WebCatalog, Unite, Coherence X and Pake: turning sites into apps compared
WebCatalog, Unite, Coherence X and Pake all give a website its own window and icon. They differ in the systems they run on, the engine that draws the page, and extras such as sync, extensions or ad blocking. Facts about the other tools come from their own pages, checked on 18 October 2026.
What each tool is
WebCatalog describes itself as a home for your apps and accounts. It gives each site its own window and icon, separates accounts with isolated profiles, groups apps into spaces, and syncs your setup across devices. It comes as a desktop app for Mac and Windows, a browser extension and a web app. Its system requirements list macOS 13 or newer, Windows 10 or newer, and Linux, where support is "experimental and limited". WebCatalog says its desktop app is built on Chromium and is not a browser.
Unite and Coherence X come from the same Mac developer, BZG. Their comparison page explains the split. Unite uses a custom browser made for site-specific apps and based on Apple's WebKit, and it does not support third-party extensions. Coherence uses a Chrome-based browser that is already on your Mac, and it supports Chrome extensions. Unite requires macOS 15 or later. Coherence X's page lists macOS 13.5 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel, and says each app is a standalone Mac app that lives in your Dock. It lists Chrome, Brave, Edge, Vivaldi, Helium or another supported Chromium browser as the engine, and lets you import extensions, profiles and settings from that browser. Unite's page adds built-in ad blocking, per-site scripts and styles, and three app modes: Normal, Menu Bar and Sidebar.
Pake makes apps on Mac and Windows from a window where you paste an address or pick a site from its gallery, with no developer tools. Its apps use the system web view, WKWebView on Mac and WebView2 on Windows, and the install page lists macOS 14 or later and Windows 10 version 2004 or later. The free Pake CLI builds the same kind of app on Linux too.
How they compare
| Systems | Engine | Extensions | Second account | Apps need the tool afterwards | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WebCatalog | macOS 13+, Windows 10+, Linux (experimental) | Chromium | Not covered by the pages read | Profiles | Not documented in the pages read |
| Unite | macOS 15+ | WebKit, in its own browser | Not supported | Each app is separate | Not documented |
| Coherence X | macOS 13.5+ | Your installed Chromium browser | Imported from that browser | Per-app accounts and profiles | Described as standalone; the chosen browser must be present |
| Pake | Mac and Windows; CLI also on Linux | System web view | Not offered | Add Another Account | No |
The last cell for Pake rests on Pake's FAQ: the apps you make do not depend on Pake or its license, which only matters for making and editing apps. For the others, a blank "not documented" is a gap in what the vendor wrote, not a claim that the apps stop working.
BZG's comparison page also gives sizes: Coherence apps at 200MB or more, growing with extensions, and Unite apps at about 90MB. Those are BZG's figures for its own products. Pake apps vary with the runtime and the icon, so measure the one you build; Tauri vs Electron explains why published sizes rarely transfer to your case.
Pake does not add offline support to a website. If you need offline use, test it with the network disconnected on your target system. Check each vendor’s own site for current prices and free tiers.
Where the engine comes from
The Engine column matters more than it looks, because it decides who keeps the engine current and which sites behave. Coherence leans on a browser you already update. Pake leans on the engine in macOS or the WebView2 Runtime in Windows, which update on their own. For WebCatalog and Unite the pages read name the engine but do not say how it is updated, so ask the vendor how quickly engine fixes reach the apps. A WebKit-based tool and a Chromium-based one can render the same site differently, so the engine is the first thing to check when a site works in one and not another. What is WebView2 covers the Windows side.
When the browser is enough
If you only want an icon for one site you are already signed in to, the browser can do it. Safari on macOS Sonoma 14 or later has File › Add to Dock, Chrome can install a page as an app, and Edge can install any site as an app. The Mac guide and Windows guide walk through those steps, and Turn a website into a desktop app explains when a separate tool is worth it. If the service ships a good native app of its own, that is usually the best choice for your main account; Perplexity on the desktop weighs the official app against a website window.
Where each one is the better choice
WebCatalog fits you if you want many apps and accounts organized in spaces, sync between machines, or Linux support. Coherence X fits if you rely on Chrome extensions in a site app, such as a password manager, and you are on a Mac. Unite fits if you want a built-in ad blocker, per-site scripts or a menu bar mode and are on macOS 15 or later. Pake fits if you want the same small app on Mac and Windows, no tool needed afterwards, and a file you can carry between computers.
That last point is concrete. A Pake app's settings travel in a .pake file that both the Mac and Windows versions read: Export Settings… in My Apps saves one app, and Import Settings… opens it on the other computer. The file holds the name, address, window and behavior options, user agent, link rule, CSS, JavaScript and icon, never sign-ins. The settings files guide and Moving web apps to another computer cover the details. For a second account, Add Another Account in My Apps copies an app's settings and icon into a new app that starts signed out, as described in Two accounts on one website.
Pake's documented features do not include sync across devices, Chrome extensions or ad blocking, so if any of those decides it for you, choose one of the others.
Try the same site before you switch
Build the same site in the tool you have now and in the one you are considering, and use both for a day. In Pake, paste the address into Search apps or paste a web address on the Create tab and click Create App, then check sign-in, notifications, links that open elsewhere and the page you use most. If a provider such as Google refuses sign-in inside the app, the sign-in guide explains why, and the browser install remains the fallback.
FAQ
Is Pake a replacement for WebCatalog?
Only for the part they share: a site in its own window. If you rely on spaces, sync or Linux desktop support, WebCatalog does something Pake does not.
Which one keeps Chrome extensions?
Coherence X, according to BZG, because it runs on your installed Chromium browser and imports extensions from it. Unite does not support third-party extensions.
Do any of these work offline?
Pake does not automatically turn a website into an offline app. Test which pages and actions work without a connection on the target system.