I've been building Windows installer packages for 25 years. InstallShield costs $2,000+/year. WiX works but requires writing XML by hand and has a steep learning curve. Advanced Installer is better but still $500+/year.

So I built InstallerStudio — a WinUI 3/.NET 10 tool that generates production-ready MSI files with a modern UI. One-time license, $199.

It handles files, shortcuts, registry, custom actions, services, file associations, and installer branding. Self-contained — no WiX or other tools required under the hood.

The meta part: InstallerStudio builds its own installer. I used it to package itself for the first release.

https://www.ionline.com

Happy to answer questions about MSI internals, Windows Installer quirks, or why I built this instead of just wrapping WiX.