NW.js vs. Node.js vs. Sails vs. ThreadDB Comparison Chart

NW.js (previously known as node-webkit) lets you call all Node.js modules directly from DOM and enables a new way of writing applications with all web technologies. A new way of writing native applications using web technologies, HTML5, CSS3, and WebGL. Full support for the features in the browser. Complete support for Node.js APIs and all third-party modules. Call Node.js modules directly from the DOM and web workers. Available on Linux, Mac OS X and Windows. NW.js is based on Chromium and Node.js. Further, you can easily package a web application into a native application. It enables endless possibilities for writing apps. Easy to use, native UI library, frameless window, packaging and distribution, compatible with npm, debugger support, a rich documentation, kiosk mode, file dialogs, and media. Supports web components, drag & drop, WebGL, WebRTC, datalist, and CSS3. NW.js is also data persistent.

Build practical, production-ready Node.js apps in a matter of weeks, not months. Sails is the most popular MVC framework for Node.js, designed to emulate the familiar MVC pattern of frameworks like Ruby on Rails, but with support for the requirements of modern apps, data-driven APIs with scalable, service-oriented architecture. Sails makes it easy to build custom, enterprise-grade Node.js apps. Building on top of Sails means your app is written entirely in JavaScript, the language you and your team are already using in the browser. Sails bundles a powerful ORM, Waterline, which provides a simple data access layer that just works, no matter what database you're using. Sails comes with blueprints that help jumpstart your app's backend without writing any code. Since Sails translates incoming socket messages for you, they're automatically compatible with every route in your Sails app. Sails offers commercial support to accelerate development and ensure best practices in your code.