Desktop app or web app: which one?
Both run the same Silent Student agent on the same account and plan. The difference is where the agent’s browser runs and where your school login is kept.
Short answer: on a Mac or Windows PC, either one works. On a Chromebook, iPad or phone, use the web app.
Two ways to run it
Pick the one that fits your device. You can use both on one account.
How they differ.
| Desktop app | Web app (cloud) | |
|---|---|---|
| The agent | The same Silent Student agent. | The same Silent Student agent. |
| Where the browser runs | On your own computer. | On our servers. You watch it live next to the chat. |
| Devices | A Mac with Apple Silicon (macOS 13 or later) or a 64-bit Windows 10 or later PC. | Any device with an up-to-date browser: Chromebook, iPad, iPhone, Android phone, Mac or PC. |
| Install | Download and install the app (about 500 MB). | Nothing to install. Go to app.silentstudent.com. |
| Where your school login is kept | On your computer, in macOS Keychain or Windows’ built-in encryption. It is never sent to our servers. | Encrypted on our servers, so the agent can sign you in. Kept until you ask us to erase it. |
| Where sign-ins come from | Your own internet connection. | Our servers’ datacenter address. Some sites may ask you to confirm the sign-in, and a few may block it. |
| Your device during a run | Keep your computer on and awake while it works. | The browser runs on our servers. You watch from your device. |
| Taking over | You can stop it any time from the app. | Tap Take control to use the browser yourself, then give it back. |
| Browser time | As long as your computer is on. | Up to 30 hours of browser time a month. |
| Signing in to Silent Student | Email and password, or Google. | Email and password for now. Joined with Google? Set a password at silentstudent.com/reset first. |
| Plans | Any plan, from the $4.99 Week pass. | Any plan, from the $4.99 Week pass. |
| School-managed devices | They may block installing it. | They may block it. |
| Status | Public beta. | Beta. It may break, slow down or lose its saved browser state. |
Both use the same Silent Student account and plan. How the cloud side works is on the web app in the cloud page. Desktop details are on the download page.
When to pick which.
Pick the desktop app if…
- You have a Mac with Apple Silicon or a 64-bit Windows PC.
- You want your school login to stay on your computer.
- You want sites to see your own internet connection when it signs in.
- You want long runs without a monthly browser-time limit.
Pick the web app if…
- You’re on a Chromebook, iPad, iPhone or Android phone.
- You can’t install apps, or don’t want to.
- You want to start from whatever device is in your hand.
- Your computer can’t run the desktop app, such as an Intel Mac.
Same agent, same plans.
$4.99 once
500 credits for 7 days. Never renews.
$11.99/mo
2,000 credits a month.
$24.99/mo
5,000 credits a month.
$49.99/mo
Unlimited credits. Fair use applies.
Plans differ only in credits. Every plan works in both the desktop app and the web app. The web app includes up to 30 hours of browser time a month. See pricing.
Desktop vs web app questions.
Yes. They use the same Silent Student account and plan. For example, use the desktop app on your laptop and the web app on your iPad.
No. Both run the same Silent Student agent. The difference is where its browser runs and where your school login is kept.
The desktop app. Your school login stays on your computer and is never sent to our servers. In the web app, it is stored encrypted on our servers so the agent can sign in for you, and you can ask us to erase it any time.
No. Any plan works in both, including the $4.99 Week pass. The web app includes up to 30 hours of browser time a month.
Use the web app at app.silentstudent.com. On a personal Chromebook you can also try the Linux beta of the desktop app. A Chromebook your school manages may block both.
The web app signs in from our servers, which use a datacenter address. Some sites ask you to confirm sign-ins from a new place, and a few may block them. The desktop app signs in from your own internet connection.
Pick the way that fits your device.
Open the web app on any device you own, or download the desktop app for your Mac or PC.
Plans from $4.99 · Cancel anytime · See pricing