actualNoteContentPart: One of the more common requests we hear from new Amplenote users is that they wish that Amplenote offered a "native app" or a "desktop app" for Windows and macOS. [As of 2024, Amplenote now offers a native desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux for paying subscribers](/help/native_desktop_system_requirements) . 
  
  Still, users with a Personal subscription must use Amplenote on desktop through the browser (as a PWA). In this article, we'll discuss our rationale for allowing Amplenote to be installed through a browser, and how we mitigate the perceived weaknesses of the "non-native" app.
  
  # What distinguishes a native app?
  In 2010, there was a clear delineation between a "native app" and a web app. For starters, a native app was installed on your computer, whereas a web app could be used only when you had access to visit a webpage. Native apps at this time carried several advantages relative to non-native apps:
  
  [App is installed to task tray](#1._App_is_installed_to_task_tray)  
  [When using Cmd-Tab to switch applications, its icon appears in the list of open apps](#2._When_using_Cmd-Tab_to_switch_applications,_its_icon_appears_in_the_list_of_open_apps)  
  [Offline functionality](#3._Offline_functionality)  
  [Has its own set of hotkeys available to power users](#4._Has_its_own_set_of_hotkeys_available_to_power_users)  
  [Can be more secure](#5._Can_be_more_secure)  
  [Push notifications and event reminders](#6._Push_notifications_and_event_reminders)  
  Stays resident in memory, allowing instant capture on desktop 
  [(subjective) Able to offer smoother/more refined effects](#7._(subjective)_Able_to_offer_smoother/more_refined_effects)  
  [(subjective) Feels "faster" than other apps](#8._(subjective)_Feels__faster__than_other_apps)  
  
  But even in 2010, change was already brewing, because one year earlier, in 2009, the W3W body released a new feature for browsers called a "[web worker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_worker) ." In time, the iterated version of this one feature (which includes web service workers) has upended what was once a clear separation between "native app" and "web app." 
  
  Case in point, two of the most popular "native apps" among developers in 2020 were "Obsidian" and "Microsoft VS Code." Because you install them on your computer, they appear to fit the definition of a "native" app. What few non-technical users realize is that these apps are using "Electron," a technology that bundles a website into a pre-packaged Chrome browser. The install package for these popular "native" apps effectively creates a duplicate copy of Chrome, just for running the app. For all intents and purposes, these are web apps wrapped in native clothing, using web workers to function offline. 
  
  # How does Amplenote stack up as a native app?
  If we take the list of "native benefits" from the previous section, does the Amplenote PWA quack more like a web app, or a native app?
  
  ## 1. App is installed to task tray
  The first benefit of installing a native app is having it available for easy access in the "Applications" folder, and the system dock or start menu. In Amplenote, you can install the app to your system [in less than a minute following these instructions](https://www.amplenote.com/help/installing_amplenote_macos_windows_linux_ios_android) . The Amplenote app can be pinned for easy access, and will show an "Amplenote" icon in the task tray when opened.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## 2. When using Cmd-Tab to switch applications, its icon appears in the list of open apps
  Because Amplenote is installed like any other app, its icon shows when tabbing between apps:
processedNoteContent: ---
  title: Comparing the Amplenote PWA to native desktop app
  tags: 
  ---
  One of the more common requests we hear from new Amplenote users is that they wish that Amplenote offered a "native app" or a "desktop app" for Windows and macOS. [As of 2024, Amplenote now offers a native desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux for paying subscribers](/help/native_desktop_system_requirements)
   . Still, users with a Personal subscription must use Amplenote on desktop through the browser (as a PWA). In this article, we'll discuss our rationale for allowing Amplenote to be installed through a browser, and how we mitigate the perceived weaknesses of the "non-native" app. 
  What distinguishes a native app?
  In 2010, there was a clear delineation between a "native app" and a web app. For starters, a native app was installed on your computer, whereas a web app could be used only when you had access to visit a webpage. Native apps at this time carried several advantages relative to non-native apps: [App is installed to task tray](#1._App_is_installed_to_task_tray)
  
  [When using Cmd-Tab to switch applications, its icon appears in the list of open apps](#2._When_using_Cmd-Tab_to_switch_applications,_its_icon_appears_in_the_list_of_open_apps)
  
  [Offline functionality](#3._Offline_functionality)
  
  [Has its own set of hotkeys available to power users](#4._Has_its_own_set_of_hotkeys_available_to_power_users)
  
  [Can be more secure](#5._Can_be_more_secure)
  
  [Push notifications and event reminders](#6._Push_notifications_and_event_reminders)
  
  Stays resident in memory, allowing instant capture on desktop
  [(subjective) Able to offer smoother/more refined effects](#7._(subjective)_Able_to_offer_smoother/more_refined_effects)
  
  [(subjective) Feels "faster" than other apps](#8._(subjective)_Feels__faster__than_other_apps)
  But even in 2010, change was already brewing, because one year earlier, in 2009, the W3W body released a new feature for browsers called a " [web worker](https://en.wikipedia.org)`
   ." In time, the iterated version of this one feature (which includes web service workers) has upended what was once a clear separation between "native app" and "web app." Case in point, two of the most popular "native apps" among developers in 2020 were "Obsidian" and "Microsoft VS Code." Because you install them on your computer, they appear to fit the definition of a "native" app. What few non-technical users realize is that these apps are using "Electron," a technology that bundles a website into a pre-packaged Chrome browser. The install package for these popular "native" apps effectively creates a duplicate copy of Chrome, just for running the app. For all intents and purposes, these are web apps wrapped in native clothing, using web workers to function offline. 
  How does Amplenote stack up as a native app?
  If we take the list of "native benefits" from the previous section, does the Amplenote PWA quack more like a web app, or a native app? 
  1. App is installed to task tray
  The first benefit of installing a native app is having it available for easy access in the "Applications" folder, and the system dock or start menu. In Amplenote, you can install the app to your system [in less than a minute following these instructions](https://www.amplenote.com)`
   . The Amplenote app can be pinned for easy access, and will show an "Amplenote" icon in the task tray when opened. 
  2. When using Cmd-Tab to switch applications, its icon appears in the list of open apps
  Because Amplenote is installed like any other app, its icon shows when tabbing between apps:
noteTitle: Comparing the Amplenote PWA to native desktop app