--- title: "Lookeen Desktop or Server? The difference at a glance" url: https://lookeen.com/product/desktop-or-server lang: en description: "The difference between Lookeen Desktop and Lookeen Server: where the index lives, sources, permissions, access and pricing – and which one fits your company." published: 2026-11-05T10:00:00+00:00 modified: 2026-11-05T10:00:00+00:00 --- # Lookeen Desktop or Lookeen Server? Both find emails, files and archives in seconds. The difference is where the index is built and who searches it: Lookeen Desktop works on one person's PC, Lookeen Server centrally for the whole company. ### Lookeen Desktop The Windows app indexes one person's emails and files right on their PC. Ideal for individuals and small to medium-sized companies; rolling it out to many workstations works through group policies. [See Lookeen Desktop](https://lookeen.com/product/overview) ### Lookeen Server One central index on a server of yours, across file servers, Exchange, Microsoft 365 and PST archives. Everyone finds only what they may see. For medium to large organizations and for VDI and terminal server environments. [See Lookeen Server](https://lookeen.com/solutions/enterprise-search/lookeen-server) ## The difference at a glance Who each edition suits, where it runs and what it searches. | | Lookeen Desktop | Lookeen Server | | --- | --- | --- | | For | Individuals, small and medium-sized companies | Medium to large organizations, VDI and terminal servers | | Where the index lives | On each PC | Centrally on a server of yours (on-premises) | | What is searched | Your own data: files, drives, Outlook with PST and OST, Exchange, Microsoft 365 | The company’s shares: file servers, Exchange, Microsoft 365, PST directories | | Online Archives | Yes | Yes | | Permissions | Everyone searches their own data; a shared index doesn’t know AD permissions | Permission-accurate: rights from Windows, Exchange and Active Directory/Entra ID with every search | | Shared data | Shared index (Premium) | One index for everyone, maintained centrally | | Search in | Lookeen app, Outlook | Browser, Lookeen app, Outlook | | Installation | Windows app, deployed through group policies | Windows service on Windows Server; a browser is enough at the workstation | | Lookeen AI | Yes | Yes, across the whole company index | | Price | From € 9.00 per user and month | Individual quote | ## Which one fits you? The two editions compared: when each one fits. ### Lookeen Desktop if … - everyone mostly searches their own emails and files, - you want to start right away: install, index, search, - mailboxes and files are on the PC or a mapped drive. ### Lookeen Server if … - teams search file servers, mailboxes and archives together, - hits must respect the permissions from Windows and Exchange, - workstations are virtual or nothing should be installed. ## Frequently asked questions How the two differ and which plans are available. What is the difference between Lookeen Server and Lookeen Desktop? Lookeen Desktop indexes one person's data on their PC. Lookeen Server indexes the whole company's shares and mailboxes centrally on a server and, with every search, shows only what that person may see. Can a team search together with Lookeen Desktop? Yes, with the shared index in the Premium plan: one person builds the index, others add it. It doesn't know Active Directory permissions, though. If hits must respect permissions, Lookeen Server is the right choice. Which plans are there for Lookeen Desktop? Basic, Business and Premium, billed annually. Business adds group policies, tags and text recognition (OCR), Premium the shared index. [See pricing](https://lookeen.com/pricing) Can I try Lookeen Server first? Yes. [Talk to us](https://lookeen.com/contact) – we set up a test installation with your own sources. More: [What Lookeen can index](https://lookeen.com/product/data-sources) · [File formats](https://lookeen.com/product/file-formats) · [Pricing](https://lookeen.com/pricing) ## Try it without obligation Test Lookeen Desktop free for 14 days, or talk to us about Lookeen Server. [Get started](https://lookeen.com/get-started) [Request a consultation](https://lookeen.com/contact)