TailrideDesktop app vs browser extension
Which one to use, and when it makes sense to use both.
Both run the same portal parsers and upload to the same Tailride account. They differ in where the work happens.
| Desktop app | Browser extension | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs when the browser is closed | Yes | No |
| Scheduled collection | Yes — hourly to quarterly | Yes, while the browser is open |
| Saves portal logins | Optional, in the OS keychain | Uses your browser's login |
| Enters authenticator-app codes for you | Yes | No |
| Several accounts per portal | Yes, isolated profiles | One at a time |
| Proton Mail / IMAP | Yes | No |
| Watched local folders | Yes | No |
| Local copy of every PDF | On by default | Optional |
| Nothing to install | About 240 MB on disk | Yes, a small add-on |
| Linux / ChromeOS | Not yet | Yes |
| Install | Download for macOS / Windows | Chrome Web Store / Edge Add-ons |
Use the desktop app for the weekly run: it does not need a browser tab open, keeps logins and 2FA in the vault, and handles Proton Mail and folders.
Use the extension for a quick one-off download while you are already on a portal, on Linux or ChromeOS, when you cannot or do not want to install software (it takes no disk space to speak of), or when you are already signed in to your portals in the browser and do not want a second login.
Both is common: the extension for ad-hoc downloads, the desktop app for everything scheduled. Documents collected by one are recognised by the other and never uploaded twice.