We all know that feeling when we’re using so many online services at once, and suddenly we can’t find anything we’re looking for in what is a sea of pinned tabs.
Thankfully, there is a way to use multiple services at once without overloading your browser. This is possible with all-in-one apps such as Rambox and Franz, popular cross-platform solutions that allow you to sign in to server services and access all of them from under a single roof.
The newest player in this market is Ferdi, a free, open-source, and cross-platform desktop app that “helps you organize how you use your favorite apps by combining them into one application.”
Almost like Franz, but a bit better
The first thing you need to know about Ferdit is that it’s based on Franz, already one of the best options out there.
It’s a hard-fork that adds various awesome features, and removes some of them, all in the name of making your experience better and smoother.
Since it’s based on Franz, you can use your Franz account (if you have one) and pick up where you left off.
Why is Ferdi better?
To kick things off with, Ferdit doesn’t restrict the number of accounts and services you can add. Switching between them is remarkably easy, by using the CTRL+P keyboard combination (this opens up the Quick Switch dialog that allows for quick navigation). You can also add multiple workspaces to keep things organized.
Ferdi also offers you the option to password-protect messages, to use custom servers, and comes with support for hiding messages, a do not disturb mode, as well as as a general Dark Mode with the option of toggling each and every app separately. Another cool feature is the proxy support.
Another nifty feature is the ability to keep invidual workspaces loaded at all times. When it comes to saving your data, Ferdit offers you two options: you can either sign up for an account and ensure that your service list is synchronized between devices, or use it without an account and ensure that everything remains in the boundaries of your network.
Is it perfect?
Even thought Ferdit is an overall nice app (with modern looks, a modern engine, and all that), it’s important to note that it is built using ElectronJS. This means that it’s not particularly light on resources. However, neither are browsers, in the most part.
In short, it has the same functional drawbacks as Franz and Rambox (two more popular competitors). That said, you should expect the app to gobble up a lot of RAM, especially if you load more than 10 services. This practical issue can be somewhat minimized by unloading apps when they’re not in use (the Hibernation option is very good for this).
Verdict
So, should you use Ferdi? The answer is definitely yes.
It has a few extra “premium” features that are only available with money on other competing apps of this sort. It also offers arguably more flexibility than Rambox and Franz.
