Electron
Electron is an open-source framework under the OpenJS Foundation that embeds Chromium and Node.js to enable developers to build cross-platform desktop applications in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS for macOS, Windows, and Linux, used by thousands of organizations including VS Code, Slack, Discord, and Figma.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Electron does
Electron is an open-source cross-platform desktop application framework governed by the OpenJS Foundation and maintained by an active community of contributors, including paid maintainers from Slack and Microsoft. The framework embeds Chromium and Node.js to enable developers to build desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS that run natively on macOS, Windows, and Linux across all supported architectures. Its runtime provides a comprehensive JavaScript API covering window management, menus, dialogs, notifications, auto-updates, crash reporting, IPC, context isolation, and process sandboxing, alongside supporting tools such as Electron Forge (packaging and distribution) and Electron Fiddle (interactive experimentation). Electron integrates with crash-reporting backends (Sentry, Backtrace, BugSplat, Bugsnag, Socorro, mini-breakpad-server) and ships first-class distribution support for the Mac App Store, Microsoft Store, and Snap Store.
The business model is freemium in the narrow sense that the framework is free and open source under MIT, distributed via npm; there is no commercial licensing, paid tier, or pricing structure. The project accepts financial contributions via Open Collective and in-kind support (paid maintainers from Slack and Microsoft; infrastructure from Azure, Heroku, and DataDog), but revenue is not directly generated from the framework itself. Electron targets software developers, enterprise organizations, and consumer app developers building cross-platform desktop applications across industries, with a horizontal segmentation approach. Thousands of organizations spanning all industries use Electron, with showcase applications including Visual Studio Code, Slack, 1Password, Discord, Figma, Notion, OpenAI ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, Dropbox, Twitch, GitHub Desktop, Postman, Signal, MongoDB Compass, Obsidian, Asana, Loom, and Trello.
The project is operated out of San Francisco, United States, under the OpenJS Foundation as a non-profit entity. Governance is structured around seven working groups with paid contributors from Slack and Microsoft, infrastructure hosting from Azure, Heroku, and DataDog, and product-tracking in lockstep with Chromium to ensure prompt security patches. The latest stable release is Electron 42.5.0, built on Node 24.17.0 and Chromium 148.0.7778.271. Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees, reflecting the small core maintainer team relative to the size of the open-source community and downstream ecosystem.
Electron firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Electron
- Legal name
- Electron
- Website
- https://electronjs.org
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Electron is an open-source framework under the OpenJS Foundation that embeds Chromium and Node.js to enable developers to build cross-platform desktop applications in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS for macOS, Windows, and Linux, used by thousands of organizations including VS Code, Slack, Discord, and Figma.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Electron is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Electron business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Open Source Framework Distribution: Electron is distributed as a free open-source framework. The project is maintained by an active community of contributors with paid contributors from Slack and Microsoft. Revenue is not directly generated from the framework itself.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free open-source framework |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels11 records
Electron product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Electron is a free, open-source framework that enables developers to build cross-platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. It embeds Chromium and Node.js into a single runtime so that a single codebase runs natively on macOS, Windows, and Linux, while exposing native OS APIs (menus, dialogs, notifications, system tray, auto-updates, crash reporting, IPC). The framework ships alongside companion tools — Electron Forge for packaging and publishing, and Electron Fiddle for in-browser experimentation.
Product overview
Electron is a unified open-source framework under the OpenJS Foundation for building cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies. The core Electron product provides the runtime that embeds Chromium and Node.js, enabling JavaScript/HTML/CSS applications to run on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The product ecosystem includes Electron Forge for packaging and distribution, Electron Fiddle for experimentation, and comprehensive API modules for crash reporting (crashReporter), auto-updates (autoUpdater), inter-process communication (IPC), and security hardening (Electron Fuses). Developers can extend functionality using any npm package or native add-ons.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Electron Forge: A batteries-included toolkit for building and publishing Electron apps with first-class support for JavaScript bundling and an extensible module ecosystem.
- Electron Fiddle
Products and services
- Electron Open-source framework under the OpenJS Foundation for building cross-platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS; embeds Chromium and Node.js to deliver native-feeling desktop apps on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
- Electron Forge Toolkit for scaffolding, packaging, code-signing, and distributing Electron applications across macOS, Windows, and Linux, with first-class support for the Mac App Store, Microsoft Store, and Snap Store.
- Electron Fiddle Interactive development environment that lets developers create, run, and share small Electron code samples directly in the browser; supports saving to GitHub Gist or local folders.
