Electron
Framework for building cross-platform desktop apps using JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Chromium and Node.js.
Recommended by developers who moved off Tauri or Go for more reliable cross-platform behavior12345 and a faster, smoother development experience.6789 The most common complaint is bloat,1011121314 with large binaries and heavy RAM use even for simple apps.15161718
Why people recommend it
Reliable rendering · 3
Developers who hit WebKit and webview problems in Tauri say bundling Electron's own engine works more consistently across platforms.
“we were also pleasantly surprised by how much better the development experience is with it.”
“for my next stuff I'm probably going to use Electron as well since you can embed the webview”
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Developer experience · 3
Teams report a better development experience after switching to Electron, and say it speeds up development.
“we were also pleasantly surprised by how much better the development experience is with it.”
“We eventually abandoned the Go approach and switched to Electron.”
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“it's doubtful those apps would have been created in the first place if it wasn't for the speedup of development allowed by ElectronJS.”
It just works · 2
Experienced desktop developers advise using it despite the bloat because it works.
“My best advice is JUST USE ELECTRON.”
“I think for my next project I will actually go back to electron.”
Linux availability · 1
One Linux user credits Electron with making Linux versions of apps standard.
“if he has made Electron then he is always welcome to me.”
UI building · 1
One commenter calls it great from a UI perspective.
“Electron is great from a UI perspective but seems like it tends to get bloated very quickly.”
Caveats and dissent
Bloat · 3
Many commenters call Electron apps bloated and pick alternatives such as Wails, Tauri or native UI libraries to avoid it.
“avoiding the slowness and bloat of Electron”
“I refuse to use bloated stuff like that”
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“Electron is great from a UI perspective but seems like it tends to get bloated very quickly.”
Memory and resources · 3
Commenters say each app ships its own browser and uses a lot of RAM, even for simple tasks.
“which is why we ended up with Electron/WebView. The amount of RAM it gobbles up just to run simple apps is pretty horrible.”
“most apps switched to web frameworks like Electron where each one has its own huge web browser”
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“turns out manually calculating coordinates is simpler than fighting CSS”
Slow UI · 3
Some report UI lag in Electron apps and contrast them with fast native clients.
I have mixed feelings in this debate, too. The big issue with GUIs is that they’ve become so bloated, especially as the default framework is now often electron apps. Web based frameworks tend to start keeling when large amounts of data need to be handled in the DOM, etc. When I use slack and discord, I sigh when I start seeing UI rendering lag when I switch channels and projects. Though there’s been some recent progr
“It's unfortunate the skill and desire of building fast native UIs are being lost to Electron and CEF wrappers.”
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“avoiding the slowness and bloat of Electron”
Large binaries · 2
Builders using other frameworks point out that Electron bundles a Chrome browser, which makes installs much larger.
“Unlike Electron, BlindLock doesn't ship a Chrome browser inside the program.”
Non-native feel · 1
Electron apps tend to adopt their own theme because web UIs struggle to feel like native desktop apps.
“There's a reason most Electron apps adopt their own unique theme.”
Developer fatigue · 2
Some developers who built several Electron apps say they have since moved to native development.
“The electron fatigue is real. I've developed several apps on Electron and have moved away from it.”
“I do not want a electron app. We can do better”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
From the makers not counted in the ranking
“Electron is not an evil plot to destroy everything that is good and pure about the Mac.”
Threads where it came up
- Ask HN: Is it just me, or is software buggier across the board? 2 mentions
- Claude is an Electron App because we've lost native 2 mentions
- Rune 1.3: adds TypeScript, a Helix editor, Kitty graphics and OSC-7501 1 mention
- Go will reject certificate chains containing eight distrusted SPKIs 1 mention
- Felix Rieseberg Homepage 1 mention
- The death of web development education 1 mention
Data: electron.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 39
“avoiding the slowness and bloat of Electron”
“Electron: https://github.com/electron/electron/pull/55126”
“if he has made Electron then he is always welcome to me.”
“I still found it valuable to take the time to learn Electron (and update my front end knowledge) properly”
“binaries are less than 20mb! Nothing like Electron!”
“Now it’s a hellscape of either bloated Electron or the shifting sands of native APIs”
“Unlike Electron, BlindLock doesn't ship a Chrome browser inside the program.”
“It's depressing that everyone decided Electron was the final form of all applications”
“We had Electron hell before AI.”
“Unlike Electron, BlindLock doesn't ship a Chrome browser inside the program.”
“It's unfortunate the skill and desire of building fast native UIs are being lost to Electron and CEF wrappers.”
“My best advice is JUST USE ELECTRON.”
I have mixed feelings in this debate, too. The big issue with GUIs is that they’ve become so bloated, especially as the default framework is now often electron apps. Web based frameworks tend to start keeling when large amounts of data need to be handled in the DOM, etc. When I use slack and discord, I sigh when I start seeing UI rendering lag when I switch channels and projects. Though there’s been some recent progr
“there are basically only three options in 2026: Qt, Electron, or roll your own like Zed/Sublime.”
“which is why we ended up with Electron/WebView. The amount of RAM it gobbles up just to run simple apps is pretty horrible.”
“Imagine if the issue of making an attractive cross-platform application didn't mean using a chromium-based Electron type framework.”
“Electron apps are selected for things that are harmful to your user experience.”
“it's doubtful those apps would have been created in the first place if it wasn't for the speedup of development allowed by ElectronJS.”
“I refuse to use bloated stuff like that”
“for Linux and Windows we use Electron”
“Electron is great from a UI perspective but seems like it tends to get bloated very quickly.”
“I used Electron, Node, Typescript, React, and Redux to build it”
“we were also pleasantly surprised by how much better the development experience is with it.”
“I hate those things in my end-user applications, too.”
“I made it a local Electron app”
“I would prefer Electron over those TUI unless I have to SSH.”
“turns out manually calculating coordinates is simpler than fighting CSS”
“the unholy abomination we have with Electron apps”
“Also you can’t imagine how much I love cross platform Electron apps.”
“for my next stuff I'm probably going to use Electron as well since you can embed the webview”
“I think for my next project I will actually go back to electron.”
“I do not want a electron app. We can do better”
“The electron fatigue is real. I've developed several apps on Electron and have moved away from it.”
“this is why I violently despise Eletron apps and anything that runs its own browser engine for a GUI”
“WebView or Electron screams lazy to me”
“most apps switched to web frameworks like Electron where each one has its own huge web browser”
“There's a reason most Electron apps adopt their own unique theme.”
“I used Electron, Node, Typescript, React, and Redux to build it”
“We eventually abandoned the Go approach and switched to Electron.”