Web App vs. Desktop App
Understand what you can do in the browser versus the installed desktop app, and when to use each.
Kalima comes in two flavors: the web app you open in any browser, and an installed desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. They share the same account and the same transcripts, so the question is never "which one is the real Kalima", it's "which one fits what I'm doing right now." This page lays out exactly what each can do and helps you choose.
One account, one set of data. Whether you record in the browser or in the desktop app, your sessions, transcripts, AI summaries, balance, and team settings are the same everywhere. You can start in one and pick up in the other.
The short version
The browser handles everything core: live transcription, file uploads, translation, AI features, the Studio, and collaboration. The desktop app does all of that too, and adds the things a browser simply cannot do, like automatically noticing your video calls, capturing your computer's meeting audio cleanly, and running quietly in the background.
- Use the web app when: You want zero install, you're on a borrowed or locked-down machine, or you're recording from your microphone or a browser tab.
- Use the desktop app when: You're in lots of meetings, want one-click (or automatic) recording, need clean meeting audio, or want Kalima ready in the background all day.
Feature comparison
Both surfaces give you the full transcription and AI experience. The differences are concentrated in how you capture audio and how Kalima fits into your workflow.
| Feature | Web app | Desktop app |
|---|---|---|
| Live transcription | Yes | Yes |
| File uploads & offline transcription | Yes | Yes |
| AI summaries, chat, AutoCorrect+, read-aloud | Yes | Yes |
| Studio editing, playback & export | Yes | Yes |
| Workspaces, projects, sharing & live viewers | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone capture | Yes | Yes |
| Live translation (one-way & two-way) | Yes | Yes |
| System / meeting audio capture | Via browser share prompt | Native capture (cleaner) |
| Capture a single app's audio | No | Windows only |
| Meeting detection & one-click recording | No | Yes (Plus and above) |
| Automatic recording of detected calls | No | Yes |
| Screen / video recording (stored locally) | No | Yes (Plus and above) |
| Picture-in-picture floating video | No | Yes |
| Stealth mode (hide from screen sharing) | No | Yes |
| Runs in the background / system tray | No | Yes |
| Global keyboard shortcuts | No | Yes |
| Automatic app updates | Always current (it's a website) | Yes, in the background |
Screen recording and meeting detection both require the desktop app on a Plus plan or higher. Everything else marked "Yes" for the desktop is available to all desktop users on any plan, though recording, translation, and AI always draw on your normal plan minutes and quotas.
What only the desktop app can do
These are the capabilities a browser sandbox can't offer. If any of them matter to you, install the desktop app.
Why meeting audio is better on desktop
In the browser, capturing the audio of a call or video means using your browser's screen-share prompt and remembering to tick the "share audio" box, and some browsers don't expose system audio at all. The desktop app captures your computer's audio natively, with no share prompt to fumble. On Windows it can even isolate the audio of a specific meeting app and falls back to system-wide audio automatically if needed. For recording calls where other people join remotely, the desktop app is the smoother path.
On any platform you can still mix in your own voice. Turn on "Include microphone" so both the meeting and your commentary land in one transcript.
What the web app does just as well
Don't overthink it, most of Kalima lives in both places equally. If you're recording from your microphone, transcribing an uploaded file, editing a transcript, generating an AI summary, or sharing a session with your team, the browser is perfectly capable and needs nothing installed.
Getting the desktop app
Installing takes a couple of minutes and you sign in once.
Closing the desktop window does not quit the app on Windows and macOS, it keeps running in the system tray so meeting detection stays active. Use Quit from the tray menu to fully exit. On Linux, closing the last window quits the app.
Frequently asked questions
No. They use the same account and the same data, so you can switch freely. Many people record in the desktop app for meetings and do their editing, reviewing, and sharing wherever they happen to be, including the browser.
Windows, macOS, and Linux. Windows uses a standard installer (you can pick the install folder), macOS comes as a disk image, and Linux ships as an AppImage or .deb package.
Yes. Switch your audio source to "Desktop audio," and when the browser asks what to share, choose the tab, window, or screen and make sure the "share audio" box is ticked. Note that not all browsers expose system audio, if yours doesn't, the desktop app's native capture is the reliable option.
No. Your plan, balance, minutes, and AI quotas are tied to your account, not to where you record. Screen recording and meeting detection do require the desktop app on Plus or above, but everything is metered against the same account.
Yes. It checks for new releases in the background and can download and install them for you, with a manual check available in its settings. If you're in a detected meeting, an update politely waits until the meeting finishes before interrupting you.
Screen and video recordings made in the desktop app are saved as local files on your own computer, they aren't uploaded to the cloud. You can list them, open the folder, delete them, or play them back inside Kalima.