The question behind the question
Asking whether you need a desktop or a web app is really asking two things: where should the data live, and who needs to reach it? Answer those, and the choice usually makes itself.
Choose a desktop app when
- The data is private, and you would rather it never left your own computer.
- One person, or a few people on a few computers, do the work.
- The tool has to keep working without an internet connection.
- It needs to work closely with files and programs on the same computer.
yourfinance, our own product, is a desktop app for the first reason: its users' records stay on their own computers.
Choose a web app when
- A team in several places needs the same data at the same time.
- People use different devices, including phones.
- You want one place to update, instead of an installation on every computer.
- Customers or partners need access too.
Our Managed Link Site is a small example: a public page and a private administration interface, both in the browser.
What each one costs to run
A web app needs hosting, sign-in and security looked after for as long as it runs. For a small tool the cost is small, but it never stops. A desktop app has no server to pay for, but every update has to reach every computer, and installers for Mac and Windows should be signed so that the operating system does not warn people away from them.
A middle way
Some tools combine the two: a small web server that runs only on your own computer, with an app window on top. You get a modern interface, and the data stays local. Trading Desk works this way, with a native Mac window over a local web server.
Still not sure?
Describe the work instead of the technology: who uses the tool, where, and what data it holds. That is enough for a recommendation. Our page on custom desktop and web applications explains how we take it from there, and how to write a software brief shows what to include in a first email.