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 formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Capacitor59
Ionic69
Score
Vioscale score
Capacitor59 / 100medium · 69%
Ionic69 / 100high · 77%
Pricing
Free tier
Capacitor
Ionic
Model
Capacitorcommercial
Price level
Capacitorfree
Ionicfree
Transparent
Capacitor
Ionic
Integrations
Count
Capacitor21
Ionic5
Reliability
Status page
Capacitor
Ionic
Adoption
Dependent repos
Capacitor24,134
Ionic54,760
Github stars
Capacitor16,391
Ionic52,630
Package downloads weekly
Capacitor4,104,659
Ionic403,967
Activity
Commits last 30d
Capacitor6
Ionic96
Release
Cadence days
Capacitor
Ionic7
History
Capacitor20 items
License
Spdx
CapacitorMIT
IonicMIT
Language
Primary
CapacitorTypeScript
Market
Availability
Capacitor

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

An open-source runtime that packages web applications built with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to run natively on iOS, Android, and as Progressive Web Apps, with access to platform-specific native APIs through a unified JavaScript interface.

Independently observed

Ionic

Leader

An open-source framework that uses standard web technologies to create mobile applications deployable to iOS and Android as native apps or to the web as Progressive Web Apps.

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 sourceFree tier

Free, open source

as of verify ↗

Ionic

Leader
Open sourceFree tier

Open source, free to use

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
Hybrid
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

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