Your WhatsApp, in its own window. 200 MB instead of a whole browser.
Your WhatsApp, in its own window. 200 MB instead of a whole browser.
Why care — WhatsApp in a tab runs a second browser engine on top of your browser, and it disappears the moment you close it.
Why it is fast — opens in under a second and runs at about 200 MB, because there is no browser engine inside it at all.
Why you can trust it — open source, MIT-licensed, with a SHA-256 published for every file on the release page.
| WhatsApp in a tab | ZapFast | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | inside your browser | its own window, its own tray icon |
| When the browser closes | the tab goes with it | keeps running in the tray |
| What it adds to memory | a second browser engine, on top of your browser | ~200 MB, no browser engine |
| Voice messages | play | play, seek, and record |
| Notifications | while the tab stays open | the chat picture · muted chats stay quiet |
Windows — the one you want
- github.com/crmne/zapfast — the installer, 24 MB
- Scan the code once from your phone, exactly like WhatsApp in a tab
- It stays linked in the tray from then on
On macOS and Linux, and two lines worth knowing
macOS — zapfast-v0.18.2-macos-universal.dmg, 59 MB, same release page.
Linux — AppImage, .deb, .rpm, .flatpak, or a plain tarball.
Two lines worth knowing. The Windows installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows shows a one-time “unknown publisher” prompt — every release publishes the SHA-256 of each file, so the download can be confirmed before it is run. ZapFast is also an independent project: nothing to do with WhatsApp LLC or Meta.
Close the tab for good — your phone stays the main device.
!