Krate
Side by side
| Question | Hosted web app | Krate app |
|---|---|---|
| What people get | A page in a browser tab, or an installed web app where the browser supports it. | A desktop app in its own window. |
| What you run | A server or hosting account, for as long as people use the app. | Nothing. The file runs on their computer. Publishing to a hub is optional. |
| Offline | Only with extra work, such as a service worker. | Works without a connection unless the app itself needs the network. |
| Local files | Depends on the browser. The File System Access picker is not available in all major browsers. | Through a file dialog or a folder the person grants. |
| Updates | Every visitor gets the new version on reload. | You send or publish a new file. |
| Phones | Yes. | Not yet. Desktop only today. |
| What people install | Nothing. | The Krate runtime, once. |
Hosting has running costs too
A hosted app needs a domain, a hosting bill, uptime, sign-in and storage for user data, and it keeps people's data on your server, which brings privacy duties. A Krate app keeps its saved data on the person's computer unless it is granted network access and sends it somewhere. If it needs a service, you still run that service, but the app itself does not need hosting.
Apps made with Lovable, Bolt, v0 and similar tools
These tools mostly produce web apps. You can host the published URL, or wrap it with Electron, Tauri or a wrapper service, which gives you a package per OS to build, sign and host. Krate does not wrap websites. To ship such an app as a .krate, open the project in Krate Studio and port it: the AI rewrites it against Krate's interfaces and shows its plan first. The DOM does not carry over. See how to share an AI-built desktop app.
When the web is the right answer
- People need it on phones, or cannot install anything.
- Many people work on the same live data.
- Search engines need to index the content.
- Your team and your code are already on the web.
Questions
Does a Krate app need a server?
No. It runs on the person's computer from the file. If it calls an API you host, that service still runs, but the app itself needs no server and no domain.
What does the person I send it to need?
The Krate runtime, installed once for their system. There is no server to keep running and no account needed to open the app, and it asks before it touches their files or the network.
Can I still use the web from a Krate app?
Yes. A Krate app can call APIs over HTTP and WebSockets for the hosts it declares, which the person approves before it runs.
Can I turn my website into a desktop app?
You can wrap it with Electron or Tauri, which gives you a package per OS to build and sign. Krate doesn't wrap websites: a Krate app is written against Krate's interfaces, and Krate Studio can port a web project by rewriting it.
Do Krate apps need an internet connection?
No, unless the app itself uses the network, and then only to the hosts the person allows.
Can people open a .krate on their phone?
Not yet. iOS and Android exist in Krate's source as reference ports and are not shipping.