What is Fluxer Lite?

Fluxer Lite is the working name for a desktop version of our native iOS and Android app, which we've started building for people who want a desktop app without Electron. It isn't available to download yet and has no release date. Our current desktop app, which is built with Electron, isn't being replaced and keeps getting updates.

Can I use the Flutter app on my computer yet?

Not yet, because there's no desktop build of the Flutter app that you can download. The app's code on GitHub already has folders for Windows, macOS and Linux, and developers can build it from source, but those builds aren't ready for everyday use. On your computer today, you can use the desktop app or the web app in your browser.

Will Fluxer Lite replace the Electron app?

Fluxer Lite won't replace our Electron desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux. The contributing guide for the Flutter app says its desktop builds will be called Fluxer Lite and will be a separate version you can download next to the Electron app.¹

The Electron app runs the same code as the web app and gets the same new features and fixes at the same time, and we keep working on how fast it runs.

Who is Fluxer Lite for?

We're making Fluxer Lite for people who prefer native apps and for people who want a Fluxer app that doesn't run its own copy of a browser engine. We'll share how much memory it uses once we can measure it, and we have tips for low-end computers.

When will Fluxer Lite come out?

We haven't set a date for Fluxer Lite. It isn't on our roadmap, and the README of the Flutter app says mobile is the main focus for now.² Most of the work on the Flutter app goes into the iOS and Android apps, which are first on our roadmap.

Will Fluxer Lite have every feature?

Fluxer Lite will be the same Flutter app as our iOS and Android apps, made to work on a computer, and it may not have every feature of the Electron desktop app when it comes out. For example, themes and custom CSS are only in the web and desktop apps today, and we plan to build more theming options into the Flutter app, including Fluxer Lite.

Fluxer Lite will be a compiled native app, and because its code is open source, you'll be able to change it and build your own version. Custom CSS and mods that run inside the app stay in our web and desktop apps, and Fluxer Lite won't run them.

Will Fluxer Lite work with screen readers?

We can't say how well Fluxer Lite will work with screen readers until it's out. It will be the same Flutter app as our iOS and Android apps, which have a "Screen reader" section in "Accessibility" settings with options like "Announce new messages".

Flutter draws its own interface, like GPUI does. Flutter's documentation says its standard widgets build an accessibility tree automatically and that an app can add its own labels with the Semantics widget.³ The same page suggests testing desktop apps with screen readers such as NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS and Orca on Linux.

How well Fluxer Lite works with a screen reader will depend on how well we label it, and you can tell us what you need from Fluxer Lite at accessibility@fluxer.com.

Why is Fluxer Lite built with Flutter?

Fluxer Lite is built with Flutter because it's the same app as our iOS and Android apps, and we can bring that app to computers without building a new one.

Why not rewrite the whole app natively?

We have no plans to rewrite our web and desktop apps in Rust, because for a small team like ours it would stop most other work on Fluxer for a long time. Fluxer Lite is how we plan to offer a native desktop app to people who want one, next to the Electron app.

How is Fluxer Lite different from Discord's new app?

Fluxer Lite and Discord's new desktop app will both be compiled native apps, and the code of Fluxer Lite is public on GitHub for anyone to read and build. Discord's apps aren't open source, and you can read what Discord's terms say about modifying them. A compiled app with no public code is much harder for outsiders to inspect.

Will Fluxer Lite be as fast as Discord's new app?

We don't know yet, because neither app is out. Both are compiled to native machine code, both draw their own interface, and neither ships a copy of a browser engine like Electron apps do.⁴⁵ So we expect Fluxer Lite to be in the same class for speed and memory use, and we'll publish real numbers once we can compare them fairly.

Each approach has its own strengths. GPUI, which Discord's new app uses, has no garbage collector and gives an app fine control over memory and drawing.⁶ Flutter, which Fluxer Lite uses, runs the same app code on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux, has had stable desktop support since 2022 and has many ready-made packages on pub.dev.⁷⁸⁹

Discord's CTO wrote that its mobile apps keep a native interface and share app code with the desktop app, while Fluxer Lite is the same app as our iOS and Android apps.¹⁰

Sources

1. "Desktop builds" in CONTRIBUTING.md, fluxerapp/flutter_client on GitHub, Fluxer, accessed 2026-11-05.

2. README.md, fluxerapp/flutter_client on GitHub, Fluxer, accessed 2026-11-05. It says desktop "is in the works also but mobile is the main focus currently".

3. Accessibility technologies, Flutter documentation, accessed 2026-11-05. It says "Flutter's standard widgets generate an accessibility tree automatically", and that an app can change that tree with the Semantics widget.

4. Flutter architectural overview, Flutter docs, accessed 2026-11-05.

5. GPUI, Zed Industries, accessed 2026-11-05.

6. Leveraging Rust and the GPU to render user interfaces at 120 FPS, Antonio Scandurra, Zed blog, published 2023-03-07, accessed 2026-11-05.

7. Announcing Flutter for Windows, Flutter, published 2022-02-03, accessed 2026-11-05.

8. Introducing Flutter 3, Flutter, published 2022-05-11, accessed 2026-11-05.

9. pub.dev, the package repository for Dart and Flutter, accessed 2026-11-05.

10. Post by Stanislav Vishnevskiy, X, published 2026-11-04, accessed 2026-11-05.