Windows Code Signing

I’m trying to figure this out and it seems expensive.

Getting proper code signing certificates for Windows EXE installers costs real money - the kind of money that makes you pause and think about whether it’s worth it for a side project.

The cheaper and easier route seems to be using the Windows Store, but I don’t want to be locked into the store ecosystem. I want people to be able to download a binary from a website and run it without Windows Defender losing its mind.

I need to figure this out. It’s the same problem as the macOS signing situation - I just want to distribute software that people can actually install.