Cross-Platform Mobile App Development with Capacitor
You have a ready web application on React, Vue, or Angular, and the client demands a mobile version? The standard path is rewriting everything from scratch in Swift or Kotlin, spending months and budget. We offer a different approach: take your existing SPA and turn it into a native app using Capacitor. Its plugins are written in Swift/Kotlin, configuration via capacitor.config.ts. In 2–6 weeks you get an app in App Store and Google Play with push notifications, offline mode, and access to native APIs. 90% of code remains shared, reducing development time by 50% compared to writing two native apps. According to official Capacitor documentation, the platform supports over 30 ready plugins.
How Capacitor Solves the Cross-Platform Problem
Capacitor runs your web app in a native WebView (WKWebView on iOS, system WebView on Android) and provides a TypeScript bridge to native functions. This means you write one code in React or Vue, and Capacitor generates platform projects (ios/ and android/) that can be tuned further. The command npx cap sync updates code in native folders. If custom integration is needed — create a plugin via npx cap plugin:generate and implement logic in Swift/Kotlin. The development budget savings are 30–50%.
Why Capacitor Instead of Cordova or React Native?
| Criteria | Capacitor | Cordova | React Native |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plugin architecture | Swift/Kotlin (modern) | JavaScript (legacy) | JavaScript bridge (thick) |
| Configuration | capacitor.config.ts |
config.xml |
Babel/metro |
| Performance | High (WKWebView iOS) | Medium (UIWebView legacy) | High (JSI TurboModules) |
| Learning curve | Low (for frontend devs) | Low | Medium (own JSX) |
| Modern framework support | React, Vue, Angular, Svelte | Any web stack | Only RN |
Capacitor is especially strong when you already have a web project. React Native requires rewriting UI into its own components. Cordova uses older WebViews and updates slowly. Capacitor is the choice for fast store deployment.
How Capacitor Interacts with Native APIs
Native APIs are accessed via plugins: @capacitor/camera, @capacitor/geolocation, @capacitor/push-notifications. If not enough — we write a custom plugin. In App Store, Section 4.2 is critical: the app must provide value not available in the browser. We add offline cache via Service Worker, background sync, and deep links (Universal Links / App Links). For example, a client wanted to add QR code scanning — we implemented a Swift plugin in 2 days, reducing development time by 40% compared to a native approach.
Why WebView May Lag and How to Fix It
WebView cannot deliver 120fps animations. On mid-range Android (MediaTek Helio G85), scrolling long lists causes jank. Solutions: overscroll-behavior: none, content-visibility: auto, will-change: transform. The problem doesn't completely disappear — for heavy animation, native code is better. However, for most business applications (feeds, forms, maps) Capacitor provides smooth UX.
Typical Mistakes When Adapting
- Ignoring touch events — use
touch-action: manipulation. - Missing safe area handling — use
env(safe-area-inset-*). - Unoptimized images — convert to WebP, use lazy loading.
Web App Adaptation Process in 6 Steps
| Step | Duration | What We Do |
|---|---|---|
| 1. SPA Audit | 1–2 days | Check dependencies, routing, behavior in WebView |
| 2. Add Capacitor | 1 day | Init npx cap init, install plugins |
| 3. Platform Setup | 2–3 days | Generate ios/ and android/, tweak configs |
| 4. Native Feature Integration | 2–7 days | Push notifications, camera, geolocation |
| 5. UI Adaptation | 2–5 days | Adjust design for mobile resolutions, touch events |
| 6. Publishing | 2–5 days | Prepare metadata, build, pass store review |
We guide each step and train your team. Get a consultation for your project — evaluation in 3 days.
What's Included
- Documentation: architecture description, build and deploy instructions.
- Access: App Store Connect, Google Play Console, TestFlight.
- Performance tuning: WebView configuration, caching, bundle splitting.
- Support: 1 month after publication — bug fixes and updates for new store versions.
- Custom plugins: if standard ones are insufficient — we implement in Swift/Kotlin.
Timelines and Applicability
For a ready web application — from 2 to 6 weeks. The cost is calculated individually based on the volume of native integrations and UI complexity. If you only have an idea, we can first prepare an SPA on Next.js or Nuxt, then wrap it in Capacitor. Contact us — we’ll evaluate your project in 3 days. Over 5 years of experience, 30+ successful cross-platform apps in stores.