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Shorebird vs Capgo

Shorebird vs Capgo: Flutter code push or Capacitor?

Shorebird brings code push to Flutter, patching Dart code without a store release. Capgo does the same for Capacitor apps, which run your React, Vue, Angular, or Svelte web app on iOS and Android, and adds cloud native builds.

Verdict If your app is Flutter, Shorebird is the code push tool built for it, from the creator of Flutter. If your team already writes web code, Capacitor with Capgo lets one codebase serve web and mobile, updates JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and assets, and builds your binaries in the cloud.

  • 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 5 best Shorebird 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 Shorebird →

  2. Flutter without code push

    Ship every fix through the App Store and Google Play. No extra cost, but every change waits for store review.

    Learn more →

  3. Expo EAS Update

    If you are open to React Native, EAS Update gives managed JavaScript updates inside the Expo toolchain.

    Learn more →

  4. Codemagic

    CI/CD built with Flutter in mind. Automates builds and store uploads, but does not push code updates.

    Learn more →

  5. Stallion

    Managed OTA for React Native, for teams leaving Flutter for React Native.

    Learn more →
Side by side

Capgo vs Shorebird at a glance

Capgo vs Shorebird, as of September 2026. Each Shorebird fact links to a numbered source listed below the table.
Area Capgo Shorebird
Pricing From $12/month billed yearly or $14 billed monthly. 14-day free trial, no credit card required. No free plan. Free up to 5,000 patch installs/month. Pro $20/month for 50,000, Business $400/month for 1,000,000, then $1 per 2,500 installs. Enterprise custom. [1]
OTA live updates Ships JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and asset changes, including images and fonts, without store review, with delta downloads and end-to-end encryption. 1B+ updates per month. Patches any Dart code and pure-Dart dependencies. Assets, native code, and Flutter engine changes still need a 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. You build releases through the Shorebird CLI on your own machine or CI. Shorebird also sells Shorebird CI as a separate product. [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. Flutter only. Dart patching works on Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and Linux. [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. The shorebird repository is dual-licensed Apache 2.0 or MIT. Patch hosting runs on the Shorebird cloud service. [1] [4]
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. Manual rollback and roll forward from the Console or CLI. Devices discard patches that fail integrity checks or will not load. Staging tracks for testing. [1] [3]
Support Discord and email with the engineers who build Capgo. Priority plugin fixes on any plan, and Premium Support for production deadlines. Community Discord on Free, email on Pro, private Discord on Business, private Discord or Slack on Enterprise. [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. Founded in 2023 by Eric Seidel, creator of Flutter, and backed by Accel. [5]

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. Shorebird pricing
  2. Shorebird docs: Code Push
  3. Shorebird docs: Rollback
  4. Shorebird on GitHub
  5. About Shorebird
Honest take

Where Shorebird 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 Flutter

Capgo does not update Flutter apps. Shorebird is built for Flutter and lets you patch Dart code without a rewrite. [2]

You also ship Flutter desktop apps

Shorebird patches Dart code on macOS, Windows, and Linux as well as Android and iOS. [2]

You want a free tier

Shorebird Free covers 5,000 patch installs per month. Capgo has a 14-day trial but no free plan. [1]

Migration path

Move from Flutter to Capacitor and Capgo

Dart and Flutter widgets do not port to Capacitor. This path fits teams that have, or want, a web app, and want the same code on web, iOS, and Android.

  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

Can Capgo push updates to a Flutter app?
No. Capgo supports Capacitor, Cordova, and Electron apps. For Flutter, Shorebird is the main code push option.
What can Shorebird not update?
Shorebird patches Dart code. Assets such as images and fonts, native code, and Flutter engine changes need a new store release. Capgo live updates cover web code and assets; native code changes also need a store release.
Does Shorebird roll back bad patches automatically?
Devices drop patches that fail integrity checks or will not load, but rolling back a published patch is a manual action in the Console or CLI. Capgo rolls back automatically when a bundle fails to start.
How does pricing compare?
Shorebird is free up to 5,000 patch installs per month, then $20 per month for 50,000. Capgo starts at $12 per month billed yearly with a 14-day free trial, and native build time is included.
Why would a Flutter team look at Capacitor?
Teams that also maintain a web app can share one codebase across web, iOS, and Android with Capacitor, hire from the larger web developer pool, and use Capgo for live updates and cloud builds.

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