7 Famous Electron App Examples [2025]

Introduction

We are all witnesses of a revolution where building apps and websites becomes easier every single day.

Electron apps are definitely a part of this revolution. If you wonder about developing Electron apps yourself, start with analyzing which apps are using it and why.

Electron apps examples – Which apps are built with Electron?

Which apps are made with Electron?

1. WebTorrent
2. Visual Studio Code
3. Postman
4. Beaker Browser
5. Pexels
6. Slack
7. WhatsApp Desktop

Various companies benefited from Electron in many ways. The best way to understand this JavaScript framework for desktop apps is to see it in practice, so let's take a closer look at a few examples.

#1 WebTorrent desktop app

This type of apps still feels a bit outdated and old, which is why the guys at WebTorrent decided to step into action – using Electron JS as their basic developing program.

The result is WebTorrent, the first torrent client working in the browser and one that is completely written in JavaScript and uses WebRTC for peer-to-peer transport.

Without any plugins, extensions or installations required, WebTorrent links the user to a decentralized browser-to-browser network that ensures efficient file transfer.

Why does WebTorrent for desktop use Electron?

Electron steps into action with the WebTorrent desktop version, making it as lightweight, ad-free and open source as possible. Also, it aids the streaming and acts as a hybrid client that connects the app to all the popular BitTorrent and WebTorrent networks.

#2 Visual Studio Code (VS Code) Electron app

Visual Studio Code is a powerful, lightweight source-code editor with support for debugging, version control, extensions, and intelligent code completion. It’s fast, flexible, and packed with features like smart autocompletion, Git tools, debugging, and a massive library of extensions. Devs love it because it just works - whether you're writing JavaScript, Python, or Rust.

Why does Visual Studio Code use Electron?

Microsoft went with Electron to make VS Code run on every major OS without rewriting everything from scratch. They could build it once using web tech - HTML, CSS, JS - and ship it everywhere. Electron also let them plug in Node.js to handle deeper tasks like file access and extensions. It made updates easy, the UI slick, and the dev experience top-notch. Basically, it gave them speed and control.

#3 Postman Electron desktop app

Postman is the go-to tool for working with APIs. You can send requests, test endpoints, automate flows, and share it all with your team. If you work with REST or GraphQL, chances are you've used Postman.

Why does Postman use Electron?

Postman started as a Chrome app, but that had limits. With Electron, they could turn it into a full-on desktop app - no browser required. It still feels like a web app, but now it can talk to your file system, store environments locally, and work offline. Plus, they didn’t need to rebuild everything. Just reused what they had, added more power under the hood, and made it work anywhere.

#4 Beaker Browser Electron application

Looking for a reliable peer-to-peer web browser?

If yes, you just found it. Beaker Browser is a participatory browser designed for hackers. Initially designed as a product that can be hacked, Beaker Browser shifts the Web to an open-source format and lets hackers, modders, and creative types make most of their digital skills.

Why does Beaker Browser use Electron?

Electron open source software framework made building Beaker a lot easier. As a toolkit for making browsers, it aided the designing process. Thanks to it, Electron app runs with minimal iterations and in the best way possible. In a nutshell, Beaker Browser is a browser for open-source websites and a solution that makes social hacking easier and better than ever before.

<span class="colorbox1" fs-test-element="box1"><p>Electron.js offers low barrier to entry and ease with finding developers. Find out why it’s worth to build a desktop app with Electron: 5 Reasons Why You Need an Electron Desktop App.</p></span>

#5 Pexels Electron app

For a lot of writers, designers, and publicists, Pexels is a life-saver. As a platform that packs thousands of royalty-free stock images, it definitely needed improvement. And that is how the Pexels desktop app was born, obviously built with Electron framework.

Why does Pexels desktop app use Electron?

This app makes it easier than ever to copy a photo into your clipboard – with only one click. Then, you can paste the photo into any app and use it as a stock image for your article, infographic or social media post.

No downloads means no problems, and discovering new photos is easy thanks to the Pexels desktop app.

#6 Slack desktop app

Another great app using this JavaScript framework is Slack desktop app for macOS.

Why does Slack desktop app use Electron?

