Boxy Suite and WebCatalog Desktop start from the same frustration: Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Keep deserve better than browser tabs. Both turn Google's apps into desktop apps with their own windows and icons, keep several Google accounts signed in, and can open your mail from a "mailto" link.
The difference is how far each one goes. Boxy Suite is a set of Mac apps for Google's services, styled to look at home on macOS. WebCatalog Desktop does the same for Gmail, Calendar, Keep, and the rest of Google's apps, then for every other web app you use, on Mac and Windows alike.
At a glance
| WebCatalog Desktop | Boxy Suite | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Web apps as desktop apps, organized into spaces | A suite of Mac apps for Google services |
| Apps covered | Gmail and Google's apps, plus a catalog of 65,000+ apps and any website | Gmail, Calendar, Keep, and Contacts |
| Multiple accounts | Every account signed in side by side, each with its own session | Several accounts with instant switching |
| Organizing apps | Spaces that group apps and accounts in one window | One app per Google service |
| Look | Gmail exactly as Google builds it | Gmail restyled to match macOS |
| Notifications | Unread badges per account and on the Dock or taskbar, mute per account | Notifications and a status bar icon |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS only |
What is WebCatalog Desktop?
WebCatalog Desktop turns websites into desktop apps with their own windows, icons, and logins. The Gmail app holds every Google account you add, all signed in, and the same works for Google Calendar, Keep, Drive, and any other site in a catalog of more than 65,000 apps.
What is Boxy Suite?
Boxy Suite describes itself as "the best Gmail app for Mac." It includes apps for Gmail, Calendar, Keep, and Contacts, restyled to match the macOS interface. It adds instant account switching, a Minimal Mode, a Reader Mode, email tracking detection, integrations with task managers, and a status bar icon.
1. Google's apps on every computer you use
Boxy Suite is a Mac app. If you also use a Windows PC at the office, it can't come along.
WebCatalog Desktop runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux, and syncs your apps, accounts, folders, and settings across all of them. Add a client's Gmail and Calendar on your Mac in the morning, and they're waiting on your Windows desktop in the afternoon.
2. Gmail accounts side by side, not swapped
Boxy Suite pre-loads your accounts so switching is instant. WebCatalog Desktop keeps them all on screen: each account has its own isolated session and its own spot in the Gmail app's sidebar, with its own picture and unread badge.
So you can see at a glance that your work inbox has three new messages and your personal one has none. Mute notifications, sounds, or the badge for any single account, and press Cmd or Ctrl plus a number to jump straight to one.
3. More than Google's apps
Most workdays don't stop at Gmail and Calendar. With WebCatalog Desktop, Slack, Notion, Trello, or your bank's website can get the same treatment as Gmail, each with its own window and icon.
When several of those belong together, a space puts them in one window. A consultant might keep a space per client, each holding that client's Gmail, Calendar, Drive, and Slack, with its own Dock or taskbar icon and its own global keyboard shortcut. Close a client's space when you're done, and their notifications stop with it.
4. Quick access to Gmail, the Mac way and beyond
Boxy Suite puts an icon in the status bar. Any WebCatalog Desktop app can do the same: attach Gmail to the menu bar and it drops down when you click it and hides when you click away, or pin it to the system tray on Windows. A global keyboard shortcut brings it up from anywhere.
Both apps can be your default email client. WebCatalog Desktop also includes a built-in ad and tracker blocker, an app lock with Touch ID, and password managers like 1Password and Bitwarden inside every app.
5. Google's apps, as Google builds them
Boxy Suite restyles Gmail and Calendar to look like Mac apps. WebCatalog Desktop runs Google's apps exactly as they work in Chrome, on the same Chromium engine, so every new Gmail or Calendar feature is there the day Google ships it, with nothing to wait on.
Which one should you choose?
Boxy Suite can make sense if you specifically want Gmail and Calendar restyled to look like native Mac apps, and you only ever use a Mac.
WebCatalog Desktop is the better fit if you:
- Use Windows, or move between computers
- Want every Google account visible at once, each with its own badge
- Want the same desktop app experience for Slack, Notion, and the rest of your tools
- Keep a separate set of apps and accounts for each client
Take Google's apps out of the browser on every computer you use: try WebCatalog Desktop.
