Desktop App Development Company

Most businesses default to web apps for everything. But when your team works offline in the field, needs GPU access for processing-heavy tasks, handles sensitive data that must stay on-device, or runs a workflow that requires deep OS integration, a web app won't cut it.
RaftLabs builds native desktop applications for Windows, macOS, and cross-platform using Electron and Tauri. Field tools, internal ops software, creative tools, and enterprise applications that run reliably without a browser.

See our work

Native Windows, macOS, and cross-platform desktop apps built for production use
Offline-first architecture so your team works without an internet connection
Deep OS integration including system tray, file system, hardware peripherals, and local storage
Fixed price agreed before any code is written, no billing surprises

Recent outcomes

Voice AI · Research

Text-based interviews converted to automated phone calls

6× deeper insights

AI Automation · Ops

Manual invoice OCR across 40+ gas stations

20k+ txns day one

Loyalty · Retail

SuperValu & Centra loyalty platform with receipt validation

1,062 users in 4 weeks

SaaS · Logistics

Multi-carrier shipping hub for Indonesian eCommerce

2,000+ shipments yr 1

4.9 / 5 on ClutchSee all work

Recognition

Sound familiar?

Field team that loses access to their tools the moment the network drops?
Internal tool that's outgrown what a browser can do, but nobody wants to build it from scratch?

In short

RaftLabs is a desktop app development company that builds native Windows, macOS, and cross-platform desktop applications using Electron, Tauri, and native frameworks. We build field tools, internal ops software, creative tools, and enterprise applications that run offline, integrate with the OS, and handle sensitive data on-device. Most desktop app projects launch in 10-16 weeks at a fixed, agreed cost. We own the full build from design through to delivery, with source code ownership transferred to the client.

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When a web app isn't the right tool

A web app requires a browser, a server, and a working network connection. That's fine for most workflows. It's not fine when your team is inspecting equipment in a basement with no signal, when your data cannot leave the device under any circumstances, when you need to talk directly to a USB peripheral or a local printer, or when your processing task would take 40 seconds in the cloud but 400 milliseconds on the user's own hardware.

Desktop apps exist for exactly these situations. Not as a fallback, but as the right architectural decision for the constraints you're working with.

Capabilities

What we build

Windows app development

Custom Windows desktop applications built with WinUI 3, WPF, or Electron depending on your requirements. Native Win32 API access for deep OS integration, local file system operations, registry reads, system tray presence, background services, and hardware peripheral communication via USB, serial, or HID protocols. WinUI 3 (the current Microsoft-recommended framework) gives you a modern fluent design system with native rendering performance, suited to internal tools and enterprise applications that need to feel at home on Windows 11. WPF remains the right choice for applications targeting older Windows versions or with existing WPF codebases to extend.

Packaging via MSIX for Microsoft Store distribution or self-signed installer packages for enterprise sideloading. Code signing with your organisation's certificate so Windows Defender doesn't flag the installer on first run. Auto-update delivery via Squirrel or MSIX package updates so users always have the current version without manual reinstall. Enterprise deployment via Group Policy or Microsoft Intune for organisations that push software to managed machines rather than asking users to install it themselves.

macOS app development

Native macOS applications built with SwiftUI or AppKit for the tightest possible integration with the Apple platform. SwiftUI for new applications targeting macOS 12 and later, AppKit for applications that need to support older macOS versions or that extend existing Objective-C or Swift codebases. Native macOS conventions throughout: menu bar presence, Spotlight integration, drag-and-drop, Touch Bar support where relevant, and the system colour and typography that make a macOS app feel like a macOS app rather than a web app in a window.

Keychain integration for secure credential storage without rolling your own encryption. Sandboxing configuration for Mac App Store submission, with entitlements scoped to exactly the permissions the app needs rather than requesting everything. Notarisation and hardened runtime so Gatekeeper passes the app without prompting users to bypass security settings. Auto-update via Sparkle (the industry standard for non-App-Store macOS apps) so your users receive updates without manual download.

Cross-platform Electron and Tauri apps

Cross-platform desktop applications built with Electron, packaging a Chromium browser and Node.js runtime into a native installer for Windows, macOS, and Linux. One codebase, three platforms. The right choice when your development team works in JavaScript or TypeScript, when you're building a tool that's already web-shaped (dashboards, data entry, document editing), or when the budget for separate native codebases isn't justified by the feature set.

Electron's main/renderer process architecture keeps OS-level operations in the main process (file system, native menus, IPC with external processes) and UI rendering in the renderer process, with a typed IPC bridge between them. Context isolation and content security policies prevent renderer code from accessing Node APIs directly. App bundle size management via electron-builder with platform-specific packaging: DMG for macOS, NSIS or Squirrel installer for Windows, AppImage or deb for Linux. Auto-update via electron-updater pointing to a self-hosted or GitHub Releases update server.

Tauri is the lighter alternative to Electron. Instead of bundling Chromium, Tauri uses the OS's native webview (WebView2 on Windows, WebKit on macOS/Linux), which reduces installer size from 80-150MB to 5-10MB. The backend logic runs in Rust rather than Node.js, giving Tauri apps significantly lower memory footprint and better startup performance. The UI layer is still web tech (React, Vue, Svelte), so the same frontend skills apply. Tauri is the right choice when bundle size matters (consumer-facing installs), when you want the security model of Rust in the native layer, or when you need native system calls without the Node.js overhead.

Offline-first desktop apps

Desktop applications designed from the ground up for environments where network connectivity is intermittent, slow, or absent. The local data layer is built first: SQLite (via better-sqlite3 for Electron, Core Data for macOS, or a local SQL Server instance for Windows enterprise apps) stores the working dataset on the user's machine. The app reads and writes locally with no network dependency in the hot path.

