# Capacitor vs Kivy

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Capacitor

| Attribute | Capacitor | Kivy |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 59.4 (69% (medium)) | 49.8 (62% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 6 | 12 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 24,134 | 709 |
| adoption.github_stars | 16,391 | 19,009 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 4,104,659 | - |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | Open-source framework for creating user interfaces with Python, deployable to mobile devices, desktop operating systems, and embedded platforms from a single codebase. |
| features.capabilities | `{"targets":"iOS, Android, Progressive Web App","approach":"webview_hybrid","language":"JavaScript, HTML, CSS","hot_reload":true,"web_target":true,"single_codebase":true,"native_api_access":"full"}` | `{"targets":"Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, macOS, embedded platforms","language":"Python","web_target":false,"desktop_support":true,"official_ui_kit":true,"single_codebase":true,"typescript_first":false}` |
| integrations.count | 21 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Action Sheet"},{"name":"App Launcher"},{"name":"App Browser"},{"name":"Camera"},{"name":"Clipboard"},{"name":"Device"},{"name":"Dialog"},{"name":"Filesystem"},{"name":"Geolocation"},{"name":"Google Maps"},{"name":"Haptics"},{"name":"Keyboard"},{"name":"Local Notifications"},{"name":"Motion"},{"name":"Network"},{"name":"Push Notifications"},{"name":"Screen Reader"},{"name":"Share"},{"name":"Splash Screen"},{"name":"Status Bar"},{"name":"Storage"},{"name":"Text Zoom"},{"name":"Toast"},{"name":"Cordova plugins"}]` | - |
| language.primary | TypeScript | Python |
| license.spdx | MIT | MIT |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` | `{"ios":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"android":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free, open source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://capacitorjs.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T21:32:22.143Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Completely free and open source. Community supported through optional donations.","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://kivy.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-16T21:32:29.621Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 342 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/8.5.0","date":"2026-07-31T15:46:27Z","type":"stable","version":"8.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/9.0.0-alpha.6","date":"2026-07-14T17:39:35Z","type":"prerelease","version":"9.0.0-alpha.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/8.4.2","date":"2026-07-14T17:32:32Z","type":"stable","version":"8.4.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/7.6.8","date":"2026-07-14T17:36:20Z","type":"stable","version":"7.6.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/9.0.0-alpha.5","date":"2026-06-23T15:59:41Z","type":"prerelease","version":"9.0.0-alpha.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/9.0.0-alpha.4","date":"2026-06-19T08:47:04Z","type":"prerelease","version":"9.0.0-alpha.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/8.4.1","date":"2026-06-19T09:02:01Z","type":"stable","version":"8.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/7.6.7","date":"2026-06-19T08:43:00Z","type":"stable","version":"7.6.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/9.0.0-alpha.3","date":"2026-06-02T16:26:24Z","type":"prerelease","version":"9.0.0-alpha.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/8.4.0","date":"2026-06-02T15:56:06Z","type":"stable","version":"8.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/7.6.6","date":"2026-06-02T16:09:17Z","type":"stable","version":"7.6.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/9.0.0-alpha.2","date":"2026-05-12T21:10:28Z","type":"prerelease","version":"9.0.0-alpha.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/8.3.4","date":"2026-05-12T20:39:01Z","type":"stable","version":"8.3.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/7.6.5","date":"2026-05-12T20:49:34Z","type":"stable","version":"7.6.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/9.0.0-alpha.1","date":"2026-05-08T17:21:41Z","type":"prerelease","version":"9.0.0-alpha.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/8.3.3","date":"2026-05-08T17:08:43Z","type":"stable","version":"8.3.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/7.6.4","date":"2026-05-08T17:17:23Z","type":"stable","version":"7.6.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/9.0.0-alpha.0","date":"2026-05-07T17:15:53Z","type":"prerelease","version":"9.0.0-alpha.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/8.3.2","date":"2026-05-07T16:55:22Z","type":"stable","version":"8.3.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor/releases/tag/7.6.3","date":"2026-05-07T16:57:50Z","type":"stable","version":"7.6.3"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/2.3.1","date":"2024-12-26T18:37:03Z","type":"stable","version":"2.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/2.3.0","date":"2024-01-05T13:53:17Z","type":"stable","version":"2.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/2.2.1","date":"2023-06-17T17:37:56Z","type":"stable","version":"2.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/2.2.0","date":"2023-05-20T14:20:47Z","type":"stable","version":"2.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/2.1.0","date":"2022-03-06T10:55:38Z","type":"stable","version":"2.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/2.0.0","date":"2020-12-10T00:57:59Z","type":"stable","version":"2.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.11.1","date":"2020-07-19T19:42:19Z","type":"stable","version":"1.11.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.11.0","date":"2019-06-01T23:46:40Z","type":"stable","version":"1.11.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.10.1","date":"2018-07-09T00:33:57Z","type":"stable","version":"1.10.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.10.0","date":"2017-05-07T22:44:16Z","type":"stable","version":"1.10.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.9.1","date":"2016-01-01T01:01:40Z","type":"stable","version":"1.9.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.9.0","date":"2015-04-02T11:30:06Z","type":"stable","version":"1.9.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kivy/kivy/releases/tag/1.8.0","date":"2014-10-20T21:37:38Z","type":"stable","version":"1.8.0"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 5.1 | 4.7 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40capacitor%2Fcore&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=kivy&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Mobile App Frameworks)

| Capability | Capacitor | Kivy |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Target platforms | iOS, Android, Progressive Web App | Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, macOS, embedded platforms |
| Approach | WebView hybrid | - |
| Primary language | JavaScript, HTML, CSS | Python |
| **Rendering** |  |  |
| Renders true native UI | - | - |
| **DX** |  |  |
| Hot reload | ✓ | - |
| TypeScript-first | - | ✗ |
| **Delivery** |  |  |
| Over-the-air code push | - | - |
| **Portability** |  |  |
| Single codebase, multiple platforms | ✓ | ✓ |
| Desktop support | - | ✓ |
| Builds for web | ✓ | ✗ |
| **Capability** |  |  |
| Native API access | Full native | - |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| Bundled UI component library | - | ✓ |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:58:21.053Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*