Desktop apps · Comparison
Electron vs Tauri
Both put a web interface in a desktop window. The difference is underneath: Electron ships its own Chromium and Node.js with every app, while Tauri uses the system's WebView and a Rust core.
2 options · 9 questions side by side · updated
| Compare | Electron | Tauri |
|---|---|---|
| Web engine | Bundled Chromium, identical everywhere | System WebView, differs by OS |
| Back-end language | JavaScript or TypeScript on Node.js | Rust |
| Download size | Tens of megabytes at minimum | Often a few megabytes |
| Memory use | Higher, a browser per app | Lower |
| Security model | Safe defaults, but exposed Node access is risky | Deny by default, with capability files |
| Mobile | Desktop only | iOS and Android since version 2 |
| Ecosystem | Very mature, with the npm ecosystem | Growing, with a smaller plugin set |
| Watch out for | Size, memory and frequent upgrades | WebView rendering differences, Rust learning curve |
| Cost | Free (MIT) | Free (MIT or Apache 2.0) |
How to choose between Electron and Tauri
- Pick Electron when the team knows only JavaScript, needs Node.js libraries, or must render identically on every system.
- Pick Tauri when size, memory and start-up time matter, or when the app does heavy local work that suits Rust.
- Both need code signing, installers and an auto-updater, so the shipping effort is similar.
The options
- ElectronA framework for building desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux with web technology, by shipping each app with its own copy of Chromium (the open-source core of Chrome) and Node.js.
- TauriA framework for building small desktop and mobile apps with a web interface and a Rust core, using the web engine the operating system already has instead of bundling one.
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