Sidekick was a Chromium-based "work browser" that pinned your web apps, like Gmail, Slack, and Notion, in a sidebar next to your tabs. Plenty of people loved having their work apps one click away while they browsed.
Then it went away. In a notice posted in December 2024, the company announced it would "sunset the tool effective August 3rd, 2025." If you're one of the people who lost that sidebar, WebCatalog Desktop gives it back without asking you to adopt another browser, and lets you keep a separate one for each part of your work.
At a glance
| WebCatalog Desktop | Sidekick | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Actively developed | Discontinued in August 2025 |
| What it is | Web apps as desktop apps, organized into spaces | A browser with web apps pinned in a sidebar |
| Organizing apps | Spaces, each in its own window, with folders inside | One sidebar in your browser |
| Standalone apps | Any app can also run on its own, with its own Dock or taskbar icon | Apps live inside the browser |
| Your browser | Keep the browser you already use | Replace your browser |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | No longer available |
What is WebCatalog Desktop?
WebCatalog Desktop isn't a browser. It runs alongside whichever one you already use and gives your work apps a home of their own, built on Chromium, the same engine Sidekick used. Your apps sit in a sidebar inside a space, every account stays signed in, and the browser is left for browsing.
What was Sidekick?
Sidekick was a Chromium-based browser built for work. Its signature feature was a sidebar of web apps next to your regular tabs, so your email, chat, and project tools were always within reach. It was discontinued on August 3, 2025.
1. Your browser stays your choice
Sidekick asked you to switch browsers to get its sidebar. When Sidekick shut down, that browser went with it, along with the habits you'd built around it.
WebCatalog Desktop keeps the two jobs apart. Your work apps live in their own windows, and links to other sites open in your default browser, whether that's Chrome, Edge, Safari, or something else. If you ever change browsers again, your work apps don't move. When you do want a link to stay in WebCatalog Desktop, a per-site rule can send it to a specific app or account.
2. The sidebar, once for each part of your work
A space in WebCatalog Desktop will feel familiar to anyone who used Sidekick: apps and accounts listed down the side, each a click or Cmd or Ctrl plus a number away, with unread badges showing where messages are waiting.
What's new is that you're not limited to one. A freelancer might keep a space for each client, another for invoices and banking, and one for personal email. Open a space when you start that work and close it when you're done, or keep two side by side. Each one has its own Dock or taskbar icon and its own global keyboard shortcut, so getting back to a client is a single keystroke.
3. Three Slack workspaces, all signed in
In WebCatalog Desktop, each account you add gets its own isolated session. Three client Slack workspaces, or your work and personal Gmail, sit side by side and stay signed in, each with its own unread badge. Mute the ones that can wait.
4. Some apps deserve their own icon
Not every app belongs in a sidebar. Your calendar or an AI assistant often works better as a standalone desktop app with its own window and icon, and you can set it as your default email or calendar client. With a catalog of more than 65,000 apps, most tools you pinned in Sidekick are a search away.
5. Browser comforts you'll still have
Leaving a browser shouldn't mean losing what made it safe to use. WebCatalog Desktop includes a built-in ad and tracker blocker, and 1Password, Bitwarden, and LastPass work in every app. Your setup syncs across your computers, and teams can share spaces so everyone starts with the same apps and accounts while logins stay on each person's computer.
Moving from Sidekick
Switching takes a few minutes:
- Download WebCatalog Desktop for macOS, Windows, or Linux.
- Create a space, or several, for the parts of your work you kept in Sidekick's sidebar.
- Add your apps from the catalog and sign in to each account.
Your bookmarks and general browsing can stay in your regular browser.
Which one should you choose?
Since Sidekick is no longer available, the real question is what to use instead. WebCatalog Desktop is a good replacement if you:
- Liked Sidekick's sidebar but don't want to depend on a single browser again
- Want a separate sidebar of apps for each client or project
- Keep several accounts in the same app and want all of them signed in
- Want a tool that's actively developed and updates itself
Bring your sidebar back, minus the browser switch: try WebCatalog Desktop.
