Web vs desktop
MetaProc is the same application either way — the analysis engine, templates, and code capture are identical. What differs is where it runs and what that means for installation, data, and offline use.
Today: the web app is available now. The desktop build is planned but not yet shipped (see Download).
At a glance
Section titled “At a glance”| Aspect | Web app | Desktop build (planned) |
|---|---|---|
| Install | Nothing — open a URL | One-time installer (bundles R + all packages) |
| Always up to date | Yes, automatically | You update when you choose |
| Works offline | No (needs the hosted service) | Yes — fully self-contained |
| Where your data goes | Uploaded to an ephemeral, EU-hosted container, destroyed at session end | Stays entirely on your machine |
| PDF reports (LaTeX) | Rendered server-side | Via a one-time TinyTeX install; falls back to HTML |
| Best for | Quick use, shared machines, no admin rights | Sensitive environments, offline work, full local control |
When to use the web app
Section titled “When to use the web app”- You want to start right now with nothing to install.
- You’re on a shared or locked-down machine without admin rights.
- You’re working with already-published, aggregate study-level data (which is what a meta-analysis uses) and are comfortable with the ephemeral, EU-hosted model.
When you’ll want the desktop build
Section titled “When you’ll want the desktop build”- You need to work fully offline, or your data-handling rules mean nothing should leave your machine.
- You want to pin a version and control exactly when it updates.
- You want everything — R,
metafor,netmeta, and the rest — bundled so there’s no separate R installation to manage.
What’s identical
Section titled “What’s identical”The statistics are the same on both: the same engines, the same templates, the same golden-tested results, and the same code capture — every result ships with the exact R that produced it, and the reproducibility bundle re-runs in a clean R session regardless of which version you used.
Note on data: MetaProc is for aggregate, study-level meta-analysis. On either platform, do not load individual patient data or directly identifiable information.