Desktop app or web app? An honest look for writers

Sooner or later every writer has to choose where the book will live. Some writing software installs on your computer. Some runs in a web browser. Both can be excellent, and both have real drawbacks. We make a web app, so we are not neutral, but this guide tries to be fair. If a desktop app suits you better, we would rather you knew that now than found out in month three.

A quick definition first. A desktop app is installed on one computer and keeps your files there. A web app runs in your browser, and your work is kept on the provider's servers. That single difference explains almost everything below.

What web apps do well

• They work on any device and operating system. Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook all have a browser, so you are not locked out because of the computer you own.
• There is nothing to install and nothing to update. You open the page and the current version is there.
• The provider looks after backups. You do not have to remember to do it, which matters because most of us forget.
• A dead laptop does not take your book with it. Sign in from another machine and carry on.
• Sharing is easy. You can give an editor or beta reader access without emailing files back and forth.
• It is the same version everywhere. There is no question of which copy on which computer is the latest.

Where web apps fall short

The first drawback is the plainest one: a web app needs an internet connection. Mythwrite does not work offline. If you write on trains with patchy signal, in a cabin, or on a long flight, that is a real limit, and you should weigh it honestly.

The second is trust. With a web app you are handing your manuscript to a provider, so it is fair to ask how they look after it. Where is it stored? How is it backed up, and have the backups ever been tested? Who can see it? We answer those questions for Mythwrite on our security page, and any provider you consider should be able to do the same in plain words.

Third, web apps are usually a subscription. A one-off purchase, such as Vellum or Atticus, can cost less over several years. If you write slowly and keep the same tool for a decade, that arithmetic matters. A subscription does have its own advantage, since you can stop paying when you stop writing, but the total can still be higher over time.

Finally, there are browser quirks. Different browsers handle some things differently, and a browser extension or an out-of-date browser can occasionally cause odd behaviour. It is usually minor, but it is a cost that a desktop app does not have.

What desktop apps do well

• They work offline. No signal, no problem. Your files are on your machine and the app opens whenever you do.
• Many are a one-off purchase. Pay once, and you may not pay again for years.
• Your files are yours in a very literal sense. They sit in a folder you can see, copy and archive.
• They can feel fast and focused, because everything happens on your own computer.

Where desktop apps fall short

The biggest drawback is that safety is now your job. If the laptop is stolen, drops into a lake or simply stops starting, the book goes with it unless you have a copy somewhere else. Backups and device loss are yours to deal with, and a backup you have not tested is only a hope.

Some desktop apps only run on one operating system. Vellum, for example, runs only on a Mac, so a Windows or Chromebook writer cannot use it. You also have to install updates yourself, and if you work on two computers you need a plan to keep the files in step. Sharing with an editor usually means sending files, and then working out which version is current.

How to choose

There is no right answer for everyone. These questions usually settle it.

1. Will you often write without an internet connection? If yes, lean towards a desktop app, or at least keep a desktop option as a fallback.
2. Do you use more than one computer, or something like a Chromebook? If yes, a web app removes a lot of friction.
3. Do you trust yourself to back up regularly, and to test that the backups work? If not, a provider who handles it may be safer, as long as you have checked how they do it.
4. How long will you use the tool? Over many years, a one-off purchase can cost less than a subscription. For a single book, the difference may be small.
5. Do you share drafts with editors or beta readers? Web apps make that simpler.
6. Can you leave if you need to? Whichever you choose, check that you can export your whole book in a standard format.

If you answered mostly about offline work, a one-off price and keeping everything on your own machine, a desktop app is likely to suit you. If you answered mostly about several devices, nothing to maintain and easy sharing, a web app probably will. Many writers end up with a mix, such as drafting in one and formatting in the other, and that is perfectly sensible.

Whichever you choose, back up

It is tempting to think that a web app removes the need to think about backups, or that a desktop app is safe because the files are right there. Neither is quite true. A provider can have a bad day, and a laptop certainly can. The safest habit is to keep your own copy of the book somewhere that is not the place you write.

An old IT saying puts it neatly: "There are two types of people in the world: those who have lost data, and those who are about to." Export your manuscript on a regular schedule, keep one copy on a different device or drive, and every so often open the copy to check it is really there and readable.

In Mythwrite you can export your whole book at any time, as DOCX, Markdown, EPUB, PDF or a re-importable ZIP, so keeping your own copy takes a minute. That is worth doing wherever you write. If you would like to see whether a web app suits how you work, you can try Mythwrite free and judge it against the checklist above.