Mobile apps · Comparison
Capacitor vs TWA vs PWA
Three 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.
3 options · 8 questions side by side · updated
| Compare | Capacitor | TWA | PWA |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Web app bundled in a native shell | Website opened full-screen by Chrome | Website installed from the browser |
| Platforms | Android and iOS | Android only | Any modern browser |
| App stores | Google Play and the App Store | Google Play | None needed |
| Where the code lives | Inside the app package | On your website | On your website |
| Updates | Store release, or a live-update service | Instant: deploy the website | Instant: deploy the website |
| Phone features | Native plugins for most needs | Web APIs only | Web APIs only |
| Offline | Yes, the files are bundled | Through a service worker | Through a service worker |
| Watch out for | Apple rejects thin website wrappers | Needs assetlinks.json and a real PWA | Fewer install prompts and features on iOS |
How to choose between Capacitor, TWA and PWA
- Pick Capacitor when the app must be in both stores or needs native features the web cannot reach.
- Pick a TWA to put an existing PWA on Google Play with almost no extra code.
- Pick a plain PWA when installing from the browser is enough and store review is not wanted.
The options
- CapacitorA tool from the Ionic team that wraps a web app in a real Android and iOS app, with plugins that let the web code use the camera, files, notifications and other phone features.
- TWAAn Android way to publish a progressive web app on Google Play: the app opens your website full-screen in Chrome, with no browser bar.
- PWARendering and architectureA website that can be installed on a phone or computer like an app, with its own icon and window, and can keep working offline.
More comparisons
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- Kotlin Multiplatform vs FlutterBoth let one team cover Android and iOS. Kotlin Multiplatform shares code and keeps native interfaces optional; Flutter shares everything, interface included, in Dart.
- Google Play vs the App StoreGetting an app onto phones means going through one store per platform. The fees are in the same range; the steps before the first release are not.
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