Ferdium vs Wavebox (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Ferdium grades higher than Wavebox: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ferdium grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Wavebox grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Wavebox
Desktop browser that keeps many web apps and accounts signed in
Which one is for you
Pick Ferdium if
- Fits if you juggle several chat and email accounts on one computer
- Works for people who want to use it without an account
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a phone app, as it is desktop only
- Watch out: signed releases carry a maintainer's personal name as the publisher, so OS warnings may appear
- Tight if you want installers from the site, as downloads go through GitHub and package managers
- Not for you if you want stable and beta side by side, as the builds cannot be installed together
Pick Wavebox if
- Fits if you're a virtual assistant or agency working across lots of client accounts
- Works for people signed in to several Gmail, Slack or Teams accounts at the same time
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, with 2 groups of 2 apps, a single extension and one dashboard
- Skip it if you want it on your phone, since no mobile app is listed
- Not for you if you want to pay month by month and see the price first, as only annual rates are shown
- Pricey if you're a team, at $150 a seat a year against $99 for Pro on your own
- Watch out: the Mac version needs macOS 12 Monterey or later
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAFerdiumGood | 2.2GPAWaveboxFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree, with no paid plans or service limits listed. | CPro is $8.33 a month paid annually, $99 for the year by the help centre's reckoning, which is dead on the middle of this category. Rambox does the same job for $70 a year, Shift charges $19.99 a month, so Wavebox sits between them. The pricing page won't tell you what monthly billing costs. |
| Free plan and trial | AEvery feature is free, with or without a Ferdium account. | CBasic gives you 2 groups with 2 apps in each, one extension and one dashboard, so four apps in total. Anyone with the problem Wavebox solves is over that on the first morning. New accounts get 7 days of Pro, no card. |
| Features | CServices in one place, workspaces, custom services and hibernation. It does that one job fully, but it is a smaller job than a full workspace suite. | CIt covers its job: apps grouped in a sidebar, Spaces per client, several accounts of one service signed in together, unread badges, split panes, a tab strip per group, Chrome extensions and an AI assistant you can switch off. But keeping web apps signed in is a narrower job than a browser's. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and you add and sign in to each service yourself. | BNo rating on record, and not much asked of you: install the desktop app and the web apps group themselves rather like the ones on your phone, with a Mini menu listing what's new across accounts and Focus Mode to shut it all up for a while. |
| Platforms and integrations | CDesktop only: macOS, Windows and Linux. No mobile app or API is listed. | CDesktop only, on Mac, Windows and Linux, with no mobile app listed anywhere, so what you set up never leaves the machine. Chrome Web Store extensions work, and 20-odd come built in. The Mac build wants macOS 12 or later. |
| Best for | all your web services in one desktop window | staying signed in to many accounts at once |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Ferdium and Wavebox. How we grade
Price against what you get
Ferdium has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Wavebox starts at $8.33 a month and scores 2.3.
Wavebox scores higher, and starts $8.33 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other browsers on the chart, none scores higher than Ferdium for less, and 17 score higher than Wavebox for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Ferdium is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Wavebox also covers web browser.
At a glance
| Ferdium | Wavebox | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $8.33 per month, paid annually (Wavebox Pro) |
| Free plan | The whole app is free; its site lists no paid plans or limits on services. | Wavebox Basic: Work and Home spaces, 2 groups with 2 apps in each, 1 Chrome extension and 1 dashboard, with limited features. |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial of Wavebox Pro on every new account, no credit card required |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | The Ferdium community | Bookry Ltd |
| Price read from | ferdium.org | wavebox.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Ferdium
- It is a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux only; no mobile version is listed.
- Releases are published through GitHub and package managers; the download page offers no installers hosted on the site itself.
- Signed releases carry a personal maintainer's name as the publisher, because the project is not a legal entity, so OS warnings may appear.
- Stable, beta and nightly builds cannot be installed side by side.
Wavebox
- The free Basic plan stops at 2 groups with 2 apps in each, 1 extension and 1 dashboard.
- The pricing page shows annual-billing rates only; monthly billing is offered, but its price is not listed there.
- Wavebox is a desktop browser for macOS, Windows and Linux; no mobile app is listed.
- The Mac version requires macOS 12 Monterey or later.
Key features
Ferdium
- Services in one place
- Add messaging and other web services side by side, including the same service more than once to sign in to several accounts.
- Workspaces
- Group services into workspaces to keep work and private use apart.
- Custom services
- A Custom Website service adds any site that is not in the built-in list, with an icon of your choosing.
- Account-free use and sync
- The app runs without an account and keeps its data locally. An account syncs services and workspaces across computers, and you can host your own Ferdium Server instead.
- Hibernation and notification privacy
- Services can hibernate to save resources, and notifications can hide their content while still alerting you.
- Built-in Todo panel
- A Todo panel can be shown alongside your other services.
Wavebox
- Apps, groups and Spaces
- Web apps sit in a sidebar and are grouped much like apps on a phone, and Spaces keep separate setups for work, home or individual clients.
- Several accounts signed in at once
- Multiple accounts of the same service, such as Gmail, Slack, Microsoft Teams or Asana, stay signed in side by side without switching browsers or profiles.
- Unread badges and notifications
- Apps show unread badges and desktop notifications, the Wavebox Mini menu lists what is new across accounts, and Focus Mode silences them for a while.
- Split screen and tab strips
- Any app or tab can be split into resizable panes, including two accounts of the same type, and every group has its own tab strip.
- AI assistant on the page
- A chosen AI engine works in the context of the current app or tab, with ready-made skills in the right-click menu and custom skills. It can be disabled.
- Chrome extensions and team setups
- Extensions install from the Chrome Web Store, with 20 or more built in. Teams can share an app setup with encrypted passwords and manage the browser remotely.
Plans
Ferdium
Free$0
Every feature, with or without a Ferdium account. The site and the GitHub page list no paid plans.
Wavebox
Basic$0
Work and Home spaces, 2 groups with 2 apps in each, 1 extension and one dashboard.
Wavebox Pro$8.33
per month, paid annually
For individuals: unlimited spaces, groups and apps, all extensions, cloud sync and unlimited dashboards. The help center puts the annual charge at $99.
Teams$12.50
per user / month; $150 per seat when paid annually
Everything in Pro plus Connect, shared dashboards, Wavebox Live, consolidated billing and an admin portal. Monthly billing is offered at a rate not shown.
Ways to pay less
Ferdium
No public discounts listed.
Wavebox
- Education
70% discount for education
People in full-time education or working in education can claim 70% off by starting a 7-day trial with an education email address and then emailing support.
- Nonprofit
70% discount for non-profits
Non-profit teams and people working in the non-profit sector can claim 70% off by starting a 7-day trial with a .org email address and then emailing support.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Ferdium or Wavebox?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Ferdium is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $8.33 a month for Wavebox. Ferdium is free, and Wavebox starts at $8.33 per month, paid annually (Wavebox Pro).
Which has a free plan, Ferdium or Wavebox?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Ferdium and Wavebox have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.