| Purpose | Runs a Java program locally after downloading from a web server |
| Browser dependent? | Little or no browser dependency |
| Runs on local system? | Yes |
| Version-controlled caching of application? | Yes (downloads new version if available) |
| Can be launched offline? | Yes |
| Can be launched from a web page? | Yes |
| Can be embedded in a web page? | No |
| Can run native code? | Yes (if available) |
| Web Browser Configuration | Browser association for JNLP files (easy for user to do, most browsers will prompt the user to do this) |
| Application Performance | Runs as fast as normal application |
| Security Issues | Same as stand-alone application |