Apache Cordova vs Capacitor by Ionic

Struggling to choose between Apache Cordova and Capacitor by Ionic? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Apache Cordova is a Development solution with tags like crossplatform, mobile, html5, css3, javascript.

It boasts features such as Cross-platform development, Web technologies like HTML, CSS & JavaScript, Access native device capabilities, Large plugin ecosystem, Open source & free and pros including Write once, deploy to multiple platforms, Leverage web developer skills, Avoid platform-specific languages like Java or Swift, Quick prototyping.

On the other hand, Capacitor by Ionic is a Development product tagged with crossplatform, hybrid-app, ionic, capacitor, webview.

Its standout features include Cross-platform - Build iOS, Android, and Web apps with one codebase, Native APIs - Access native device features like Camera, Geolocation, Notifications, etc, Plugin ecosystem - Extend functionality with community-built plugins, Web Standards - Use web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, Native Bridge - Call native code from JavaScript and vice versa, Live Reload - Update code and see changes instantly, and it shines with pros like Write once, deploy anywhere, Access native features through web standards, Large plugin ecosystem for added functionality, Fast development with live reload, Leverage knowledge of web development.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Apache Cordova

Apache Cordova

Apache Cordova is an open-source mobile development framework. It allows you to use standard web technologies like HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript for cross-platform development, avoiding native development languages like Objective-C and Java. Cordova wraps the HTML and JavaScript code into a native container which can access the device functions of many platforms.

Categories:
crossplatform mobile html5 css3 javascript

Apache Cordova Features

  1. Cross-platform development
  2. Web technologies like HTML, CSS & JavaScript
  3. Access native device capabilities
  4. Large plugin ecosystem
  5. Open source & free

Pricing

  • Open Source
  • Free

Pros

Write once, deploy to multiple platforms

Leverage web developer skills

Avoid platform-specific languages like Java or Swift

Quick prototyping

Cons

Performance limitations

Not fully native experience

Complex debugging

Limited access to some native APIs


Capacitor by Ionic

Capacitor by Ionic

Capacitor is a cross-platform app runtime that allows developers to build web apps using HTML, CSS and JavaScript and deploy them to native iOS, Android and web. It includes a rich set of web APIs and allows wrapping web code into native code using plugins.

Categories:
crossplatform hybrid-app ionic capacitor webview

Capacitor by Ionic Features

  1. Cross-platform - Build iOS, Android, and Web apps with one codebase
  2. Native APIs - Access native device features like Camera, Geolocation, Notifications, etc
  3. Plugin ecosystem - Extend functionality with community-built plugins
  4. Web Standards - Use web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
  5. Native Bridge - Call native code from JavaScript and vice versa
  6. Live Reload - Update code and see changes instantly

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Write once, deploy anywhere

Access native features through web standards

Large plugin ecosystem for added functionality

Fast development with live reload

Leverage knowledge of web development

Cons

Still requires native project setup for each platform

Not as performant as fully native code

Limitations of web vs native UI

Some more complex native features may lack plugin support