A responsive site is not a store app
Store presence, push notifications, and device APIs need a native app shell around your web code.
For teams with a web app
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.
14-day unlimited free trial. No credit card required
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
Store presence, push notifications, and device APIs need a native app shell around your web code.
Xcode, Android Studio, signing certificates, keystores, and store records are work your team has not done before.
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
Most web apps work inside Capacitor with few changes. These three checks catch the common problems early.
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 CapacitorCheck that client-side routes, OAuth redirects, and links work inside the app, not only on your domain.
Web app to Capacitor guideList what needs a native plugin: push notifications, camera, files, biometrics, or in-app purchases.
Capacitor pluginsThe Solution
Capacitor gives your web app a native shell. Capgo builds it, sends it to the stores, and keeps it updated.
Capacitor places your built web app in native iOS and Android projects. Plugins give your JavaScript access to device features.
Capacitor pluginsRequest 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 docsSigned builds upload to App Store Connect and Google Play. The first release and every native change still go through store review.
Capgo Build docsShip JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and asset changes to installed apps without a new store release. Test on a staging channel first.
Channels docsHow it works
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Audience polling product used on the web and on phones, where presenters and participants expect the same flows.
Marketplace with a large web product where hiring, messaging, and account screens also ship in a store app.
TV listings service with a busy website and a store app that shows the same guide and editorial content.
Customer proof
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.”
Founder, NuTriQ
“Being able to push production OTA updates instantly without waiting for full App Store review cycles has been a massive operational advantage.”
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
Short answers for teams taking an existing web app to the App Store and Google Play.
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 guideYes, 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 CapacitorNo. 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 docsJavaScript, 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?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 integrationStart the 14-day free trial, wrap your app with Capacitor, and request your first iOS and Android builds from the CLI.
Turn your web app into iOS and Android apps with Capgo Build.
human support from Martin
14-day unlimited free trial. No credit card required
Enterprise needs? Talk to our team