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Hot Updater vs Capgo

Hot Updater vs Capgo: self-hosted or managed OTA?

Hot Updater is a free, self-hosted CodePush alternative for React Native that runs on your own cloud account. Capgo is a managed live update and native build service for Capacitor apps, with an open-source plugin and backend you can also self-host.

Verdict For a React Native team happy to run its own storage and database, Hot Updater is a strong free option. For teams building with web technologies, Capacitor with Capgo removes the update infrastructure work and adds cloud native builds and support from the engineers who build it.

  • 1B+ updates per month
  • 4.7K+ apps
  • Founded in 2021

9,400+ teams. 90M+ devices. 3,143+ GitHub stars. Trusted in production by:

  • Kick 20M+ installs
  • Suez 3.2M installs
  • Nana 2.5M installs
  • Snowqueen 1.8M installs
  • Pizza Hut 1M+ installs
  • Shelf 950K installs
  • Janitor 750K installs
  • RemNote 500K+ installs
  • Vella 400K+ installs
  • Revel 250K+ installs
  • IREC 150K+ installs
  • OurLiving 80K+ installs
Top picks

The 6 best Hot Updater 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.

  1. 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.

    Capgo vs Hot Updater →

  2. Expo EAS Update

    Managed updates for Expo and React Native. Less setup than self-hosting, priced by monthly active users.

    Learn more →

  3. Revopush

    Hosted CodePush replacement for React Native with a free tier up to 1K MAU and CodePush SDK compatibility.

    Learn more →

  4. Stallion

    Managed React Native OTA with patch updates, crash-aware rollback, and an on-premise option for large teams.

    Learn more →

  5. Standalone CodePush server

    Microsoft's open-source CodePush server on your own infrastructure, for teams that want to keep the CodePush SDK.

    Learn more →

  6. Pushy

    React Native hot updates with Hermes-optimized diff patches and a free plan.

    Learn more →
Side by side

Capgo vs Hot Updater at a glance

Capgo vs Hot Updater, as of September 2026. Each Hot Updater fact links to a numbered source listed below the table.
Area Capgo Hot Updater
Pricing From $12/month billed yearly or $14 billed monthly. 14-day free trial, no credit card required. No free plan. Free software. You pay your own provider for storage, database, and bandwidth on Cloudflare, Supabase, AWS, Firebase, or a custom server. [1] [3]
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. Ships JavaScript and asset updates over the air, with bundle diffing to shrink downloads. Native code changes need a new store build. [1] [3]
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. No build service. Hot Updater builds bundles through Metro, Expo, or Rock adapters, and you build the store binaries yourself. [1] [3]
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. React Native, new and legacy versions, with Metro, Expo, and Rock build adapters. Not for Capacitor or Flutter. [1] [2]
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. MIT, with one added condition: if you host the server or console as a service for other people's apps, you must show "Powered by hot-updater". [1]
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. Rollbacks to earlier versions, automatic crash rollback, version targeting rules, and rollout cohorts. [2] [3]
Support Discord and email with the engineers who build Capgo. Priority plugin fixes on any plan, and Premium Support for production deadlines. Community support through GitHub. No paid support plan is listed. [1] [2]
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. Open-source project maintained by gronxb on GitHub, with about 1.8k stars. [1]

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.

  1. Hot Updater on GitHub
  2. Hot Updater website
  3. Hot Updater docs: introduction
Honest take

Where Hot Updater is the better choice

No tool fits every team. These are the cases where we would point you to the other option.

Your app is React Native

Capgo does not update React Native apps. Hot Updater is built for React Native and works with Expo build adapters. [1]

You want zero vendor fees

Hot Updater is free and runs in your own cloud account, so your only cost is your provider bill. [1] [3]

You already run Supabase or Cloudflare

Ready-made storage and database adapters for Supabase, Cloudflare R2 and D1, AWS, and Firebase fit into infrastructure you already pay for. [1]

Migration path

Move to Capacitor and Capgo

React Native code does not port directly to Capacitor. This path fits teams with an existing web app or teams ready to build the UI with web technologies.

  1. Add Capacitor to your web app

    In your React, Vue, Angular, or Svelte project, run bun add @capacitor/core @capacitor/cli @capacitor/ios @capacitor/android and bunx cap init.

  2. Add the native platforms

    Run bun add @capacitor/ios @capacitor/android, then bunx cap add ios and bunx cap add android.

  3. Set up Capgo live updates

    Run bunx @capgo/cli@latest init to install the updater, create your app, and upload your first bundle.

Read the quickstart Browse Capgo plugins
Customer proof

What Capgo customers say

Named reviews from teams that ship Capacitor apps with Capgo.

5.0/5 rated by developer teams 9,400+ teams Read reviews

The Capgo Capacitor Updater plugin completely transformed how we ship updates. What used to take days now takes just minutes.

Sergiu S Lead Developer, drivolino GmbH

Being able to push production OTA updates instantly without waiting for full App Store review cycles has been a massive operational advantage.

Kapil Founder, NuTriQ

Getting set up took less than a day. Channel-based rollouts let me test on my own device before anything hits production users.

Nate van Jole CTO, Private
FAQ

Common questions

Is Hot Updater really free?
The software is free under MIT with a branding condition for hosted resale. You still pay for the storage, database, and bandwidth it uses in your own cloud account.
Can Capgo replace Hot Updater for React Native?
No. Capgo supports Capacitor, Cordova, and Electron apps. If you stay on React Native, compare Hot Updater with Expo EAS Update, Revopush, Stallion, and Pushy.
Can I self-host Capgo like Hot Updater?
Yes. The Capgo updater plugin is MPL-2.0 and the backend is AGPL-3.0, so you can point the plugin at your own update server or use licensed self-hosting on Enterprise.
What do I get from a managed service instead?
No servers to run, uptime and CDN handled for you, progressive rollouts, automatic rollback, cloud native builds, and direct support. Capgo starts at $12 per month billed yearly.

Try Capgo on your own app

Start a 14-day free trial with no credit card. After the trial, plans start at $12/month billed yearly or $14 billed monthly.

  • 9,400+ teams
  • 90M+ devices
  • Native builds in 2–3 min