If you use more than one messaging app at once – WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, Slack – and you’re tired of juggling multiple windows, Ferdium brings them all together into one organized window.
What is Ferdium?
Ferdium is a free, open-source app that acts as a “container” for the web apps of various messaging services. Instead of opening a separate browser tab or standalone app for each service, you add them all inside Ferdium as separate tabs in one window. The project is a community fork continuing an app formerly known as Franz, after some of its advanced features became paid.
Why do you need it?
If your desktop is cluttered with scattered windows for every messaging service you use, and you’re losing time switching between them or missing notifications because you closed a particular window, Ferdium solves this by bringing everything into one place with unified notifications.
Key Features
- Support for dozens of services: WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Messenger, Discord, Gmail, and many more.
- Unified notifications from every service in one place instead of juggling multiple windows.
- Completely free and open source, with no features locked behind a subscription.
- Organizable tabs you can reorder based on your priorities.
- Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Pros
- Completely free with no limit on the number of services you add.
- Saves significant time and effort for anyone using 3+ messaging apps daily.
- Simple, easy-to-organize interface.
- Open source, so there’s no hidden, undisclosed data collection to worry about.
Cons
- Each added service effectively runs as a mini web page, so memory usage climbs as you open more services at once.
- Some very advanced features of the original apps (particularly in apps like WhatsApp) may not work as smoothly inside a web container compared to the standalone app.
- It depends on the stability of each service’s web version, so if a service suddenly changes its interface, Ferdium may need time to adapt.
Installation & Setup
- Download Ferdium from its official website or its GitHub repository.
- Install it the normal way for your operating system.
- Open the app and click “Add Service”.
- Search for the service you want (WhatsApp, Telegram…) from the built-in list and add it.
- Log in to each service with your usual account, exactly as if opening it in a regular browser.
Tips for Best Use
- Don’t add every service you rarely use – only add what you need to check daily to keep memory usage down.
- Order tabs by how often you use them so quick switching feels natural.
- Review notification settings for each service individually to avoid noise from unimportant alerts.
Alternatives
“Rambox” is a very similar app conceptually, but its free tier limits how many services you can add at once, while Ferdium’s free version is more generous in this regard.
FAQ
Is Ferdium safe to log my accounts into?
Yes, each service authenticates separately and directly with its own official server – Ferdium doesn’t store your passwords itself, it just acts as a display shell.
Does it use more memory than opening each app separately?
It depends on how many services you have open, but it’s usually lighter than running separate Electron apps for each service individually.
Does it support every messaging service out there?
It supports dozens of services out of the box, and if yours isn’t listed, you can usually add it manually as a custom web service.
Conclusion
If you use more than one messaging app daily and are tired of window clutter, Ferdium offers a free, organized solution worth trying. Setup takes just minutes, and the benefit shows from day one.
Link: Ferdium
