MPRESS vs PELock

MPRESS is an executable packer for compressing programs and libraries on Windows and macOS. It supports PE32, PE32+,.NET, and MAC-DARWIN executable formats, using the LZMAT compression library with optional LZMA compression. It can compress code, data, and resources, and strip relocation, debug information, exceptions, and other information. For.NET executables it supports Framework targets 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 without requiring the.NET Framework to be installed. A command-line interface can be used from batch files or make files. The README describes in-place decompression and says it has no memory overhead or other drawbacks; it also says compressed programs run without runtime performance penalties and may start faster from slow removable media or a network. MPRESS's compatibility list names Windows 9x, NT, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, and Windows 8, along with mac-darwin-i386, mac-darwin-x86_64, mac-darwin-ub, and Mac OS 10.3 and 10.4. The listed plan costs nothing.

PELock protects compiled 32-bit Windows applications against cracking, tampering, and reverse engineering, while providing software licensing tools. It protects Portable Executable formats including EXE, SCR, DLL, OCX, CPL, BPL, DPL, ACM, and AX. Anti-debugging methods detect cracking tools and block their actions. The license key manager handles users and keys, generates and verifies RSA-2048 keys, and can block illegally shared keys. Trials can be limited by days, executions, an expiration date, or minutes of use. A virtual DLL binder combines an application and libraries into one EXE, loading those libraries in memory without writing them to disk. SDK examples cover C/C++, Delphi, Lazarus, FreePascal, PureBasic, PowerBASIC, D, and Assembler. Plugins can add compression, detection, licensing checks, and loader functions. The maker lists Windows support from Windows 95 through Windows 10 and Server 2003 through 2012, with 32- and 64-bit support. Pricing starts at 59 one-time; listed licenses cost 159.00 USD or $299, paid once.