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EtherApps Forge VS Master Packager

Compare EtherApps Forge VS Master Packager and see what are their differences

EtherApps Forge

AI-ready Windows app packaging, with local AI options. Forge captures apps where they run, even with no installer, into signed MSIX, MSI, Intune and App Attach. GitHub Copilot can drive it via MCP.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Paid Free trial £895 / Annually (Per admin user)
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Master Packager

Master Packager is an application packaging tool to create and edit Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) files and repackage other installation to MSI format.

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0 reviews
Pricing
Freemium Free trial €999 / One-off
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Which is more popular?

Virtualization Platform popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
9 vs 8

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

EtherApps Forge
Master Packager
Website etherapps.ai masterpackager.com
Pricing
Paid Free trial £895 / Annually (Per admin user) Official pricing
Freemium Free trial €999 / One-off Official pricing
Platforms
Windows Windows XP Server 2008R2
Windows
Company 1 - 9 employees 2018
Listed in
Virtualization App Deployment Endpoint Management Virtualization Platform Developer Tools MCP & AI Agent Tooling MSIX AI +5
Application Packaging Application Deployment MSIX Application Repackaging Intune +2

About EtherApps Forge and Master Packager

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

EtherApps Forge
Master Packager

EtherApps Forge captures Windows applications on the machines they already run on, even when the installer is lost, and turns them into signed MSIX, MSI, Intune Win32 and App Attach packages. Package the apps holding up your move to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop and Intune, including the...

Read more about EtherApps Forge

What is Master Packager? Master Packager is an application packaging tool to create and edit Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) files and repackage other installation to MSI format. Our vision is to make application packaging easy, fast and affordable that is accessible to everyone from...

Read more about Master Packager

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

EtherApps Forge 12 features
Master Packager 3 features
  • AI agent integration (MCP)
    The Forge MCP server lets GitHub Copilot and other MCP clients drive Forge in plain English, one real tool call at a time
  • Local AI (Forge AI Controller)
    Private preview: runs packaging as an agent in your own infrastructure, with local AI models, Microsoft Foundry in your subscription or OpenAI services
  • Capture without the installer
    Capture apps on the machine they run on, from Windows XP SP3 to Windows 11 and Server 2008 R2 to 2025
  • App-V conversion
    App-V 5 packages to MSIX or MSI without resequencing
  • Output formats
    Signed MSIX, MSI, Intune Win32 and App Attach (VHD, VHDX, CIM)
  • Package testing
    Sign, validate and smoke test each package
  • MSIX editing
    Edit a built MSIX without rebuilding it
  • Automation
    Batch capture, forge_msix command line and PowerShell module
  • Deployment targets
    Microsoft Intune, Configuration Manager, Azure Virtual Desktop App Attach, Citrix, Omnissa App Volumes
  • Data control
    Runs on your own machines; packages and signing keys stay with you
  • Free trial
    7 days at etherapps.ai, 25 captures, no card
  • Training
    Free MSIX training and certification with a work email
  • MSIX builder
  • MSI builder
  • Response Tranform

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

EtherApps Forge 8 videos + Add
Master Packager 4 videos + Add

Agentic App Packaging with EtherApps Forge: Ask in Plain English

More videos

  • - EtherApps Forge: The complete walkthrough
  • - EtherApps Forge in 48 Seconds: Legacy Apps Ready for Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop
  • - Forge AI Controller (private preview): Unattended packaging in your own tenant
  • - App-V to MSIX Without Resequencing
  • - The App Nobody Can Reinstall: Capture It as MSIX
  • - Forge Capture: Live capture from any Windows machine
  • - Forge MSIX: Scripted MSIX packaging from your build pipeline

How to become a Master Packager?

More videos

  • - Repackage any EXE installation to MSI format
  • - Create a simple MSI file
  • - Create a simple PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit wrapper

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
EtherApps Forge
Master Packager
100% 100%
Virtualization Platform
0% 0%
0% 0%
MSIX
100% 100%
100% 100%
Virtualization
0% 0%
0% 0%
Application Packaging
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing EtherApps Forge and Master Packager.

What makes your product unique?

EtherApps Forge's answer

EtherApps Forge packages Windows apps with AI doing the busywork. Through the Forge MCP server, GitHub Copilot and other AI clients drive Forge in plain English, one real tool call at a time, and nothing ships until your team approves it. For teams that cannot send data to a shared AI service, Forge AI Controller (private preview) runs in your own infrastructure with local AI models, so what it learns stays in your environment. Underneath, Forge captures apps on the machine they already run on, even when the installer is lost, from Windows XP SP3 to Windows 11 and Windows Server 2008 R2 to 2025. One capture gives signed MSIX, MSI, Intune Win32 and App Attach packages, and App-V 5 packages convert to MSIX or MSI without resequencing.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

EtherApps Forge's answer

Most packaging tools need the original installer and a clean machine. Forge captures the app where it already runs, so the apps nobody can reinstall still get packaged. It converts App-V without resequencing, builds every format (MSIX, MSI, Intune Win32, App Attach) from one capture, and signs, validates and smoke tests each package. GitHub Copilot can drive the whole process through the Forge MCP server. Forge runs on your own machines, so packages and signing keys stay with you. In our study, MSIX at Scale (2026), Forge built an MSIX for 90.68% of 3,261 Windows application cases.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

EtherApps Forge's answer

Application packagers, endpoint and Microsoft Intune engineers, and the teams moving apps to Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop. Managed service providers (MSPs) use Forge to run packaging as a service across many customers.

What's the story behind your product?

EtherApps Forge's answer

Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop projects kept stalling on the same thing: old Windows apps with lost installers, App-V packages and apps nobody could reinstall. EfficientEther built Forge to clear that app blocker by capturing each app where it still runs and turning it into modern packages. As AI coding assistants arrived, Forge added the Forge MCP server so GitHub Copilot can drive packaging in plain English, and Forge AI Controller (private preview) to run the lifecycle as an agent in your own tenant.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

EtherApps Forge's answer

Forge is a Windows application built around MSIX, Windows Installer (MSI), App-V, Intune Win32 and App Attach (VHD, VHDX, CIM) packaging. It exposes its tools through a command line (forge_msix), a PowerShell module and a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for GitHub Copilot and other AI clients. Forge AI Controller (private preview) works with Microsoft Foundry, OpenAI services or local models.

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