How it works
You build a normal web app with any framework (React, Vue, Angular, Svelte), then Capacitor copies the built files into native Android and iOS projects, where they run in the system WebView. JavaScript calls plugins such as @capacitor/camera, which run native code and return the result. The native projects are ordinary Android Studio and Xcode projects kept in your repository, so custom native code can be added anywhere.
It is the modern successor to Apache Cordova and works with many existing Cordova plugins. Official plugins cover the basics, and community groups such as Capawesome add many more. Ionic's paid cloud services for it (Appflow builds and live updates) stopped taking new customers in 2025 and are due to close at the end of 2027; third parties offer similar services.
Capacitor pros and cons
Pros
- Reuse an existing web app and web team for mobile
- One codebase for the web, Android and iOS
- Full access to the native projects when a plugin is not enough
- Works with any front-end framework
Cons
- Runs in a WebView, so heavy animation and long lists feel less smooth than native
- Apple rejects apps that are little more than a website in a wrapper
- Plugin quality varies, and some features still need native code
When to use Capacitor
Pick it when
- You already have a web app or PWA and need it in the stores
- Content, forms and business apps rather than graphics-heavy ones
- A small team that knows web development only
Skip it when
- Games or apps with demanding animation and gestures
- The app must feel fully native on each platform
Capacitor pricing
Capacitor vs the alternatives
- Native vs Flutter vs React Native vs Capacitor vs PWAFive ways to put an app on a phone, from fully native to a website installed from the browser. The trade-off runs between native polish and platform access on one side and one shared codebase on the other.
- Capacitor vs TWA vs PWAThree ways to turn a web app into something people install. They differ in which stores they reach and how much of the phone they can use.
Related terms
More in Mobile apps
Web on phones