It was built with the Electron framework that can be easily seen thanks to its faster performance and the frameless look, unlike the browser experience. For many teams looking for better organization or a more focused workspace, Slack for desktop is definitely the app to choose.

Although Slack for desktop takes a hybrid approach, most of their assets and code are loaded remotely, combining the rendering engine from Chromium and the Node.js runtime and module system.

#7 WhatsApp Electron app

Another one in the line of popular desktop apps using ElectronJS is WhatsApp – the most downloaded messenger app.

Why does WhatsApp desktop app use Electron?

Working less and providing more, Electron framework helped the WhatsApp developers to cover it all in single cost and wrap around the desktop experience of WhatsApp through a more streamlined and revolutionized framework – the Electron.

Why so many companies build cross platform desktop apps with Electron?

There are key reasons why organizations chose to build desktop apps with Electron:

1. Electron allows to build desktop apps with JavaScript — To be more specific, developers use web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This also means that developers can build their own code editors or incorporate popular code editor libraries, such as CodeMirror or Ace Editor, into Electron applications.
2. Electron lets developers build cross platform apps that work both on Mac, Windows, and Linux — It eliminates the need of having skills in technologies that are used to develop for these platforms natively.

Why is that important?

At the top level we see Mac, Windows, and Linux. That’s already a lot. But on a deeper level, there are multiple versions of those systems together with the latest version of all of them. Each one has its specifics, and each one one that is still in use should be addressed during product development. Plus, each platform has its own quirks.

To cope with this development challenge, we need to hire specialists, which often takes a lot of time. Plus, building three specific apps is also a long process. In many cases, that’s not a viable solution from a business point of view.

Consequences

Electron allows businesses to speed up time-to-market (cross-platform development) and use talents they already have or can hire fairly quickly (using web technologies).

JavaScript developers, even if they’re not specialized in building Electron apps, will most likely catch it up quickly.

App development with Electron eliminates time and talent waste.

<span class="colorbox1" fs-test-element="box1"><p>Technical decisions should be made with business and product context in mind. Electron is a choice that supports digital acceleration of a company and achieving its business goals.</p></span>

A few more words about an Electron app

This is a part that will be interesting especially for those who wonder if Electron is a good fit for their next project.

Here are some facts about Electron’s that may be helpful during the decision-making process.

• Electron is developed and maintained by GitHub and has a big, active community behind.
• Electron framework is open-sourced.
• Automatic updates in Electron help ensure that users have access to the latest features, bug fixes, and security patches without requiring manual intervention.
• Electron consists of Chromium engine for displaying web content, Node.js for working with the local filesystem and the operating system, and custom APIs that work with OS native features.
• From a development perspective, an Electron app is essentially a Node.js application.
• Electron applications can be perceived as web applications running in the Chromium engine. The major difference between Electron app and a web application lies in the architecture. In an Electron app, the starting point is a JavaScript file that acts as a controller.
• Electron provides the ability to handle media keys, allowing seamless integration and control of media playback functionalities within desktop applications.
• Electron enables developers to create a separate instance of their application, allowing for independent and isolated occurrences that can operate concurrently on desktop platforms.

What should you be aware of while using Electron?

Using Electron for cross-platform applications is an excellent choice, however you should consider the fact that Electron may excess resource usage and bundle the entire runtime, resulting in high memory usage and potential performance slowdowns due to excess resource consumption.

Moreover, Electron's inclusion of all features increases the file size, leading to longer download and installation times for users.

Lastly, it's crucial to rely on a stable version of Electron to ensure a reliable foundation for all the features, as older or unstable versions may introduce compatibility issues and security vulnerabilities.

<span class="colorbox1" fs-test-element="box1"><p>There are many myths about Electron app performance. Using NAPI-RS, which mixes Rust with Node.js, we've cut it from 800ms to 75ms (single file). Learn how to do that: Electron App Performance - How to Optimize It.</p></span>

Cross-platform desktop app development simplified

In the end, there are many reasons to use create Electron JS apps for desktop. The most important one is obviously the fast transition to the desktop environment, allowing developers a seamlessly integrated experience.

With an improved runtime and great integration with JavaScript and Node.js, Electron JS makes both designing desktop apps and maintaining them on cross platforms easier and better.