Sync architecture designed around your specific conflict scenarios. Last-write-wins is simple but loses data when two users edit the same record offline simultaneously. Operational transform or CRDT-based sync is more complex but preserves all edits. We scope the right approach during discovery based on how many concurrent offline users you have and what the acceptable data model for conflict resolution looks like in your workflow. Sync layer runs as a background service when connectivity is available, batching local changes and pulling remote updates with exponential backoff on failure. Users see a sync status indicator so they know whether their latest edits have reached the server, not a spinner that might mean anything.

OS integration and system tray apps

Desktop applications that live outside the browser window and integrate at the OS level. System tray applications that run in the background, surface alerts as native OS notifications (not browser push notifications), and let users access key actions from the taskbar or menu bar without opening a full window. Global keyboard shortcuts registered at the OS level so the hotkey works whether the app window is focused or not.

File system watchers that react to changes in monitored directories. IPC bridges to local hardware: serial port communication for barcode scanners, label printers, and industrial equipment; USB HID for card readers and signature pads; local network discovery via mDNS for LAN-connected devices. Named pipe or socket-based IPC with other local processes when your desktop app needs to coordinate with existing software already running on the machine. Startup-on-login configuration via OS login item registration rather than a scheduled task, so the app is ready before the user opens it.

Desktop app modernisation

Migration of legacy desktop software to modern frameworks without rewriting the core business logic from scratch. Common scenarios: a 15-year-old VB6 or Delphi application that still runs the business but can't be maintained because nobody on the team knows the language; a WinForms app that works fine functionally but needs a modern UI; an internal tool built in Access or Excel that has outgrown the spreadsheet and needs to be a real application.

We start with a discovery audit to understand what the existing application actually does, which parts are core logic worth preserving, and which parts are incidental to the old framework and can be redesigned. The migration plan identifies what to port, what to rebuild, and what to cut. We deliver working increments rather than a big-bang rewrite so you're not blocked from using the old system while the new one is being built. Data migration from the old storage format to the new schema is included in scope.

Related services

Tell us what the web app can't handle. We'll tell you if a desktop build solves it.

Describe the workflow, the environment, and the constraint. We'll scope the right architecture and give you a fixed cost.

Talk about your desktop app

Frequently asked questions

: A desktop app makes sense when one or more of these conditions apply. Your users need the software to work without an internet connection, such as field inspectors, warehouse teams, or anyone operating in low-connectivity environments. Your workflow requires direct access to the local file system, USB devices, serial ports, printers, or cameras in ways a browser cannot expose cleanly. You're handling sensitive data that must stay on the device and never transit a server. Your processing tasks are CPU or GPU intensive enough that network latency to a cloud server would make the experience unusable. Or your users need OS-level features like system tray notifications, background services, or global keyboard shortcuts. If none of those apply, a web app is usually the right choice and we'll tell you that in the scoping call.
: Electron (which packages a Chromium browser and Node.js into a desktop installer) is the right choice when you need to ship on Windows and macOS from a single codebase, your team already works in JavaScript or TypeScript, and your app's workload is not graphics-intensive. Electron runs well for tools, dashboards, data entry, and internal ops software. Tauri is a third option worth knowing: it uses the OS's native webview instead of bundling Chromium, producing a much smaller installer (typically 5-10MB vs Electron's 80-150MB) while still letting you build the UI in web technologies. The backend logic runs in Rust rather than Node.js, which gives Tauri apps a lower memory footprint and faster startup. Native development (Swift or SwiftUI for macOS, C# with WinUI or WPF for Windows) is the right choice when you need the tightest OS integration, the best performance on hardware-intensive tasks, or deep access to platform-specific APIs. We scope the right approach during discovery based on your use case, device targets, and team constraints, not a blanket preference.
: Yes, and that's one of the main reasons to build a desktop app rather than a web app. We design the local data layer first. Data lives in a local database (SQLite is the most common choice for desktop apps) on the user's machine. The app reads and writes locally with no network dependency. When connectivity is available, a sync layer pushes local changes to the cloud backend and pulls remote updates down. We design the conflict resolution logic during discovery so that simultaneous offline edits from multiple users don't produce corrupted records when they sync. The offline-first architecture is not an add-on, it shapes the data model from the start.
: A focused desktop app, core workflow, local data storage, and cloud sync for one platform, typically runs $25,000-$60,000. Cross-platform builds (Windows and macOS from a single Electron codebase) add roughly 20-30% compared to a single-platform build. Apps with complex OS integrations, hardware peripheral support, or enterprise security requirements run higher. We scope every project before pricing it and give you a fixed cost, not a time-and-materials estimate.
: Most desktop apps ship in 10-16 weeks from project start to a production installer. The range depends on scope, the complexity of the offline sync layer, and the number of OS integrations required. We start with a discovery phase (1-2 weeks) to define the data model and architecture before writing application code. Weekly sprints with working builds mean you're reviewing real software from week two, not waiting until the end for a demo.

Work with us

Tell us what you need. We'll tell you what it would take.

We scope Desktop App Development Company in 30 minutes. You walk away with a clear cost, timeline, and approach. No commitment required.

Scope and cost agreed before work starts. No surprises. No obligation.
Working prototype within 3 weeks of kickoff.
Pay by milestone. You see progress before each invoice.
60-day post-launch warranty. Bug fixes, UI tweaks, and deployment support. No retainer.
All conversations are NDA-protected.