Many people first look for an app like Shift or WebCatalog Desktop because of Gmail: a work account, a personal one, maybe a third for a side business, and a browser that wants you signed in to only one at a time. Both apps solve that, and both organize your apps into spaces.
Beyond that, they've grown in different directions. Shift has become a Chromium browser you design yourself, with a drag-and-drop builder. WebCatalog Desktop keeps your web apps as desktop apps and gathers each context's apps and accounts into spaces that open in separate windows.
At a glance
| WebCatalog Desktop | Shift | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Web apps as desktop apps, organized into spaces | A customizable Chromium browser for apps and accounts |
| Organizing apps | Spaces, each in its own window, with folders inside | Spaces inside one browser window |
| Multiple accounts | Several accounts in any app or space, each with its own session | Multiple Google and app accounts in the sidebar |
| Standalone apps | Any app can run on its own, with its own Dock or taskbar icon | Apps live inside the Shift browser |
| App catalog | 65,000+ apps, plus any website | A large integration catalog, plus custom apps |
| Extras | Ad and tracker blocker, app lock with Touch ID, home with widgets | Browser Builder, Chrome extensions, Shift AI |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows |
What is WebCatalog Desktop?
WebCatalog Desktop lets you split your online life into spaces, say "Day job," "Personal," and "Shop," each a window with its own apps, accounts, and Dock or taskbar icon. Anything from a catalog of more than 65,000 apps, or any website you add, can go into a space or run on its own.
What is Shift?
Shift started as a way to manage several Gmail accounts and has grown into a Chromium-based browser. Its Browser Builder lets you arrange apps, bars, and controls, and its spaces group apps for work, hobbies, or projects. It supports Chrome extensions and offers an optional AI assistant.
1. Same word, different spaces
In Shift, spaces are sections of one browser window. You switch between them inside that window, and you decide how the window looks with the Browser Builder.
In WebCatalog Desktop, each space is a window, and an app, of its own. Take the side business. Its space holds the shop's Gmail, Shopify, and Instagram, and nothing from your day job. It has its own global keyboard shortcut, so checking an order at lunch is one keystroke, and closing it puts the shop away until the evening. There's no layout to design first: add apps, sign in, and the space is ready. Long lists fold into folders, and Cmd or Ctrl plus a number jumps between apps.
2. Accounts for every app, not just Google
Multiple accounts are what Shift was first known for, and it still handles them well, especially for Google.
WebCatalog Desktop gives every account in every app its own isolated session. That covers your three Gmail inboxes, and also two Notion workspaces or a pair of Canva logins. They sit side by side in the sidebar, all signed in, each with its own unread badge. If one inbox is mostly newsletters, mute its badge and keep the others.
3. A new browser, or none at all
Shift asks you to adopt a new browser and shape it to your liking. That's appealing if you want to rebuild how you browse, but it's more to learn and set up.
WebCatalog Desktop doesn't replace your browser. Links to other sites open in your default browser, unless you set a rule to send them to a specific app or account. When you need them, each app still has tabs, tab groups, bookmarks, and downloads.
Some apps don't need a space at all. Install Google Calendar as a standalone desktop app with its own icon, and make it your default calendar client, or do the same with your main inbox for email links.
4. Keeping it private
Every app in WebCatalog Desktop has a built-in ad and tracker blocker. An app lock with a password, or Touch ID on Mac, keeps the personal inbox private when someone borrows your laptop, and proxies can be set per app or per account.
Which one should you choose?
Shift can make sense if you specifically want to design a new browser from scratch with drag and drop.
If you mainly want your accounts and apps under control, WebCatalog Desktop is the simpler path. It suits you if you:
- Keep separate lives in separate windows, each with its own shortcut
- Juggle several accounts in apps beyond Gmail
- Like your current browser and plan to keep it
To give each part of your life its own window, with every inbox signed in, try WebCatalog Desktop.
