If your browser holds a client's Jira board, two Google accounts, and three Slack workspaces in one long row of tabs, you've probably looked at both Wavebox and WebCatalog Desktop. Both group web apps by context, and both keep several accounts signed in at once.
Where they split is the role they want on your computer. Wavebox wants to be the browser you do everything in, with plenty of controls for power users. WebCatalog Desktop leaves browsing to your browser and gives your work apps a home of their own, grouped into spaces that each open in their own window.
At a glance
| WebCatalog Desktop | Wavebox | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Web apps as desktop apps, organized into spaces | A Chromium browser for multi-account work |
| Organizing apps | Spaces, each in its own window, with folders inside | Spaces, groups with their own tab strips, split screen, dashboards |
| Multiple accounts | Several accounts in any app or space, each with its own session | Separate cookie containers per space |
| Standalone apps | Any app can run on its own, with its own Dock or taskbar icon | Apps live inside the Wavebox browser |
| App catalog | 65,000+ apps, plus any website | App templates, plus any URL |
| Links | Other sites open in your default browser, or follow your link rules | A full browser with rule-based link routing |
| Extras | Ad and tracker blocker, app lock with Touch ID, home with widgets | Chrome Web Store extensions, notes, an AI assistant |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux |
What is WebCatalog Desktop?
WebCatalog Desktop is built around spaces: one window per client, project, or part of your life, with that context's apps and accounts lined up in a sidebar. Each space, and any app you'd rather keep separate, becomes a real desktop app with its own Dock or taskbar icon, drawn from a catalog of more than 65,000 apps or made from any website.
What is Wavebox?
Wavebox is a Chromium-based browser for people who work across many accounts and clients. It organizes your work into spaces, groups with their own tab strips, and tabs, and adds split screen, dashboards, notes, Focus Mode, a link-routing engine, and an AI assistant. It runs Chrome Web Store extensions.
1. Spaces: how many layers do you want?
In Wavebox, a space is one level in a hierarchy. Spaces hold groups, groups hold apps and tabs, and cookie containers decide which logins are shared. That depth gives power users fine control, and it also means several concepts to learn before your setup feels right.
In WebCatalog Desktop, a space has one layer: the apps and accounts for one context, in one window. Say you contract for a company called Northwind. Its space holds their Jira, GitHub, and Slack, plus the Google account they gave you. Press the space's global keyboard shortcut and it comes forward. Close it at the end of the day and Northwind is out of sight until tomorrow. When the list grows, sort it into folders and jump between apps with Cmd or Ctrl plus a number.
2. Signing in twice without a new space
Wavebox keeps accounts apart with cookie containers, and recommends a dedicated space for each account you need to separate.
In WebCatalog Desktop, every account gets its own isolated session automatically. Your own Google account and Northwind's can sit next to each other in the same space, both signed in, each with its own unread badge. You add a second account; you don't restructure your setup to fit it.
3. Where your browsing happens
Wavebox asks you to move your browsing into it, with extensions and split screen tying everything together.
WebCatalog Desktop doesn't compete with your browser. Links to other sites open in your default browser, unless a link rule sends them to a specific app or account. Inside each app you still get tabs, tab groups, bookmarks, and downloads when a task needs them.
Not everything needs a space, either. ChatGPT or your personal calendar can run as a standalone app with its own icon, while spaces hold the parts of your work that involve several apps and accounts.
4. Focus without sleep timers
To save resources, Wavebox puts apps to sleep after a period of inactivity, and Focus Mode mutes notifications.
In WebCatalog Desktop, the simplest way to focus is to close a window. Each space is separate, so shutting one silences that client completely, while the rest keep running. For accounts that stay open but get noisy, mute notifications, sounds, or the badge one account at a time. The built-in home adds to-dos and a focus timer for longer stretches.
5. Privacy and teams
WebCatalog Desktop has a built-in ad and tracker blocker, where Wavebox relies on extensions for some privacy tools. Both offer team features: in WebCatalog Desktop, teams can share spaces so everyone starts with the same apps and accounts list, while logins stay on each person's computer.
Which one should you choose?
Wavebox can make sense if you specifically want one browser for all your general browsing, with Chrome Web Store extensions and split screen built in.
If your day is mostly web apps, WebCatalog Desktop is the better fit. Choose it if you want:
- A window per client that you open, close, or summon with its own shortcut
- A second or third account added in seconds, without new containers or spaces
- Your current browser left exactly as it is
- Standalone apps for the tools that don't belong to any one client
- A setup that's useful in minutes, not after an afternoon of configuring
Wavebox is a capable browser for people who want everything inside it. If you'd rather give each client a window of their own, try WebCatalog Desktop.