Quantifiable outcome
- Electron releases major versions in lockstep with Chromium so security fixes are available as soon as they are released
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Electron
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Electron technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature11 records
Electron partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- OpenJS FoundationcoreElectron is an open-source project under the OpenJS Foundation. The foundation provides governance, trademark protection, and infrastructure support for the project. Electron contributors maintain the project while adhering to OpenJS Foundation policies and standards.
- MicrosoftflagshipMicrosoft provides paid contributors to maintain Electron. Visual Studio Code, a Microsoft product, is built with Electron and serves as a flagship showcase application demonstrating Electron's capabilities. Microsoft also contributes through GitHub infrastructure and resources.
- SlackcoreSlack provides paid contributors to maintain Electron. Slack's desktop application, built with Electron, is one of the prominent showcase applications demonstrating enterprise-grade Electron adoption.
- AzureminorAzure provides hosting and infrastructure for Electron project infrastructure, including build and deployment systems.
- HerokuminorHeroku provides hosting and infrastructure services for Electron project resources.
- DataDogminorDataDog provides monitoring and infrastructure dashboard services for Electron project infrastructure as indicated in the Infrastructure Dashboard link.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Electron competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tauri: Tauri is a Rust-based cross-platform desktop framework that pairs a Rust backend with the OS-native webview, directly competing with Electron on cross-platform desktop delivery but with significantly smaller binaries and lower memory footprint.
- NW.js: NW.js (formerly node-webkit) is Electron's spiritual predecessor — it embeds Chromium and Node.js for cross-platform desktop apps using web technologies. Same architectural lineage and directly comparable runtime model.
Broad incumbents
- Flutter: Google's Flutter is a cross-platform UI toolkit (Dart) primarily targeting mobile but expanding to desktop. It competes with Electron for cross-platform desktop mindshare, though its widget-based model differs from Electron's web-tech approach.
- .NET MAUI: Microsoft's .NET MAUI is the cross-platform successor to Xamarin.Forms, enabling desktop and mobile apps from a single C#/XAML codebase. It overlaps with Electron's enterprise desktop positioning and is backed by the same Microsoft ecosystem that funds Electron contributors.
- React Native: Meta's React Native is a cross-platform framework primarily for mobile (iOS/Android), with experimental desktop support via projects like React Native Windows/macOS. Comparable as a cross-platform JS-based framework but optimized for mobile rather than desktop.
- Qt: Qt is a mature C++ cross-platform UI framework used in automotive, industrial, and embedded desktop applications. It overlaps with Electron for cross-platform desktop delivery but targets lower-level C++ developers rather than web developers.
Emerging players
- Avalonia: Avalonia is a .NET-based cross-platform UI framework enabling desktop apps from C#/XAML across Windows, macOS, and Linux. It competes with Electron in the same desktop space but uses XAML rendering instead of a webview.
- Wails: Wails is a Go-based cross-platform desktop framework that pairs a Go backend with a native webview frontend. It targets the same developer audience as Electron but emphasizes smaller binaries and Go's performance profile.
- Capacitor: Ionic's Capacitor wraps web applications into native iOS, Android, and desktop shells, comparable to Electron's 'web tech on native shells' value proposition but with a stronger mobile-first orientation.
- NodeGui: NodeGui is a Qt-based desktop framework for Node.js, allowing web developers to build native desktop apps with JavaScript/QML. It directly competes with Electron for the Node.js desktop developer segment with a native rendering alternative.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Electron social profiles
Digital presenceElectron financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Electron leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Electron funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Electron M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Electron
What does Electron do?
Electron is a free, open-source framework that enables developers to build cross-platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. It embeds Chromium and Node.js into a single runtime so that a single codebase runs natively on macOS, Windows, and Linux, while exposing native OS APIs (menus, dialogs, notifications, system tray, auto-updates, crash reporting, IPC). The framework ships alongside companion tools — Electron Forge for packaging and publishing, and Electron Fiddle for in-browser experimentation.
Is Electron a public or private company?
Electron is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Electron founded?
Electron was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Electron based?
Electron is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Electron make money?
One revenue line is on record: open Source Framework Distribution.
Who are Electron's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tauri and NW.js. Broad incumbents are Flutter, .NET MAUI, React Native and Qt. Emerging players are Avalonia, Wails, Capacitor and NodeGui.
Does Electron have an API?
Yes. Electron provides a comprehensive JavaScript API for building cross-platform desktop applications. The API includes modules for main process operations (window management, menus, dialogs, system tray, auto-updates, crash reporting), renderer process operations (clipboard, contextBridge, IPC), and native integrations. Developers can extend functionality using any npm package or write native add-on code in C++. The API is documented at docs.electronjs.org with references for app, autoUpdater, crashReporter, BrowserWindow, ipcMain, ipcRenderer, Menu, dialog, and many other modules. Developer documentation is at www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/api/app.