You ship Flutter, React Native, or Unity apps
Codemagic builds Flutter, React Native, native, and Unity projects. Capgo Builder and Capgo live updates are made for Capacitor apps. [4]
Codemagic vs Capgo
Codemagic alternative for Capacitor apps: Capgo
Codemagic is a general mobile CI/CD service for Flutter, React Native, native, Ionic, and Unity projects. In October 2026 it added Codemagic Patch for Capacitor, a self-hosted live update server with an Apache 2.0 SDK and CLI. Capgo is built for Capacitor: hosted live updates with channels and rollback, plus Capgo Builder for signed iOS and Android binaries in the cloud.
Verdict Choose Codemagic if you run several mobile stacks, need custom YAML pipelines with tests and many steps, or want to run your own live update server. Choose Capgo if your app is Capacitor and you want hosted live updates, runtime channels, rollback, and native builds from one tool, without operating a server or maintaining a CI pipeline.
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Top picks
The 6 best Codemagic alternatives in 2026
Ranked for teams that want to ship mobile apps fast, fix production bugs without waiting on store review, and keep full control of their code.
- Capgo vs Codemagic →
Capgo Our pick
Capacitor plus Capgo: one web codebase for iOS, Android, and web, live updates that skip store review, and cloud native builds in 2–3 minutes. Open source, from $12/month.
- Learn more →
Bitrise
Mobile CI/CD with a large step library and a free Hobby plan. Good for multi-stack teams, but you still maintain the pipeline and it has no Capacitor live updates.
- Learn more →
Appcircle
Mobile CI/CD with distribution, an enterprise app store, and a self-hosted option. Strong for regulated enterprises, sales-led beyond the free tier.
- Learn more →
Ionic Appflow
Cloud builds and live updates for Ionic and Capacitor from the Ionic team. Check its current roadmap and pricing before committing.
- Learn more →
GitHub Actions
General CI with macOS runners next to your code. Flexible and cheap for small volumes, but you own every signing and store upload step.
- Learn more →
VoltBuilder
Simple cloud builds for Cordova and Capacitor projects from a zip upload. No live updates.
Side by side
Capgo vs Codemagic at a glance
| Area | Capgo | Codemagic |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $12/month billed yearly or $14 billed monthly. 14-day free trial, no credit card required. No free plan. | Free for individuals with 500 Mac mini M2 minutes per month. Pay as you go at $0.095/minute on M2 after the free 500, $0.114 on M4, $0.045 on Linux and Windows. Fixed annual plans from $3,990/year, Enterprise from $12,000/year. Codemagic Patch for Capacitor is free to self-host up to 1,000,000 monthly active devices. Hosting by Codemagic is sales-led, for companies above one million monthly active users. [1] [6] |
| OTA live updates | Ships JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and asset changes without waiting for store review, with delta downloads and end-to-end encryption. 1B+ updates per month. | Codemagic Patch ships HTML, CSS, and JavaScript updates to Capacitor apps with differential downloads, install modes, and optional signed releases. It is new (Capacitor SDK and CLI v0.1.0) and you run the server yourself with Docker Compose, PostgreSQL, and S3-compatible storage. Each release targets one exact native version, and iOS and Android need separate apps and deployment keys. React Native apps use CodePush by Codemagic. [3] [6] |
| Native builds | Capgo Builder builds and signs iOS and Android binaries in the cloud, typically in 2–3 minutes, and can upload them to the stores. Build time is included in plans. | Core product. You write a codemagic.yaml pipeline that installs dependencies, runs cap sync, signs, and builds with Gradle or Xcode, then publishes to Google Play or App Store Connect. Builds run on Mac mini M2/M4, Linux, or Windows machines. [1] [2] |
| Framework support | Capacitor apps built with React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, Ionic, or any web framework. Live updates also work for Cordova and Electron. Not for React Native. | CI/CD for Flutter, React Native, native iOS and Android, Ionic Capacitor, and Unity. Codemagic Patch supports the two latest Capacitor major versions (7 and 8) and Android minSdkVersion 24 or higher. [2] [4] [6] |
| Open source and self-hosting | Updater plugin and Capgo plugins are free under MPL-2.0. Backend source is on GitHub under AGPL-3.0. Run your own update server, or use licensed self-hosting on Enterprise. | CI/CD is a proprietary hosted service. Codemagic Patch SDKs and CLIs are Apache 2.0. The Patch server uses the Codemagic Server License, free up to 1,000,000 monthly active devices, which converts to Apache 2.0 two years after each release and forbids reselling it as a competing OTA service. [2] [6] |
