Deskifier vs Nativefier

The maintained Nativefier alternative

Nativefier was the beloved way to wrap any website in an Electron window from the command line. It's been archived and unmaintained since 2023. Deskifier picks up where it stopped, and solves the parts it never did: signing, updates and distribution.

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What happened to Nativefier?

Nativefier's repository was archived in September 2023 and hasn't shipped a release since. That matters more than it sounds: wrapped apps pin an Electron version, and Electron versions carry Chromium security patches. An unmaintained wrapper means your users run an aging browser engine with known CVEs, forever.

And even in its prime, Nativefier stopped at the window. The output was an unsigned app: macOS Gatekeeper warned on open, Windows SmartScreen threw its blue wall, there was no update mechanism, and store distribution was out of reach. Fine for a personal wrapper around a favorite site; a dead end for shipping to users.

Everything Nativefier did, plus the hard parts

Actively maintained runtime

Apps build on a current Electron with up-to-date Chromium, and the platform updates it for you over time.

Signed and trusted installs

macOS builds are Developer ID signed and notarized; Windows builds are signed via Azure Trusted Signing. No Gatekeeper or SmartScreen warnings.

Auto-updates

The single biggest thing Nativefier never had: silent background updates, hosted for you, on all three platforms.

Store distribution

Mac App Store, Microsoft Store, Linux .deb and Snap Store packages from the same configuration.

A CLI, like the one you came for

If you loved Nativefier’s one-liner, the Deskifier CLI will feel familiar: create, configure and build apps from the terminal or CI.

Native powers beyond the window

Tray icons, real notifications, global shortcuts, filesystem access, deep links and menus, configurable without forking any code.

Side by side

	Deskifier	Nativefier
Wrap any website in a desktop app
Command-line workflow
Actively maintained		✕
Code signing + notarization		✕
Auto-updates		✕
App store packages		✕
No-code dashboard		✕
Current Chromium security patches		✕
Price	Free to build; from $20/mo to ship	Free (archived)

Nativefier status per its GitHub repository, archived September 2023.

Frequently asked questions

It still works, but wrapped apps ship a frozen Electron whose Chromium no longer receives security patches. For personal use that may be acceptable; for anything you distribute to users, an unpatched browser engine is a real liability.

Point Deskifier at the same URL you gave Nativefier, upload your icon, and build. There is no code to port, since both tools wrap your live site. Window options like size and frameless mode have direct equivalents in the dashboard.

Building and previewing your app is free. Paid plans start at $20 per month per platform product and add the things Nativefier never had: signing, notarization, hosted auto-updates and store packaging.

Yes. Tray behavior, single instance, window sizing, user agent overrides, protocol handlers and most other common flags exist as dashboard settings or SDK calls, with per-platform overrides Nativefier could not express.

Keep reading

5 ways to turn a website into a desktop app →Why unsigned apps scare your users →Deskifier vs ToDesktop →

Wrap it like Nativefier. Ship it like a product.

Point Deskifier at any URL and get a signed, auto-updating desktop app. Free to try, no credit card required.

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