Neutralinojs
Overview
Neutralinojs is a lightweight and portable desktop application development framework that takes minimalism to the extreme. Like Tauri and Wails, it uses your operating system’s native webview and ships no bundled Chromium or Node.js, but it is engineered to keep binaries tiny — commonly in the low single-digit megabytes and below.
It is a strong fit for small utilities and single-purpose tools where you want a touch of native UI without the overhead or toolchain complexity of larger frameworks. Its extension system lets you call native OS functions from your JavaScript, historically sharing some of the approach of the original NW.js/Electron ideas but with a far smaller footprint.
Key Features
- Tiny binaries: Apps in the low single-digit megabytes — often smaller than even Tauri.
- Native webview: Uses the OS webview; no bundled browser or Node.js runtime.
- Extension system: Call native operating-system functions from your JavaScript.
- Portability: Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux from one codebase.
- MIT licence: Free and open source, with no account or subscription required.
Use Cases
- Small desktop utilities and single-purpose tools that want native UI without overhead.
- Learning and prototyping desktop apps without a heavy toolchain.
- Lightweight wrappers for web-based front-ends on the desktop.
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux, Web
Licence
MIT