| Feature | Browser-Based | Desktop App |
|---|---|---|
| Installation required | None — opens in any browser | Required (download and install) |
| Operating system | Any — Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Platform-specific build |
| File stays on device | Yes — local browser processing | Yes — local application |
| Internet needed to view files | No (after initial page load) | No |
| Software updates | Automatic — always current | Manual updates required |
| Cost | Free | Varies — free to commercial license |
| Rendering | WebGL GPU-accelerated | Native GPU rendering |
| Works offline | Yes (after initial load) | Yes |
Key Advantages of Browser-Based Viewing
Open DICOM files in any modern browser — no software to download, no IT approval needed, no admin rights required.
The same viewer runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iPad, and Android tablets without separate builds or licenses.
No update notifications, no patch cycles. The viewer is always the latest version every time you open it.
No license fees, no subscription for the core viewing and editing tools. Free for radiologists, educators, and researchers.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the vast majority of use cases — windowing (WW/WC), measurements, MPR, 3D reconstruction, and annotations — a modern WebGL-based viewer matches desktop quality. Desktop apps may have advantages for proprietary vendor protocols or very high frame-rate cine display.
No. After the page loads, DICOM files are processed entirely in your browser using WebGL. No network connection is required to view or manipulate images.
When files are processed locally without any upload, your DICOM data never leaves your device. No pixels or DICOM tags are transmitted to our servers.
Yes. Streaming technology handles large multi-slice datasets directly in the browser. Performance depends on your device hardware rather than server capacity.