Comparison

Capacitor vs Ionic

On the evidence we track, Ionic leads this comparison with a composite score of 69/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
Capacitor60
★Ionic69
Score
vioscaleAI score
Capacitor60 / 100medium · 65%
Ionic69 / 100high · 75%
Pricing
Free tier
Capacitor✓
Ionic✓
Model
Capacitoropen_source
Price level
Capacitorfree
Ioniclow
Transparent
Capacitor–
Ionic✓
Integrations
Count
Capacitor21
Ionic3
Reliability
Status page
Capacitor✓
Ionic✓
Adoption
Dependent repos
Capacitor24,134
Ionic54,760
Github stars
Capacitor16,852
Ionic52,698
Package downloads weekly
Capacitor5,395,282
Ionic501,730
Activity
Commits last 30d
Capacitor5
Ionic63
Release
Cadence days
Capacitor–
Ionic7
History
Capacitor20 items
License
Spdx
CapacitorMIT
IonicMIT
Language
Primary
CapacitorTypeScript
Market
Availability
Capacitor–
Content
Faq
Capacitor6 items
Ionic6 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for mobile app frameworks. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Target platforms
CapacitoriOS, Android, Progressive Web App
IoniciOS, Android, Web/PWA
Approach
CapacitorWebView hybrid
IonicWebView hybrid
Primary language
CapacitorJavaScript, HTML, CSS
IonicJavaScript
Rendering
Renders true native UI
Capacitor✗
Ionic✗
DX
Hot reload
Capacitor✓
Ionic-
TypeScript-first
Capacitor-
Ionic-
Delivery
Over-the-air code push
Capacitor-
Ionic✓
Portability
Single codebase, multiple platforms
Capacitor✓
Ionic✓
Desktop support
Capacitor-
Ionic✗
Builds for web
Capacitor✓
Ionic✓
Capability
Native API access
CapacitorFull native
IonicPlugin / bridged
Ecosystem
Bundled UI component library
Capacitor✗
Ionic✓

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Capacitor

Capacitor is a cross-platform native runtime that enables developers to build applications for iOS, Android, and web using a single JavaScript codebase. It provides web-standard APIs while allowing access to native device features through a plugin system.

Independently observed

Ionic

Leader

A web-based mobile app framework that enables developers to build native-quality applications for iOS, Android, and the web from a single codebase using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Capacitor

Open source
as of verify ↗

Ionic

Leader
HybridFree tier

Open source framework with optional paid Appflow service for deployments and build management

as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Capacitor✓
Ionic✓
iOS
Capacitor✓
Ionic✓
Android
Capacitor✓
Ionic✓
CLI
Capacitor✓
Ionic✗
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Capacitor✗
Ionic✓
Self-hosted
Capacitor✓
Ionic✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Capacitor

24 total
  • Action Sheet
  • App Launcher
  • App Browser
  • Camera
  • Clipboard
  • Device
  • Dialog
  • Filesystem
  • Geolocation
  • Google Maps
  • Haptics
  • Keyboard
  • Local Notifications
  • Motion
  • Network
  • Push Notifications
  • Screen Reader
  • Share
  • Splash Screen
  • Status Bar
  • Storage
  • Text Zoom
  • Toast
  • Cordova plugins
Independently observed

Ionic

Leader
5 total
  • Cordova
  • Capacitor
  • Angular
  • React
  • Vue
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Capacitor or Ionic: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.