Choose the Capacitor Live Update Platform That Led the Category
Before Capgo, serious Capacitor live updates mostly meant Appflow. We built the independent path, and we're still the most complete and flexible option for teams that need control.
Why this page exists
A lot of live-update pages now sound the same because most newer tools copied the Capgo playbook: channels, rollbacks, CLI uploads, and app-store-safe web updates.
The difference is depth. Capgo has automatic setup for teams that want to ship in 5 minutes, manual and half-manual modes for advanced release logic, CLI checks that warn about incompatible native changes, device logs, dynamic channels, encryption, and proven production scale.
So the real question is not who can upload a bundle. It is who has the safest, most flexible system around that bundle.
What actually makes Capgo different
🌍 We do it openly and transparently
100% open source. MIT/MPL-2.0 licensed. You can see every line of code, self-host if you want, or fork it entirely.
- Plugin code: github.com/Cap-go/capacitor-updater
- Backend code: github.com/Cap-go/capgo
- Self-audit anytime - critical for compliance and security
- Public security audits available
- Public roadmap, public issues, public everything
We pioneered the independent Capacitor live-update path
Capgo created the first serious independent Capacitor live-update platform after Appflow. Since then, others have copied the pattern. We kept shipping: 5-minute automatic setup, manual control, native rollback, CLI compatibility checks, logs, channels, and production scale.
🚀 Biggest plugin provider after official Capacitor
We maintain 135+ free, open-source Capacitor plugins. More than anyone else in the ecosystem except the Capacitor team itself.
So yeah, we know a thing or two about Capacitor.
👨👩👧👦 Family business
Founded and run by Martin Donadieu and family. No VC pressure to "maximize growth metrics" or "pivot the business model." We're building this for the long term because it's our livelihood.
- Legal entities in both US and Europe
- Dedicated infrastructure for China
💰 Bootstrapped and profitable
No investors. No debt. Just sustainable revenue from happy customers.
That means we can charge fair prices ($12/month starter, not $499), and we won't suddenly shut down or 10x our pricing.
🙋 Only human support
No chatbots. No "AI assistants." No ticket systems that lose your message.
You get Martin or someone from the family. Usually within hours. Sometimes within minutes. Yes, even on weekends (we can't help ourselves 😅).
The other options (and when to pick them)
Ionic Appflow
⚠️ Shutting down December 31, 2027
The reality: Ionic announced they're winding down Appflow. Existing customers can use it until end of 2027, but no new customers or features.
When it was good: Appflow was great if you wanted everything in one place - CI/CD, live updates, native builds - and had the budget for it.
Why we're different:
- We're not shutting down (kinda important!)
- $12/month vs their $499/month
- Open source vs closed source
- Focused live updates with 5-minute automatic setup for simple teams and manual control for advanced release workflows
Microsoft CodePush
🪦 Deprecated - Microsoft has moved on
The reality: CodePush was free and worked well... until Microsoft stopped maintaining it. It's in legacy mode for React Native, and there's no official Capacitor support.
When it was good: Free is hard to beat! And Microsoft's infrastructure meant it was reliable.
Why we're different:
- Actually maintained and improved every month
- Built specifically for Capacitor
- Real humans fixing bugs and adding features
- Still affordable: $12/month (not VC-subsidized free, but sustainable)
Capawesome Cloud
✅ Active and well-maintained
The reality: Capawesome is a solid, newer option with good German engineering. Their live-update product arrived after Capgo had already proven the independent Capacitor path at scale.
When it was good: If you want a newer simple interface and don't need Capgo's advanced release controls, scale history, or open backend, it can be a fine choice.
Honest differences:
- Experience: Capgo started the independent Capacitor live-update category in 2020; they launched live updates in 2024
- Scale: We serve 1B+ updates/month, 50M+ devices (they don't publish stats yet)
- Pricing: Both affordable - we start at $12/month, they start at €9/month
- Focus: Live updates is our core business, with automatic setup and advanced manual flows; for them it is a side offering to paid plugins
- Security & Transparency: We're 100% open source with public audits and self-audit capability; they're 0% open on backend with no public audits
- Support: Both provide human support (we're both small teams!)
🤔 What we're NOT good at (honesty time)
All-in-one CI/CD: Unlike Appflow's bundled approach, we give you flexibility. Use our Cloud Build for native iOS/Android builds, or integrate with your own CI/CD (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, etc). Your choice - both work great.
Documentation complexity: Basic automatic updates are well documented. But Capgo has many options (manual, half-manual, channel_default, etc.) that aren't always easy to understand for every use case yet. We're actively improving this.
Why people actually choose us
"The migration from Appflow took 2 hours. We went from $499/month to $12/month. Same features, better DX."
— React developer from France
"I had a question at 10pm on Saturday. Martin himself answered in 15 minutes. Insane."
— Solo developer from Brazil
"Being open source means we could audit the security ourselves. That's non-negotiable for our healthcare app."
— CTO of health tech startup
"The fact it's a family business makes me trust it MORE, not less. These folks aren't going to rugpull us."
— Mobile team lead from Germany
Try it yourself (free for 14 days)
No credit card. No commitment. Just see if it works for you.
Start free trialQuestions? Ask us on Discord or email support@capgo.app