| Rollback and channels | Dynamic channels, device and channel overrides, progressive rollouts, automatic rollback when a bundle fails to start, and one-click revert to a previous bundle. | Codemagic Patch rolls a release back automatically if the app never reports the new bundle as healthy, and supports staged percentage rollouts with promotion from Staging to Production. There is no runtime channel switching; beta programs need separate builds pointing at a Beta deployment. [6] |
| Support | Discord and email with the engineers who build Capgo. Priority plugin fixes on any plan, and Premium Support for production deadlines. | Community support on the free plan. Enterprise adds priority support, SSO, and signed SLAs, non-disclosure agreements, and DPAs. [1] |
| Company status | Independent and bootstrapped, founded in 2021. 9,400+ teams, 4.7K+ apps, and 90M+ devices. SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 on the Enterprise plan. | Nevercode Ltd. Started in 2012 as Greenhouse after a hackathon at Mobi Lab in Tartu, Estonia, renamed Nevercode in 2017. [4] |
Sources
Competitor details are as of September 2026 and were checked against the vendor pages below. Plans and prices change, so confirm on the vendor site before you decide.
Honest take
Where Codemagic is the better choice
No tool fits every team. These are the cases where we would point you to the other option.
You need a fully custom pipeline
A codemagic.yaml workflow can run tests, scripts, versioning, and publishing steps of your choice on Mac, Linux, or Windows machines. [1] [2]
You want to self-host live updates
The Codemagic Patch server is free to run on your own infrastructure up to 1,000,000 monthly active devices, with Apache 2.0 SDKs and CLIs. [6]
Migration path
Move a Capacitor app from Codemagic to Capgo
Your Capacitor project does not change. You replace the codemagic.yaml build and publish steps with Capgo Builder, and swap the Codemagic Patch plugin for the Capgo updater if you use it.
-
Install the Capgo updater
Remove
@codemagic/capacitor-patchif installed, then runbunx @capgo/cli@latest initin your Capacitor project to add the updater plugin and create your app in Capgo. -
Move signing to Capgo Builder
Run
bunx @capgo/cli@latest build initand store your certificates and keystore withbunx @capgo/cli@latest build credentials save. -
Build and ship
Request native builds with
bunx @capgo/cli@latest build request --platform ios, and ship web changes withbunx @capgo/cli@latest bundle upload.
Customer proof
What Capgo customers say
Named reviews from teams that ship Capacitor apps with Capgo.
Capgo Build helped us simplify our Capacitor app release process. We can build and ship iOS and Android apps from one clear workflow.
Getting set up took less than a day. Channel-based rollouts let me test on my own device before anything hits production users.
Being able to push production OTA updates instantly without waiting for full App Store review cycles has been a massive operational advantage.
FAQ
Common questions
- Can Codemagic build Capacitor apps?
- Yes. Codemagic has a quick start for Ionic Capacitor apps using codemagic.yaml, with signing and publishing to Google Play and App Store Connect. You write and maintain that pipeline yourself.
- Does Codemagic offer live updates for Capacitor?
- Yes, since October 2026. Codemagic Patch for Capacitor is a self-hosted server, free up to 1,000,000 monthly active devices, with hosting by Codemagic only for companies above one million monthly active users. Capgo is a hosted service, so you get live updates, channels, and rollback without running a server.
- Is Capgo cheaper than Codemagic?
- It depends on volume. Codemagic is free for 500 Mac minutes a month and then billed per minute. Capgo starts at $12/month billed yearly and includes native build time plus live updates, so a team that also needs OTA updates pays for one tool instead of two.
- Can I keep Codemagic and use Capgo for live updates?
- Yes. Many teams keep their existing CI for native builds and add a bundle upload step with the Capgo CLI to ship JavaScript, HTML, and CSS changes as live updates.
- When should I choose Codemagic?
- Choose Codemagic when you build Flutter, React Native, native, or Unity apps, need custom multi-step pipelines across several stacks, or want to self-host your live update server.
Try Capgo on your own app
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