Not OP, but I'm in a similar situation, so I though I'd share my insight, in case you're interested. I prefer a desktop client because it's more lightweight th

Not OP, but I'm in a similar situation, so I though I'd share my insight, in case you're interested. I prefer a desktop client because it's more lightweight than a web browser, I can keep it running indefinitely, I don't have to worry about accidentaly closing it and not receiving notifications afterwards. I can also have a dedicated icon in the tray that shows the number of new messages.