DSH Desktop vs dsh-market
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A Windows and macOS desktop app that wraps the DeepSeek Harness web UI and plugin system.
Open source · MIT
A plugin marketplace inside DeepSeek Harness for browsing, searching and installing plugins.
The short answer
Choose DSH Desktop if you need…
- People who want to run DeepSeek Harness without using the command line
- Windows or macOS users who want a desktop window and tray icon for DSH
- Plugin authors who want to integrate with the DSH desktop services
- Users who want to browse and install DSH plugins through the built-in market
Choose dsh-market if you need…
- DSH users who want to find and install community plugins without using the command line
- People who manage many installed plugins and want groups, notes, or enable/disable toggles
- Users who want to back up or move their plugin list to another machine
- Users who want to browse community themes and switch between them
Side-by-side
| DSH Desktop | dsh-market | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 34.5k | 10.2k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Download the app | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
DSH Desktop
DSH Desktop is a native desktop client for Windows and macOS built on the DeepSeek Harness (DSH). It starts and manages the local Harness service, provides a window, system tray, terminal, updates and work profiles, and runs the upstream web UI inside the app. It is an independent community project and is not affiliated with DeepSeek.
dsh-market
dsh-market is a plugin market that runs inside DeepSeek Harness (DSH). It adds a tab on the Plugins page where you can browse a community catalog, search it, and install plugins or themes with one click. It also includes tools for favorites, groups, notes, updates, and backup and restore of your plugin setup.
Best for
DSH Desktop
- People who want to run DeepSeek Harness without using the command line
- Windows or macOS users who want a desktop window and tray icon for DSH
- Plugin authors who want to integrate with the DSH desktop services
- Users who want to browse and install DSH plugins through the built-in market
dsh-market
- DSH users who want to find and install community plugins without using the command line
- People who manage many installed plugins and want groups, notes, or enable/disable toggles
- Users who want to back up or move their plugin list to another machine
- Users who want to browse community themes and switch between them
Strengths
DSH Desktop
- Installs with a download and needs no separate Node.js setup, according to the README
- Keeps the web service bound to localhost by default
- Open source under the MIT license
dsh-market
- Installs and updates plugins from inside the host with live progress and little manual setup
- Keeps local state such as favorites, groups, and notes in your profile rather than sending them elsewhere, as the README states
- Includes fallback routes for GitHub resources in the China download region
Not ideal for
DSH Desktop
- Linux users, since the README lists official installers only for Windows x64 and macOS Universal
- Anyone who needs LAN access to a shared machine without authentication, because the README warns that LAN exposure has no auth
- People who want to work on the core DeepSeek Harness engine, since the README points them to the upstream repository
dsh-market
- People who do not use DeepSeek Harness, since the market only runs inside that host
- Users on older DSH hosts below 0.1.0-rc.6, where the market disables itself
- Users who do not want their comments or discussion widget to contact giscus.app and GitHub, since opening a plugin's discussion thread does so
Trade-offs
DSH Desktop
- Official installers cover only Windows x64 and macOS Universal in the README
- LAN access is optional but has no authentication, so it must be used carefully
- The README is long and split across many documents, so the full setup and troubleshooting details sit in separate files
dsh-market
- The README describes a catalog of 4200+ plugins, but this is a self-reported figure and depends on the host version
- Several features depend on the host version and profile setup, so behavior can differ between Desktop and plain dsh web
- Install behavior on Desktop versus the web profile is confusing; the README warns that a command may report success while installing to the wrong profile
Getting started
DSH Desktop
Download the Windows installer or macOS DMG from the project site
https://www.dshdesktop.cndsh-market
Install on regular dsh web (replace web with your profile name if different)
dsh plugin --profile web add dshmarketFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between DSH Desktop and dsh-market?
DSH Desktop: A Windows and macOS desktop app that wraps the DeepSeek Harness web UI and plugin system. dsh-market: A plugin marketplace inside DeepSeek Harness for browsing, searching and installing plugins. DSH Desktop suits people who want to run deepseek harness without using the command line, while dsh-market suits dsh users who want to find and install community plugins without using the command line.
Are DSH Desktop and dsh-market free?
DSH Desktop: Free and open source. dsh-market: Free and open source.
Is DSH Desktop or dsh-market more popular?
DSH Desktop has more GitHub stars (34.5k) than dsh-market (10.2k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to DSH Desktop and dsh-market?
Other options people compare them with include DSH Desktop.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.