FAQ - Electron apps

Why use Electron for apps?

Electron is used for app development because it offers cross-platform compatibility, leverages familiar web technologies, enables code reusability, provides access to native capabilities, has a wide range of libraries and tools, allows rapid prototyping, and has a supportive developer community.

What is the best alternative to building Electron apps?

Some alternatives to Electron for building desktop apps include NW.js, Flutter Desktop, Qt, Nativefier, and Proton Native. The best alternative depends on specific requirements and preferences.

What is Electron good for?

Electron is good for building cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies. It offers familiarity for web developers, access to native capabilities, code reusability, a rich ecosystem, rapid prototyping, and wide adoption.

Is Electron JS good for desktop apps?

Yes, Electron.js is a smart choice for building cross-platform desktop applications — especially if you're looking to move fast, scale efficiently, and reduce development overhead. It’s trusted by industry leaders like Microsoft (Visual Studio Code), Slack, and Discord, and here’s why it makes sense at a strategic level:

One codebase, all major platforms: Electron lets your team build and maintain a single desktop app that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. This dramatically reduces development and QA complexity, streamlines your roadmap, and cuts total cost of ownership.

Faster time to market with existing talent: Since Electron is built on web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript), your existing front-end team can ship desktop software without needing to learn a new tech stack. This accelerates development and makes hiring easier.

Native-level functionality: Electron integrates with Node.js, allowing full access to native OS capabilities like file systems, system notifications, and hardware-level APIs. You get the flexibility of web development without compromising on desktop power.

Maintainable and scalable architecture: Code reusability across platforms simplifies long-term maintenance. You avoid code duplication and fragmented teams. This keeps your product nimble and easier to evolve as your user base grows.

Strong ecosystem and community support: Electron has a robust open-source ecosystem and an active developer community. That means faster problem-solving, more tooling, and a constantly improving framework backed by widespread industry use.

Battle-tested by the best: When tools like Slack, Postman, and VS Code succeed at scale using Electron, it’s a strong signal. These are apps serving millions of users — and they’ve proven Electron can handle real-world enterprise demands.

Can Electron make mobile apps?

Nope - Electron isn’t meant for mobile apps. It’s really built for desktop.

Electron shines when you want to create cross-platform desktop apps using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It works great on Windows, macOS, and Linux - which makes it a solid choice if you're targeting desktop users.

But when it comes to mobile development, you’ll want something else. Frameworks like React Native, Flutter, or NativeScript are better options. They’re designed to build native or cross-platform apps specifically for iOS and Android. These tools give you access to native features, better performance on mobile devices, and the kind of smooth UX mobile users expect.

That said, Electron can still play a role around mobile apps. For example, you can use it to build a companion desktop app - like an admin panel, dashboard, or backend manager for your mobile app. So while it's not for phones, it can still support your mobile ecosystem.

How do you check if an app is an Electron app?

To determine if an application is built using Electron, you can follow these steps:

1. Check for package files: Electron apps typically have specific files in their project structure. Look for package.json or package-lock.json files, as they are commonly present in Electron applications. These files often contain information about the dependencies and build configurations, including Electron itself.
2. Inspect application structure: Electron apps consist of a main process and multiple renderer processes. If you have access to the application files, examine the structure. Electron applications typically have a main.js or index.js file that represents the main process. Additionally, you may find HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files for the renderer processes.
3. Examine the application code: Open the application files, particularly the main.js or index.js file. Electron applications typically contain specific Electron-related code, such as importing electron or using Electron-specific APIs like mainWindow or ipcMain.
4. Inspect application executable: If you have access to the application's executable file, you can examine its properties. On macOS, right-click the application, select "Show Package Contents," and check for the presence of Electron-related files. On Windows, you can use tools like Resource Hacker or PE Explorer to examine the application's resources and look for Electron-related artifacts.
5. Check for Electron-specific files: Electron applications often include certain files in their build or distribution directories. Look for files like electron.asar, electron.exe, electron.app, or electron.bundle. The presence of such files is a strong indication that the application is built with Electron.

Keep in mind that these methods provide a general approach to identifying Electron applications, but they may not be foolproof. Some developers may obfuscate or modify their Electron applications, making it harder to detect their usage of Electron.