Online viewer vs desktop app
Both read your email locally and privately. The browser viewer is the fastest way to peek at a small archive; the desktop app is built for big ones and power features.
| Online viewer | Desktop app (Mac) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free trial · one-time purchase |
| Install | Nothing — runs in the browser | Mac App Store |
| Max file size | Up to 25 MB | Any size (streams huge files) |
| Privacy | 100% local, nothing uploaded | 100% local, fully offline |
| Full-text search | — | Yes |
| Folders & Gmail labels | Filter by label | Full folder tree & labels |
| Attachments | Download | Download & preview |
| Export / convert | — | Export to EML, PDF and more |
| Platforms | Any modern browser | macOS now · Windows coming soon |
Rule of thumb: if your file is under 25 MB and you just need to read it, the online viewer is all you need. For a full Gmail Takeout, archiving or search, get the desktop app.