EfficientEther

MSIX packaging software for Windows 11, Intune, and AVD, without the installer media.

EtherApps Forge captures legacy Windows applications from running systems, converts MSI and App-V to MSIX, and produces Intune-ready and AppAttach-ready packages. AI-guided routing handles signing, manifest fix-ups, and dependency resolution when in-house MSIX skills are thin.

MSIXApp AttachIntuneWinMSIReady forIntuneAVDWindows 11VB6.NETJavaApp-VEtherApps ForgeCaptureFixSign

Recognised by Microsoft. Certified to the standards your procurement team will ask for.

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ISO 27001, 9001, 42001Certified for information security, quality, and AI management

Runs in your estatePackaging data stays in your tenant

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Who it is for

Built for Windows modernisation teams, developers and ISVs, and the partners who package at scale.

Windows 10 support has ended, and a handful of applications still hold up the move to Windows 11.

Packaging engineers and endpoint teams use Forge to make Windows 10 estates ready for Windows 11, Intune, and AVD without rebuilding from installer media.

In a published study, Forge built an MSIX for 90.68% of 3,261 application cases.1

Watch with the full transcript

Read the transcript
  1. A migration can be ready to move forward while one important application is still waiting.
  2. The installer may be missing, or the application may only exist on an older machine.
  3. EtherApps Forge captures applications where they run today.
  4. It also extracts existing App-V packages,
  5. giving your engineers a starting point without the original installer.
  6. Build MSIX, MSI, Intune Win32 or App Attach packages for Azure Virtual Desktop.
  7. Sign, validate and test the package in the same workflow.
  8. In our published study of 3,261 Windows application cases,
  9. more than nine in ten built an MSIX automatically.
  10. Forge is on Microsoft Marketplace,
  11. and it works alongside the packaging tools you already use.
  12. Try Forge free for seven days. No card needed.

Evidence

Will Forge package your applications? We tested 3,261 first.

Forge's automated workflow built an MSIX for 90.68% of 3,261 Windows application cases, across eight installer types. Your estate is not our sample, so the honest next step is to run your own applications through it, free.

A smoke test is a first check, not proof of production readiness. The study is a preprint, and EfficientEther builds Forge.

  • 90.68%1

    of 3,261 cases produced an MSIX package

  • 80.04%1

    passed a recorded smoke test: installed, launched, cleaned up

  • 8

    installer and distribution types, with passes from every one

  • £320 to £5752

    per application, the published outsourced packaging price range on G-Cloud 15

Pipeline

Capture, decide, package, deliver.

Capture-first packaging for legacy Windows applications, with AI-guided route support and deployment-ready outputs for modern environments.

Running SystemFolder / MediaApp-VThinAppEtherApps ForgeCapture · Fixup · ConvertMSIX WorkspaceEdit · Test · ValidateMSIMSIXIntuneWinApp AttachPortablePlatformof ChoiceIntune · SCCM · AVDW365 · Endpoint · ServerAI AutomationMCP · EtherAssist · CLIworkflow supportYour AI assistantEtherAssistLocal modelNo vendor lock-inWinget / EvergreenDownload installers

What EtherApps Forge does

End-to-end MSIX. Capture, convert, sign, deploy.

A capture-first application packaging platform that produces MSIX, AppAttach, IntuneWin, and MSI from one source application. AI-guided routing supports Intune application packaging when in-house MSIX skills are thin, and developers can push their own builds through the same signed, validated MSIX pipeline.

Capture from a running systemFilesRegistryAppDataServicesDependencies

Capture from running systems

Package installed Windows applications from live systems when installer media is lost, incomplete, or no longer usable.

See application modernisation
One captureMSIXIntuneAppAttachAzure Virtual DesktopIntuneWinEndpoint deploymentMSILegacy targets

One capture, four outputs

Produce MSIX for Intune, AppAttach for Azure Virtual Desktop, IntuneWin for endpoint deployment, and MSI for legacy targets from one source capture.

See output formats

Delivers through the platforms you already run:Microsoft IntuneAzure Virtual DesktopWindows 365CitrixOmnissaParallels RAS

Signing, manifest, modification packages

MSIX signing, manifest fix-ups, and modification packages handled inline so the workflow does not split across external tooling.

Signing and manifests

PSF compatibility fix-ups

Legacy apps often misbehave inside the MSIX container. Forge stages the Package Support Framework, with file and registry redirection and working-directory fixes, so captured apps run correctly with no code changes.

Compatibility fix-ups

AI-guided packaging decisions

Embedded EtherAssist guidance routes packaging choices, resolves dependencies, and closes the MSIX skills gap inside the workflow.

AI-guided packaging

CLI and MCP for build pipelines

Capture, sign, and produce a deployment-ready MSIX from one command. MCP integration drives Forge from AI agents and pipelines.

Automation

Dependency intelligence

Registry and AppData mapping surfaces hidden dependencies early, so testing and deployment hit fewer surprises late in the cycle.

Dependency mapping

Bring your own AI assistant

Connect the AI assistant or local model your team already uses, without being locked into one vendor.

Agentic packaging

Product walkthrough

See EtherApps Forge in action.

A guided walkthrough of capture-first packaging from a live system through to MSIX, AppAttach, IntuneWin, and MSI outputs ready for Windows 11, Intune, AVD, and Cloud PC delivery.

  • Live capture from a running Windows system, no installer media required.
  • AI-guided routing into MSIX, AppAttach, IntuneWin, and MSI.
  • Signing, manifest, and modification packages handled inside the workflow.

Capture a real application on day one.

7 days. No credit card.

Inside the platform

Real views from inside EtherApps Forge.

