Capacitor vs React Native
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
A framework for building native Android and iOS apps using React and JavaScript.
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 React Native if you need…
- Web developers who already know React and want to build mobile apps
- Teams that need one codebase for both Android and iOS
- Developers who want quick feedback through Fast Refresh while editing JavaScript
- Projects that need access to platform APIs through Native Modules
Side-by-side
| Capacitor | React Native | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Framework |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 17k | 127k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | C++ |
| 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.
React Native
React Native lets developers build apps for Android, iOS and other platforms using React, a popular JavaScript UI library. The code is written in JavaScript but the interface is drawn with the platform's own native UI elements. Developers use it to share most of their code across platforms instead of writing separate apps in each platform's own language.
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
React Native
- Web developers who already know React and want to build mobile apps
- Teams that need one codebase for both Android and iOS
- Developers who want quick feedback through Fast Refresh while editing JavaScript
- Projects that need access to platform APIs through Native Modules
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
React Native
- Native UI rendering, so apps use the same platform APIs as other native apps
- Fast Refresh applies JavaScript changes without rebuilding the native app
- Large ecosystem and documentation, with an MIT license
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
React Native
- People who only want to build websites, since this targets native mobile apps
- Developers who need to write everything in one native language and avoid JavaScript
- Teams that cannot take on the setup work of native Android and iOS toolchains
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
React Native
- Requires working knowledge of React and JavaScript, plus native tooling for Android and iOS
- The README recommends using a framework such as Expo for most apps, which adds another layer to learn
- Some native-level problems still need platform-specific knowledge
Getting started
Capacitor
Add Capacitor to an existing app
npm install @capacitor/core @capacitor/cliInitialize Capacitor in your app
npx cap initReact Native
Create a new Expo project (recommended by the README)
npx create-expo-app@latestFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Capacitor and React Native?
Capacitor: Turn a web app into native iOS, Android, and web apps from one JavaScript codebase. React Native: A framework for building native Android and iOS apps using React and JavaScript. Capacitor suits web developers who already have a modern web app and want it in the app stores, while React Native suits web developers who already know react and want to build mobile apps.
Are Capacitor and React Native free?
Capacitor: Free and open source. React Native: Free and open source.
Is Capacitor or React Native more popular?
React Native has more GitHub stars (127k) 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 React Native?
Other options people compare them with include Parcel, NativeScript, Expo, Avalonia.
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.