Ask HN: What's the best framework for building Mac/Windows desktop apps in 2025?

7•anoojb•9mo ago

I'm a PM now, but I spent most of my developer career building backend APIs in C# and Python. I also spent some time building mobile apps with C# with a cross-platform framework.

I'd like to build a few toy desktop apps this year. I don't have a problem trying out Typescript Javascript, but I'm reticent to build on top of Electron given performance and bloat issues for such simple apps.

Would prefer something that's Python based but most of my research show bindings for something like GTK or Qt which feels scary.

I'm sure Flutter is useful, but I'm not very interested in something that's declined so precipitously.

The most promising option I've tried is Lynx and it seems interesting but wary of getting caught in some nasty corners with Rust since I'm not very familiar there. Curious if others have experience here? Would prefer to stick with something that uses web based technologies for front-end, but recognize that wanting real CSS/JS and also being performance-minded is not simpatico.

I recognize I might be being irrational and too opinionated. Should I just go with Electron or Lynx?

Comments

p_ing•9mo ago

Are you avoiding the native macOS languages/frameworks for some reason?

anoojb•9mo ago

I'd prefer something cross-platform that would work on macOS and Windows.

p_ing•9mo ago

I agree with AvaloniaUI/C# but you’re the ignoring “the best” available for macOS, with the Apple supplied ObjC, Swift, etc.

neonsunset•9mo ago

If you already have C# and mobile app dev experience, the most productive choice will probably be using AvaloniaUI (or perhaps Uno Platform?).

cranberryturkey•9mo ago

Electron

cryptoalex•9mo ago

I've recently built "native" Windows / macOS Password/Secret Manager application using Blazor Hybrid with MudBlazor UI library (.NET8). That Password Manager application must be used together with the accompanying IOS/Android mobile app (Xamarin now migrated to MAUI) that manages master keys (KEKs) and wraps/unwraps data encryption keys (DEKs) used by the Password Manager application.

UI for both apps is reasonably complex and could be seen here - https://youtu.be/PZVwYSCO1p4?t=78.

To be honest, Blazor UI controls / object model / lifecycle takes some time to get used to. However, MudBlazor library does help here, as well as finding your own patterns and just building on top of your own base classes.

With the same stack i.e. Blazor Hybrid / Blazor WASM / MudBlazor, I've also build Secure Mail Client, Notes, File Encryption application, and also a number of CLI utilities related to encryption via QR codes.

Overall, I do recommend Blazor Hybrid for a cross platform desktop application with simple to medium UI complexity.

throwaway032023•8mo ago

“that's declined so precipitously”

That sounds hyperbolic and unserious.

https://medium.com/flutter/whats-new-in-flutter-3-32-40c1086...

Flutter is doing well on Desktop. Is it going to be the same experience as writing c# on windows or swift on OSX? No. Will it work? Yes.

Note the ffi/jni gen announcement. This has been in works for a long time. FFI has been stable for awhile. The generators are new.

divan•8mo ago

Anyone has any idea what did he even mean by declaring Flutter "declined"?

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