Desktop Frameworks
A list of frameworks and libraries specialized for Desktop Frameworks development.
| No | Name | Description | Trend | License | Language | Official Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electron | Cross-platform desktop app development framework combining Chromium browser engine with Node.js runtime. Build native apps using web technologies. | Adopted by many famous apps like VS Code, Slack, and Discord. Has mature ecosystem but high resource usage is pointed out as issue. | MIT | JavaScript TypeScript | Official |
| 2 | Tauri | Lightweight desktop app development framework built with Rust. Uses OS native WebView, achieving 90% memory reduction and 75% size reduction compared to Electron. | Rapidly growing with over 70k GitHub stars in 2025. Gaining attention as new choice for lightweight, high-performance, secure desktop app development. | Apache 2.0/MIT | Rust | Official |
| 3 | Qt | C++-based cross-platform application development framework. Provides native performance and rich UI components. Available under both commercial and open-source licenses. | Long track record in industrial software, embedded systems, and desktop apps. Continuously chosen in fields emphasizing stability and performance. | GPL/LGPL/Commercial | C++ | Official |
| 4 | Flutter Desktop | Desktop version of Flutter framework developed by Google. Achieves unified UI and codebase between mobile and desktop apps. | Desktop support becoming serious following mobile app success. Rising attention as new choice for cross-platform development. | BSD-3-Clause | Dart | Official |
| 5 | .NET MAUI | Latest multi-platform development framework for Microsoft .NET platform. Develop Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android apps in single project. | Expected as unified platform in .NET ecosystem. Migration from Xamarin progressing, expected to become standard choice in Microsoft ecosystem. | MIT | C# | Official |
| 6 | Wails | Lightweight desktop app development framework built with Go. Combines HTML frontend with Go backend using WebView. | Increasing attention with Go's rising popularity. Suitable for simple app development as lightweight alternative to Tauri and Electron. | MIT | Go | Official |
| 7 | JavaFX | Rich client application development framework for Java platform. Provides modern UI components and rich media/graphics capabilities. | Continued use in Java enterprise environments for desktop app development. Positioned as successor to Swing/AWT but adoption is limited. | GPL with Classpath Exception | Java | Official |
| 8 | GTK | Cross-platform toolkit used in GNOME desktop environment. C-based enabling lightweight and high-performance native application development. | Stable position as standard UI toolkit in Linux environments. Continued use in open-source projects and Linux native apps. | LGPL | C | Official |