Capgo is an open source over-the-air live update system for Capacitor mobile apps that deploys JavaScript bundle changes directly to users, bypassing App Store and Google Play review queues for bug fixes and feature updates.
The Problem
Mobile app updates for Capacitor applications require submitting a new build to the App Store and Google Play, waiting 1-4 days for review, then waiting for users to update. For a critical bug affecting production users, this delay is a real product risk. Commercial tools like Ionic AppFlow solve this with OTA updates but charge per monthly active user and route all update payloads through their infrastructure.
How Capgo Solves It
Capgo publishes new JavaScript bundles to a distribution service (either Capgo's cloud or a self-hosted server), and the Capgo Capacitor plugin installed in the app downloads and applies the update automatically without requiring a full store re-submission. Updates are end-to-end encrypted between publisher and device. LGPL-3.0 license applies to the client plugin; a managed cloud service is also available for teams that prefer not to self-host.
Key Features
- Over-the-air JavaScript bundle delivery: ship fixes and features without App Store review
- End-to-end encryption of update bundles between your server and the device
- Self-hostable update server: no requirement to route updates through Capgo's cloud
- Rollback: revert a bad update to a previous bundle version remotely
- Analytics dashboard for tracking update adoption across active devices
Who It's For
Capgo is best for mobile development teams building Capacitor apps who need to push bug fixes or feature updates to users faster than the app store review cycle allows, and who want full control over their update distribution infrastructure.
Compared to Ionic AppFlow
Unlike Ionic AppFlow, which charges per monthly active user and routes update bundles through Ionic's own infrastructure, Capgo is LGPL-3.0 licensed with a self-host option: you can run the update server on your own infrastructure with no per-user fees.
