Capacitor vs Expo
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Turn a web app into native iOS, Android, and web apps from one JavaScript codebase.
Open source · MIT
Open-source framework for building native Android, iOS, and web apps with React.
The short answer
Choose Capacitor if you need…
- Web developers who already have a modern web app and want it in the app stores
- Teams that want one codebase across iOS, Android, and the web
- Developers who need access to native SDKs and are comfortable writing small native plugins when needed
- Projects migrating from Apache Cordova who want a more modern tooling approach
Choose Expo if you need…
- Developers who want to build iOS and Android apps with React and JavaScript
- Teams that want one codebase covering mobile and web
- People who want to try Expo quickly in the browser via Snack
- Developers who want hosted build and release services through EAS
Side-by-side
| Capacitor | Expo | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Framework |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 17k | 53.3k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 7 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Capacitor
Capacitor is a runtime and toolkit that lets a web app (built with JavaScript or similar frameworks) run inside native iOS and Android app shells. It provides a cross-platform API for calling native device features from web code, and a Plugin API for writing custom native code in Swift or Kotlin/Java. The README says it can also deploy the same app as a Progressive Web App for the mobile web.
Expo
Expo is an open-source platform for building apps that run on Android, iOS, and the web, written in React and JavaScript. It includes a universal runtime and a set of libraries so one codebase can produce native apps. The repository also holds the Expo SDK, CLI, Router, Expo Go app, and documentation source.
Best for
Capacitor
- Web developers who already have a modern web app and want it in the app stores
- Teams that want one codebase across iOS, Android, and the web
- Developers who need access to native SDKs and are comfortable writing small native plugins when needed
- Projects migrating from Apache Cordova who want a more modern tooling approach
Expo
- Developers who want to build iOS and Android apps with React and JavaScript
- Teams that want one codebase covering mobile and web
- People who want to try Expo quickly in the browser via Snack
- Developers who want hosted build and release services through EAS
Strengths
Capacitor
- Drops into existing modern web apps, according to the README
- Backward compatible with a large share of existing Cordova plugins
- Native project folders are treated as source you can edit, not generated build output
Expo
- Covers Android, iOS, and web from a single React and JavaScript codebase
- Large public project with active development and an MIT license
- Has official documentation, a community chat, and a browser-based playground
Not ideal for
Capacitor
- Projects that need fully native interfaces with no web view; the README describes running web apps natively, so it is a poor fit if you want SwiftUI or Jetpack Compose only
- Beginners with no web development background, since setup requires npm and familiarity with native build tools (Xcode, Android Studio), which the README does not walk through in detail
Expo
- People who only need a website and have no mobile plans, since a simpler web framework may suffice
- Developers who need full control over native code from day one, as the README points to custom native modules as a separate workflow
- Non-programmers, since the project assumes React and JavaScript knowledge
Trade-offs
Capacitor
- Native UI is not provided by Capacitor itself; the README says you may need to build it yourself without Ionic Framework
- Some setup and debugging will involve native tooling, which the README only briefly covers
- README is truncated, so detailed platform requirements and version support were not verifiable here
Expo
- The README is a monorepo overview, so most setup detail lives in external docs rather than here
- Some dependencies use other licenses, such as BSD, per the README
- Some capabilities such as hosted services are provided by EAS, a separate platform
Getting started
Capacitor
Add Capacitor to an existing app
npm install @capacitor/core @capacitor/cliInitialize Capacitor in your app
npx cap initFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Capacitor and Expo?
Capacitor: Turn a web app into native iOS, Android, and web apps from one JavaScript codebase. Expo: Open-source framework for building native Android, iOS, and web apps with React. Capacitor suits web developers who already have a modern web app and want it in the app stores, while Expo suits developers who want to build ios and android apps with react and javascript.
Are Capacitor and Expo free?
Capacitor: Free and open source. Expo: Free and open source.
Is Capacitor or Expo more popular?
Expo has more GitHub stars (53.3k) than Capacitor (17k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Capacitor and Expo?
Other options people compare them with include React Native, Parcel, Avalonia, Next.js, Razzle.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.