Flamingo Raises $4.5M to Get MSPs Out of the Ticket Queue

WinGet logo

WinGet

Patch Management

Open Source
Selected
Shipped
Gen1
Free Tier
Self-hosted
OpenMSP Score
74
84
Reddit Impact Score
Github Score
90M
26KStars
1KForks
1KCommits
MIT LicenseLicense
Oct 2, 2026Last commit

Alternative Vendors

Homebrew
Homebrew
Chocolatey
Chocolatey
APT (Advanced Package Tool)
APT (Advanced Package Tool)

Commercial Alternatives

NinjaOne Patch Management
NinjaOne Patch Management
SolarWinds Patch Manager
SolarWinds Patch Manager
ManageEngine Patch Manager
ManageEngine Patch Manager
WinGet is the Windows Package Manager, Microsoft's command-line tool for installing, upgrading and removing software on Windows. The client is open source under the MIT license and ships with Windows 11 and current builds of Windows 10 as part of App Installer, so on most machines there is nothing to deploy before it can be used. Packages are described by manifests. The default source is the community repository on GitHub (winget-pkgs), where every submission is validated before it is published, and the Microsoft Store is a second built-in source. An organization can add its own private source through the REST source API. One command installs an app silently, another upgrades everything that has a newer version, and export and import move a whole app list from one machine to another. WinGet Configuration files, built on PowerShell DSC, describe a full machine setup declaratively. For an MSP, WinGet is the patching layer for third-party Windows software that needs no agent of its own: it runs from any RMM script, from Intune, or from a scheduled task. It has no central console, reporting or approval workflow of its own, which is what the tool on top supplies. OpenFrame uses WinGet beside Chocolatey on Windows and Homebrew on macOS to install, upgrade and remove software and keep endpoints updated from one interface.

Key Features

Built Into Windows

Ships with Windows 11 and current Windows 10 through App Installer, so there is no client to deploy first

Install, Upgrade and Remove

One command installs an app silently, upgrades one app or all of them, or removes it

Community Package Repository

Thousands of apps in the winget-pkgs repository on GitHub, each manifest validated before it is published

Microsoft Store Source

Store apps install through the same command line as desktop apps

Private Sources

Host your own package source through the REST source API for internal or approved software

Export and Import

Save a machine's app list to a file and install the same set on another machine

Pros and Cons

Pros

Nothing to Install

Already on Windows 11 and current Windows 10, so it works on a new machine out of the box

Free and Open Source

MIT-licensed client maintained by Microsoft, with no per-device cost

Large, Validated Catalog

A community repository of thousands of apps where each manifest is checked before publishing

Easy to Automate

Silent installs and a bulk upgrade command fit any RMM script or scheduled task

First-Party Support

Backed by Microsoft and integrated with the Store, Intune and Group Policy

Cons

Windows Only

No macOS or Linux, so a mixed fleet needs a second tool

No Central Console

No dashboard, reporting or approval workflow of its own; a tool on top has to supply them

Runs Per User by Default

Running it as SYSTEM from an RMM needs extra care, since it was designed around the signed-in user

Installer Quality Varies

Packages wrap each vendor's own installer, so silent switches and upgrade behavior differ between apps

Younger Than Chocolatey

Fewer packages and less tooling around it than Chocolatey has built up over the years

Feature Comparison

Comments

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