Tauri Pricing in May 2026

Tauri is genuinely free as open-source software under Apache 2.0/MIT licenses. There are no paid tiers. Real-world Tauri costs are $0 for the framework; you pay your distribution costs.

The Free & Open Source offer covers the entire framework. The strategic decision: Tauri's value is the architecture: Rust backend communicating with web frontend via the platform's native webview (rather than bundling Chromium like Electron), producing apps that are 10-50x smaller. For new desktop apps where bundle size and performance matter, Tauri is uniquely positioned. For broader cross-platform desktop alternatives, Electron is the dominant alternative and remains the established leader — used by Discord, Slack, VS Code, Notion, and most major desktop SaaS apps. The Electron vs Tauri decision often splits: Electron for ecosystem maturity and broad library support; Tauri for performance and bundle-size optimization. For specifically NW.js (older Electron-style framework), this remains an option for legacy projects. For specifically native cross-platform without web tech, Flutter Desktop targets this with Dart-based UI; Qt targets C++ native; .NET MAUI targets Microsoft ecosystem. For specifically Rust-native UI without web, GTK + Rust bindings, druid, and iced target this niche. For specifically web-app-as-desktop-app via PWA (Progressive Web App), browser-based PWA installation handles this for many apps without separate framework. For specifically mobile + desktop cross-platform with web tech, Capacitor handles mobile (iOS/Android) plus desktop. Electron's dominance has produced complaints about bloat and resource usage; Tauri has captured significant momentum among new desktop-app launches in 2024-2026 due to performance benefits.