Skip to main content

For teams with a web app

Turn your web app into iOS and Android apps

Wrap your existing web build with Capacitor, build signed binaries with Capgo Build, and publish to the App Store and Google Play. After launch, ship web changes as live updates. Your web code stays the source.

for web, iOS, and Android
One codebase
typical native build
2–3 min
for web changes after launch
Live updates
npm install @capacitor/core @capacitor/cli @capacitor/ios @capacitor/android
npx cap init "Your App" com.company.app --web-dir dist
npx cap add ios && npx cap add android
npx @capgo/cli@latest init
npx @capgo/cli@latest build request --platform ios

Your web app

React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, or any stack that builds to static files

Store apps you keep updating

Native iOS and Android projects, built in the cloud, updated over the air

The Problem

Your team ships the web every day. Mobile adds new work.

A responsive site is not a store app

Store presence, push notifications, and device APIs need a native app shell around your web code.

Native tooling is new for a web team

Xcode, Android Studio, signing certificates, keystores, and store records are work your team has not done before.

Two release speeds

Your web app ships whenever you merge. A store app waits for review on each change, often 24–48 hours, sometimes much longer.

Before you start

What to check in your web app first

Most web apps work inside Capacitor with few changes. These three checks catch the common problems early.

A static build output

Capacitor loads your built files from one folder (webDir). Vite, Angular, and Vue produce that by default. Next.js needs a static export.

Next.js with Capacitor

Routing and sign-in redirects

Check that client-side routes, OAuth redirects, and links work inside the app, not only on your domain.

Web app to Capacitor guide

Device features you need

List what needs a native plugin: push notifications, camera, files, biometrics, or in-app purchases.

Capacitor plugins

The Solution

What Capacitor and Capgo handle

Capacitor gives your web app a native shell. Capgo builds it, sends it to the stores, and keeps it updated.

Capacitor wraps your web build

Capacitor places your built web app in native iOS and Android projects. Plugins give your JavaScript access to device features.

Capacitor plugins

Capgo Build compiles and signs

Request iOS and Android builds from the CLI. iOS builds run on cloud Macs, so nobody on the team needs one. A typical build takes 2–3 minutes.

Capgo Build docs

Upload to the stores

Signed builds upload to App Store Connect and Google Play. The first release and every native change still go through store review.

Capgo Build docs

Live updates after launch

Ship JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and asset changes to installed apps without a new store release. Test on a staging channel first.

Channels docs

How it works

How web teams ship mobile apps with Capgo

From an existing web app to store builds and live updates. Capacitor commands come from the Capacitor CLI, Capgo commands from the Capgo CLI docs.

  1. Add Capacitor to your web app

    Install Capacitor, set the app name, bundle ID, and build output folder, then add the iOS and Android projects.

    npm install @capacitor/core @capacitor/cli @capacitor/ios @capacitor/android
    npx cap init "Your App" com.company.app --web-dir dist
    npx cap add ios
    npx cap add android
    Web app to Capacitor guide
  2. Connect the app to Capgo

    The onboarding adds your app to Capgo, creates a production channel, installs the updater plugin, and walks you through a first test update.

    npx @capgo/cli@latest init
    CLI onboarding guide
  3. Build signed apps in the cloud

    Set up signing once, then request iOS and Android builds. Signed builds upload to App Store Connect and Google Play for review.

    npm run build && npx cap sync
    npx @capgo/cli@latest build init
    npx @capgo/cli@latest build request --platform ios
    npx @capgo/cli@latest build request --platform android
    Capgo Build docs
  4. Ship web changes as live updates

    After users install the store app, upload each new web build to a channel. Native changes still need a new store build.

    npm run build
    npx @capgo/cli@latest bundle upload --channel production
    Ship an update

Optional: AI coding agent

Give your coding agent a mobile-release brief

If you use an AI coding agent, paste this brief. It inspects the app and writes a handoff file with the config, plugin needs, and open tasks before anyone runs native tooling.

AI mobile-release brief

You are preparing this existing web app to become an installable iOS and Android app.
Do not assume you can run local tooling. If this environment cannot create native projects or run local tools, create a clean handoff document instead.

Inspect the app and return:

1. The framework, package manager, production build process, and build output folder.
2. Whether the app can be exported or committed to a real Git repository.
3. The app name, bundle ID or package ID suggestion, app icon and splash-screen source, and any missing brand assets.
4. Auth, redirect, deep-link, storage, camera, push, payment, geolocation, file, or notification features that need native plugin planning.
5. Routing, environment variables, API URLs, and asset assumptions that could break inside a native WebView.
6. A proposed Capacitor configuration, including appId, appName, webDir, and required plugins, without inventing secrets.
7. A release-channel plan: production, staging, preview, and rollback expectations for web-layer updates.
8. A list of tasks that must happen outside this environment, such as Apple signing, Android keystore setup, native sync, store records, and signed builds.
9. A docs/mobile-release-handoff.md file with the exact checklist, open questions, and files that a developer or build service should handle next.
10. A short summary of what you changed, what you could not do in this environment, and the next human action.

Apps built with Capacitor

Web products that also ship store apps

Products that already live on the web can package the same code with Capacitor, publish to the App Store and Google Play, and keep shipping web-layer improvements as live updates.

Poll Everywhere app icon BUSINESS

Poll Everywhere

Audience polling product used on the web and on phones, where presenters and participants expect the same flows.

Google Play installs
1.1M
Store rating
3.2
Freelancer: Hire & Find Jobs app icon BUSINESS

Freelancer: Hire & Find Jobs

Marketplace with a large web product where hiring, messaging, and account screens also ship in a store app.

Google Play installs
8.9M
Store rating
4.1
TV SPIELFILM - TV-Programm app icon ENTERTAINMENT

TV SPIELFILM - TV-Programm

TV listings service with a busy website and a store app that shows the same guide and editorial content.

Google Play installs
12.1M
Store rating
4.4

Customer proof

What teams shipping with Capgo say

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

sikafanka

Design, radius 5

“Capgo Build helped us simplify our Capacitor app release process. We can build and ship iOS and Android apps from one clear workflow.”

Kapil

Founder, NuTriQ

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

Portrait of Luis Dominguez

Luis Dominguez

El que paga, Anirol

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

FAQ

Questions web teams ask

Short answers for teams taking an existing web app to the App Store and Google Play.

Do we have to rewrite our web app?

No. Capacitor runs your existing web build inside native iOS and Android projects. You add plugins where you need device features and keep one codebase for web and mobile.

Web app to Capacitor guide

Does it work with Next.js?

Yes, with a static export. Capacitor loads files from your build output folder, so set output: 'export' and point webDir at the exported folder. Vite, Angular, and Vue produce static output by default.

Next.js with Capacitor

Do we need a Mac for the iOS build?

No. Capgo Build runs iOS builds on cloud Mac machines and uploads the signed build to App Store Connect. You still need an Apple Developer account.

Capgo Build docs

What can we change without a store release?

JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and assets can ship as live updates. Adding a plugin, changing permissions, or updating Capacitor needs a new store build.

Live update or native build?

Can mobile updates ship from our existing CI?

Yes. Run bundle upload after your web build in GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or any pipeline, and request native builds from the same pipeline when native code changes.

CI/CD integration

Put your web app in the stores

Start the 14-day free trial, wrap your app with Capacitor, and request your first iOS and Android builds from the CLI.