What Is The Difference Between Portable Installable Apps?

When downloading apps, you might have been presented with the option to download the install or portable version of the same app. If it’s the first time you’re hearing of apps being ‘portable’ you might wonder if there’s a catch to it. You might also question why all apps aren’t developed to be portable since it is very obviously possible. We’re addressing the pros and cons of using a portable vs. installable version of the same app and why some apps simply do not have a portable version when others do.

A portable app is an app that you simply run without it installing anything on your system. It runs as a single instance of itself, requires no setup, and can be used right-away. Think of it as a light bulb that you can plug into any standard holder.

An installable app requires set-up. Set-up might take just a few minutes or maybe even an hour depending on the app. The app can only be used once setup has successfully completed. Think of it as a special bulb you’ve bought that might require a special holder, or maybe some new wiring to be installed before you can use it.

Portable Apps	Installable Apps
All files that the app needs to fully functions are kept in the same folder as the app’s EXE file.	An installable app will save files to different locations such as its own dedicated folder inside the Program Files folder in your C drive, the App Data folder in your user profile, and other locations.
A portable file will not modify the Windows registry in any way.	An app that you install may, or may not, modify the registry. When such an app is uninstalled, the registry changes aren’t always reversed.
You can move a portable app to any drive or even to an external storage device and it will continue to work.	Moving an app that’s been installed on your OS isn’t easy. Normally, you have to uninstall and reinstall it again. Simply moving its files is not enough and will result in file paths and links breaking. The app, if it is still able to run, might be unable to find some of its components and show random errors.
A portable app will not remember you personal preferences and settings. These may include recent or frequently accessed files and directories among other things.	One of the biggest advantages of installing an app is that you can customize it to work how you want it to. Photoshop is an excellent example of an app that you will set up to function in a certain way. If you had to set it up over and over again, it would be time consuming. The install version remembers which tools you use and which toolbars and windows to show you when you open it.
A portable app can be run from an external source. You can run it from a USB without needing to copy it to your local disk.	An installable app cannot run unless you install it first. It cannot be installed on an external storage device. Some apps will insist they be installed to the same drive as the one you have installed Windows on.
A portable app is unlikely to damage critical files on your system. There is always the chance that a malicious file might be bundled in the EXE file but that comes down to the app itself coming from an unreliable source. A portable app isn’t going to modify anything in the registry so there is less chance of things going wrong.	Installing an app may result in damage to critical files on your system simply because the app is allowed to modify them and does so in order to be properly set up. There isn’t a way to opt out of it.

The differences between the two app types makes it seem as though portable apps are just better but it’s important to remember that apps that need to be installed have this requirement because they need a much broader framework to run. You can’t reasonably think of an installable version of the Android Development Environment to be portable. Even the portable version of Photoshop is labelled ‘Lite’.

For tools that are meant for simple, quick actions and little to no processing, a portable app works but anything that is going to be processor intensive, an installable version is what is normally developed. Perhaps in the future, portable apps will become the norm. At present, web apps are increasingly becoming more powerful and they run inside browsers so it could happen. It depends to a great extent on whether it’s worth it to make an app portable and if it can still perform as well, or better. Windows 10, when it was still in the Beta version, had a feature that allowed users to move installed apps from one drive to another one. The feature didn’t make it to the final stable version and was instead postponed. It’s a testament to how such a function, while useful, is difficult to execute.

Read What Is The Difference Between Portable & Installable Apps? by Fatima Wahab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

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