to the latest version. The download source is not revealed in the application interface and there is no option to open the developer website to check for new program updates manually.

 

The new version of Software Updater has a larger database according to IObit that has grown by 150% according to the press release. The company notes that all programs that are in the database must pass IObit security tests and are "clean and safe" because of that.

 

Programs may be added to the ignore list to block them in the application; this is useful in case an older version should not be updated to a newer version.

 

IObit Software Updater includes options to install programs on Windows devices. Just select the Recommendation category in the sidebar.

 

 

IObit Software Updater lists application categories, e.g. Multimedia, Runtimes, and Security, and applications filed into these categories on selection. You find the company's own programs listed there as well as many popular Windows programs such as AIMP, 7-ZIP, MediaMonkey, or qBittorrent.

 

You may select one or multiple applications that you want to install. Note that installation dialogs are displayed and that you need to be careful as some programs may make system changes unless you select custom installation in the dialog.

Closing Words

IObit Software Updater Free did a good job during tests. It is limited however in the free version to two updates per day, and that is unfortunate. Users could bypass the limit by using the program to check for updates to download and install updates manually by visiting developer sites though.

 

The program lacks features that SUMO offers, e.g. inclusion of beta updates if desired, option to add portable programs, and the update check missed several updates that SUMO found (partially because SUMO includes BETA software updates, e.g. Firefox Nightly, while Software Updater does not).

 

Landing Page: https://www.iobit.com/en/iobit-software-updater.php

 

 

Source: A look at IObit Software Updater 3 (gHacks - Martin Brinkmann)