Will SwiftUI replace Electron for all apps?

Nah. Fat UIs? Electron wins. Menu bar glances? SwiftUI stomps.

How do I build a Pulse-like app?

Grab Xcode. MenuBarExtra API. Poll your services. Ship under 20MB glory.

Is Pulse open source?

Not yet—but the blueprint's here. Fork the idea, not the code.

Why a 15MB SwiftUI Menu Bar App Crushes Electron Bloat for Devs

Imagine firing up your Mac without Electron's RAM vampire sucking 120MB idle for a quota check. This 15MB SwiftUI beast hides in your menu bar, whispering service statuses—no tabs, no drama.

theAIcatchup Apr 10, 2026 3 min read

Pulse SwiftUI menu bar app displaying AI quotas and service statuses on macOS

⚡ Key Takeaways

SwiftUI menu bar apps crush Electron on size (15MB vs 200MB) and RAM (12MB idle vs 120MB). 𝕏
Native beats web-tech for OS-integrated utilities—fewer deps, faster iteration. 𝕏
Dev workflows improve sans tab rituals; spot issues at a glance. 𝕏

Published by

theAIcatchup

Community-driven. Code-first.

#Electron #Electron alternative #SwiftUI #developer dashboard #macOS development #menu bar app

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Originally reported by Dev.to

⚡ Key Takeaways

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