peko / vs electron
An Electron alternative without the bundled Chromium
Electron proved you could build a desktop app from web tech, but it bundles an entire copy of Chromium into every app, so binaries are large, and it only targets the desktop.
Peko runs your same web UI on the system webview, so the app is small and looks native, and it ships mobile as well as desktop. Then it carries the release the rest of the way: one CLI to cross-compile and sign, generated store screenshots and listings, remote Apple builds, and hosting.
| Capability | Peko | Electron |
|---|---|---|
| Reuse your existing web UI (React, Next, Vue, Svelte, Astro) | Yes | Yes |
| Small binary (system webview, not bundled Chromium)Electron ships a full Chromium (~100MB+) in every app | Yes | No |
| Ships mobile too (iOS + Android)Electron is desktop-only | Yes | No |
| Deep native control (window, menus, any native API) | Yes | Yes |
| One CLI cross-compiles + signs every platformelectron-builder handles desktop packaging per-platform | Yes | Partial |
| Store screenshots generated for you | Yes | No |
| Store listing metadata drafted for you | Yes | No |
| Remote Apple builds without a Mac | Yes | No |
| Integrated hosting for your backend | Yes | No |
✓ built in · ~ partial · — do it yourself. Electron is mature and battle-tested on desktop. Peko trades the bundled runtime for a light footprint, mobile targets, and the whole store pipeline.
When Electron is the better fit
If you need a pinned Chromium version for pixel-identical rendering across every OS regardless of the system webview, or deep Node.js integration in a main process, Electron’s maturity and ecosystem are hard to beat. Peko is for teams who want a small, native-feeling app on desktop and mobile, with the build, signing, assets, and store submission automated.
Peko's CLI (peko-tools) and Studio (peko-studio) are MIT open source on GitHub.