Comparison

Overview

native-window is not a full application framework — it is a native addon that gives any Bun, Deno or Node.js script access to OS webview windows. This makes it fundamentally different from tools like Electron or Tauri, which provide a complete app shell with bundling, packaging, and distribution.

The comparison below highlights where native-window fits and where a full framework might be a better choice.

Feature Comparison

Feature	native-window	Electron	Tauri	Neutralinojs	webview (Go/C)
Uses OS webview (no bundled Chromium)	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅
Embeddable in existing Bun/Deno/Node.js scripts	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
No app scaffold required	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅
napi-rs native addon	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Typed IPC with schema validation	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Multi-window support	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
Custom protocol handler	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌
macOS	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Windows	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Linux	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
System tray	❌	✅	✅	✅	❌
Native menus	❌	✅	✅	✅	❌
Auto-updater	❌	✅	✅	✅	❌
App bundling / packaging	❌	✅	✅	✅	❌
Minimal app size	< 1.5 MB	~150 MB+	~3-6 MB	~3 MB	~1 MB

Size note: native-window ships only the napi-rs addon (< 1.5 MB per platform). Electron bundles a full Chromium runtime. Tauri, Neutralinojs, and webview use the OS-provided webview engine, keeping size small. Sizes are approximate and depend on the application.

vs Electron

Electron is the most established desktop webview framework. It bundles a full Chromium engine, giving you complete control over the browser version and APIs. The tradeoff is size (~150 MB+) and memory usage.

native-window takes the opposite approach — it uses the OS-provided webview engine via wry, resulting in a < 1.5 MB native addon instead of a bundled browser. It is designed to be embedded in existing scripts, not to be an app framework. There is no main/renderer process split, no custom build toolchain, and no app shell. You import the package and create a window in a few lines.

Choose Electron when you need full Chromium control, a mature plugin ecosystem, or comprehensive app packaging. Choose native-window when you want a lightweight webview window from an existing Bun/Deno/Node.js process without the framework overhead.

vs Tauri

Tauri and native-window share the same underlying engine — both use wry + tao for cross-platform webview and window management.

The key difference is scope. Tauri is a full application framework with a Rust backend, app scaffolding, bundling, auto-updates, system tray, and native menus. It expects you to structure your project around its conventions and build system.

native-window is a library. It exposes wry/tao as a napi-rs addon that you can import from any Bun, Deno or Node.js script — no Rust knowledge required, no project scaffold, no build step beyond npm install. This makes it ideal for embedding webview windows in existing tools, plugins, CLI utilities, or automation scripts.

Choose Tauri when you are building a standalone desktop application that will be distributed to end users. Choose native-window when you want to add a webview window to an existing Bun/Deno/Node.js process or script.

vs Neutralinojs

Neutralinojs uses the OS webview and provides a lightweight runtime (~3 MB). Like Tauri, it is an app framework with its own CLI, project structure, and build pipeline. The backend communicates with the webview over a local WebSocket.

native-window differs in that it runs inside your existing Bun/Deno/Node.js process as a native addon — there is no separate runtime binary or WebSocket bridge. IPC goes through wry's native message handler, and the optional typed IPC layer adds compile-time checked schemas with runtime validation.

Choose Neutralinojs when you want a lightweight app framework with its own project structure. Choose native-window when you want to embed a webview directly in your Bun/Deno/Node.js code.

vs webview (Go/C)

The webview library provides a minimal C/C++ (and Go) API for creating a single webview window. It is simple and small (~1 MB), but limited — single window only, no typed IPC, no event callbacks beyond basic message passing, and no schema validation.

native-window provides multi-window support, a full event system (resize, move, focus, blur, page load, title change), typed IPC with schema validation, cookie access, security hardening (CSP, origin filtering, URL blocking), and a React hooks integration — all as a napi-rs addon for Bun/Deno/Node.js.

Choose webview when you need the simplest possible single-window webview from Go or C. Choose native-window when you need a richer API from Bun/Deno/Node.js.

When to Choose native-window

native-window is the right fit when:

You have an existing Bun, Deno or Node.js process and want to add a desktop window to it
You are building developer tools, CLI companions, plugin UIs, or automation dashboards — not a full consumer application
You want typed, schema-validated IPC between host and webview out of the box
You want to avoid bundling Chromium and keep your tool lightweight
You do not need app packaging, auto-updates, system tray, or native menus