FigCraft Online vs Desktop: Which Should You Use?

Use the desktop/native-file workflow when you need to retain a local project. In our official Web 0.7.0 test, a new frame remained unsaved after Cmd+S and disappeared on reload; do not assume browser and desktop saving are equivalent.

Where each build comes from

The official app page links desktop installers, a native CLI and a WebAssembly ZIP for self-hosting. The web ZIP is not a separate cloud document service. Our browser test used the unmodified official release served locally; the shipped HOSTING.md says native file dialogs are not wired up yet.

Observed saving behavior

Task	Observed result	Boundary / next check
New project	Browser: drew a 320×240 frame. Native: created four-card project.	Different minimal samples; same-file parity could not be established.
Save	Browser: Cmd+S left dirty marker; no visible file/download. Native CLI wrote .figcraft.	Do not close a browser project without a verified saved artifact.
Reopen	Browser reload returned blank layers. Native file reopened and rendered.	Browser persistence failed in this environment.
Import / export	Native .fig conversion and PNG rendering completed.	Browser local-file import/export not passed; native dialogs documented unavailable.

Browser evidence

FigCraft Web frame with unsaved marker after save shortcut — Actual Codex in-app browser, official FigCraft Web 0.7.0, 1280×720 px. A 320×240 frame remains visible and the title has a dirty dot.

FigCraft Web blank layers after reload — Same actual browser build after reload, 1280×720 px. The frame is no longer in the Layers panel.

Choose a workflow you can recover

For a quick interface trial, the web build avoids installing the desktop app. Before real work, create one expendable object, save, locate the resulting file and reopen it. If that loop does not work, switch to desktop. For offline work and file exchange, retain a native .figcraft master plus a separate export. Live-session joining is documented for web, but it was not tested here.

Sources & Evidence

Official sources checked 20 October 2026. Test results are limited to the versions, environment and files stated above.

FigCraft source and alpha limitations ↗ — Official documentation checked 20 October 2026; capabilities are documentation claims unless separately marked tested.
FigCraft CLI reference ↗ — Official documentation checked 20 October 2026; capabilities are documentation claims unless separately marked tested.
Shipped web build and HOSTING.md ↗ — Official documentation checked 20 October 2026; capabilities are documentation claims unless separately marked tested.