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Median comparison

Median vs Capgo: managed lock-in or open Capacitor?

Median is convenient when you want to hand the app to a managed platform. Capacitor plus Capgo keeps the mobile app, update path, plugins, and hosting choices in your hands.

Verdict Choose Median if you want to outsource the mobile shell and accept platform dependency. Choose Capgo with Capacitor if you want web-to-mobile delivery without giving up ownership or exit options.

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

9,400+ teams. 90M+ devices. 2,559+ 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
Side by side

Capgo vs Median at a glance

Capgo vs Median, as of September 2026. Each Median fact links to a numbered source listed below the table.
Area Capgo Median
Pricing From $12/month billed yearly or $14 billed monthly. 14-day free trial, no credit card required. No free plan. Free with a Median watermark. Starter $229 once plus $179/year, Essential $590 plus $399/year, Plus $990 plus $669/year. Managed Business plans from $7,200/year. [1]
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. No update bundles. The app loads your live website, so web changes show up without a store update; native changes need a new store release. [2]
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. Median App Studio builds the iOS and Android apps. Store publishing is available as a paid Median service. [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. Any website or web app, from WordPress, Webflow, and Bubble to .NET, SharePoint, and Salesforce, shown in a Median native shell. [1]
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. Managed platform. Native features come from the Median JavaScript Bridge and Median native plugins, which are gated by plan tier. [3] [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. Not applicable: the app shows whatever your web server serves, so rollback follows your web deploys. [2]
Support Discord and email with the engineers who build Capgo. Priority plugin fixes on any plan, and Premium Support for production deadlines. Paid licenses add an annual fee that starts 12 months after activation. Business plans include the Median team building, publishing, and supporting your apps. [1] [4]
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. Median.co, whose build platform has been maintained since early 2014. [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. Median pricing
  2. Median docs: App updates
  3. Median docs: JavaScript Bridge
  4. Median docs: App licenses
Honest take

Where Median is the better choice

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

You have no mobile developers

On Business plans, starting at $7,200/year, the Median team builds, publishes, and maintains your iOS and Android apps. [1]

Your site is built with a no-code tool

Median displays any website in its native shell, including WordPress, Webflow, Wix, and Bubble sites, with no build step on your side. [1]

You want to try for free

The Median Free license lets you build and test a non-commercial app at no cost, with a Powered by Median.co message on launch. [4]

Migration path

Move from Median to Capacitor and Capgo

Median has no export to Capacitor, so this is a rebuild of the native layer around the same web app. Your web code stays as it is.

  1. Wrap your web app with Capacitor

    Add @capacitor/core and @capacitor/cli to your web project, run npx cap init, then add the iOS and Android platforms.

  2. Swap bridge calls for plugins

    Replace Median JavaScript Bridge calls with Capacitor plugins for push notifications, biometrics, deep links, and the other native features you use.

  3. Install the Capgo updater

    Run npx @capgo/cli@latest init. It adds the app to Capgo, installs @capgo/capacitor-updater, and walks you through the first bundle upload.

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

Since I started using Capgo everything is faster, and I can give my users the time they deserve without neglecting my daily life.

Luis Dominguez El que paga, Anirol

Being able to add Device ID's to certain groups and push the changes to only certain groups is a life saver.

no-tone @ Webincode Developer, Webincode

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
FAQ

Common questions

Is Median a Capgo replacement?
Not if the goal is ownership. Median is a managed web-to-app platform. Capgo is for Capacitor apps where your app code, plugins, update service, and hosting path can stay portable and open source.
What happens if I want to leave Median later?
A Median app is built around the Median native shell, App Studio, JavaScript Bridge, native plugins, publishing service, and update workflow. If you later want the Capacitor ecosystem, expect a migration. With Capacitor and Capgo, you can use Capgo Cloud, self-host, move to another provider, or maintain the stack yourself.
Does Capgo offer help if I do not want to do it myself?
Yes. Capgo has community help through Discord and Premium Support for teams with production needs, hard migration problems, deployment issues, crashes, or native-side work. The difference is that support sits on top of open-source Capacitor and Capgo projects instead of becoming your only path forward.
When should I choose Median?
Choose Median when you want to hand most of the native app shell, configuration, publishing, and update work to a managed platform and you accept the platform dependency that comes with that convenience.
When should I choose Capgo?
Choose Capgo when you want a Capacitor app you control, with live updates, rollback, channels, native builds, device logs, open-source code, self-hosting options, Discord community help, and paid expert support when needed.

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