Four screens from the EtherApps Forge capture-first workflow: live capture, App-V conversion, the scriptable CLI, and inline package validation.

Free training and certification

Learn MSIX packaging for free. Leave with a badge anyone can check.

Two courses, open to anyone with a work email. You do not need a licence.

Watch with the full transcript

Read the transcript
  1. Build your MSIX skills with a free course you can take at your own pace.
  2. MSIX Fundamentals has thirteen modules, with video lessons,
  3. a study guide and questions to check your understanding.
  4. Pass the final exam with eighty per cent or more to earn a certificate valid for twelve months.
  5. Then explore the ten-module Forge course to put those skills into practice.
  6. Start free at etherapps.ai/training. No card needed.
MSIX Fundamentals badge

MSIX Fundamentals

How an MSIX package works, from packaging and signing to deployment, updates and troubleshooting.

  • 13 modules
  • 143-page study guide
  • 30-question exam
MSIX Fundamentals study guide cover
EtherApps Forge Certified Packager badge

EtherApps Forge Certified Packager

Capture an application where it runs, then build, fix, sign and deliver it.

  • 10 modules
  • 111-page study guide
  • 30-question exam
EtherApps Forge Certified Packager study guide cover
  • Short video lessons, with questions after each module
  • A study guide made with your name on it
  • A certificate at 80%. Valid for 12 months, free to renew
  • A signed Open Badge you can add to LinkedIn

Pricing

Simple per-admin pricing.

Every licence includes unlimited captures, App-V conversion support, App Attach support, and a training and certification programme.

Full Licence

£895/year

Per admin user.

7 days. No credit card.

All prices exclude VAT. Volume discounts available on request.

What the licence includes

Capture and convert

  • Installer-less capture from running Windows systems
  • MSI and App-V to MSIX conversion
  • PSF compatibility fix-ups for legacy apps
  • AppAttach-ready MSIX for Azure Virtual Desktop
  • IntuneWin-ready output from the same capture

Sign, build and automate

  • MSIX signing, manifest, and modification packages
  • Developer and ISV builds into signed MSIX (makeappx-compatible)
  • AI-guided packaging route decisions
  • PowerShell Module access
  • CLI access for scripting and automation
  • AI automation via MCP integration

Licence and support

  • Unlimited captures
  • Training and certification programme
  • Includes 1-year maintenance
  • Per admin user licence

What outsourcing the same work costs

Applications packaged in a year

Outsourced packaging, £320 to £575 per application2£3,200 to £5,750

EtherApps Forge£895 per admin per year, unlimited captures

A year of Forge costs less than outsourcing three applications.

Licence cost beside the published outsourced price range. Your team's time is on top of the licence, and the ROI calculator models it.

Your first day with Forge

  1. Create your account

    Sign up at etherapps.ai with a work email. No credit card.

  2. Download and activate

    Install Forge on your own machine. The trial is the full product.

  3. Capture a real application

    You have 7 days and 25 real captures.

Other ways to buy

Microsoft Marketplace

Prefer to buy through Microsoft?

Put Forge on the Microsoft invoice you already pay, under your existing Microsoft agreement.

Get it on Microsoft Marketplace

AI controller

Call for pricing.

Run Forge from your own AI orchestrator or scale the embedded AI controller for a packaging factory. We agree pricing case by case based on scope, automation depth, and pipeline integration. Includes MCP integration scoping and dedicated onboarding.

Talk to us about AI pricing

FAQ

Questions packaging, endpoint, and migration teams ask before they start a trial.

Capture method, output formats, AppAttach, Intune delivery, and channel availability: the things teams ask before testing Forge on a real application.

Ask us on a packaging fit check

No. Forge captures directly from running Windows systems, so packages can be produced even when the original installer media is missing, incomplete, or no longer usable. This is one of the most common reasons teams start with Forge rather than traditional packaging tools.

Resources

Free reading for your next packaging decision.

Written to be forwarded: the evidence, the prices and the plan, for the people who sign the decision off.

Cover of The State of Application Packaging in 2026 white paper from EtherApps Forge

Research report · 2026 edition

The State of Application Packaging in 2026

Measured MSIX results, Microsoft platform changes, 2026 packaging prices and a transparent cost model for deciding how your organisation packages applications.

Get the report
  • 45 pages, published September 2026, with a glossary and a full reference list.
  • Twelve tables and eight figures, including the MSIX stage results, route selection for Azure Virtual Desktop and the cost curves.
  • A packaging security controls table, AI controls for packaging work and a seven-step decision framework you can apply to your own portfolio.
Cover of The Windows Application Migration and Packaging Handbook from EtherApps Forge

Practitioner ebook

The Windows Application Migration and Packaging Handbook

Plan, package, test, and move Windows applications into production with clear ownership.

Get the free handbook

Compare

Comparing application packaging vendors?

See where capture-first packaging and a self-serve trial fit against a partner-led app modernisation route.

  • Traditional enterprise packaging suites
  • Manual repackaging in-house
  • Free capture utilities
Compare EtherApps Forge with other packaging tools

Get started

Capture a real application on day one and ship it to Intune, AVD, or Cloud PC.

  • Capture, convert, sign, and deploy from one workflow.
  • Built for Windows 11, Intune, AVD AppAttach, and Windows 365 endpoints.
  • 7-day trial. Capture a real application on day one.
  1. MSIX at Scale: an automated packaging study of 3,261 Windows application cases. Preprint published on Zenodo, not yet peer reviewed. Applications came from catalogue searches, not a random sample. A smoke test is a first check, not proof of production readiness. EfficientEther builds EtherApps Forge and declares that interest.
  2. The published outsourced application packaging price range on G-Cloud 15, per application.