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Capacitor vs Ionic

Side-by-side NPM package comparison

Quick Verdict

Smallest Bundle

Capacitor

45.1 KB gzipped

Most Popular

Ionic

11.5K weekly downloads

Best Maintained

Ionic

40/100 maintenance score

Highest Quality

Capacitor

50/100 quality score

Overall Pick

Ionic

Best all-around based on popularity, size, maintenance & quality

Version 0.5.6

0
49
Fair

An implementation of facebook's flux architecture, great Scott!

Weekly Downloads
1.4K
Stable
Bundle (gzip)
45.1 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
20
Popularity
40
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70
ionic icon

ionic

Moderate

Version 5.4.16

0
59
Fair

A tool for creating and developing Ionic Framework mobile apps.

Weekly Downloads
11.5K
12%
Bundle (gzip)
263.6 KB
Updated
Vulns
0

Health Score Breakdown

Maintenance
40
Popularity
60
Quality
50
Security
100
Stability
70

Choosing between Capacitor and Ionic? Here's a data-driven comparison based on real npm data — downloads, bundle size, health scores, and more — to help you decide which package fits your project best.

Downloads & Popularity

Ionic leads with 11.5K weekly downloads — roughly 8.0x more. Capacitor has 1.4K weekly downloads. Higher download counts generally indicate broader community adoption and a larger ecosystem of tutorials, plugins, and support.

Bundle Size

Capacitor has the smallest gzipped bundle at 45.1 KB. Ionic comes in at 263.6 KB. A smaller bundle size means faster page loads, which improves user experience and Core Web Vitals scores.

Health Score Comparison

Ionic has an overall health score of 59/100 (moderate), with strong security scores. Capacitor has an overall health score of 49/100 (moderate), with strong security scores. Health scores are calculated from maintenance activity, code quality, security posture, popularity, and stability metrics.

When to Choose Each

Choose Capacitor if you value strong security track record. Choose Ionic if you value strong security track record.

Our Verdict

Both Capacitor and Ionic are solid choices for JavaScript development. Ionic has the edge in overall health score (59/100), while each package brings unique strengths to the table. Evaluate them based on your project's priorities — whether that's community size, bundle efficiency, or maintenance activity — and choose the one that aligns best with your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is capacitor better than ionic?
It depends on your needs. Capacitor has a health score of 49/100 while Ionic scores 59/100. Ionic has more weekly downloads (11.5K), suggesting broader adoption. Consider your specific requirements — bundle size, community support, and feature set — to decide which is the better fit.
Which has a smaller bundle size, capacitor or ionic?
Capacitor has the smaller gzipped bundle at 45.1 KB. A smaller bundle means faster load times for your users, which can positively impact SEO and user experience.
How many developers use capacitor vs ionic?
Based on npm download statistics, Capacitor has approximately 1.4K weekly downloads and Ionic has approximately 11.5K weekly downloads. These numbers reflect package installations, not unique developers, but they indicate relative adoption levels.
Which is better maintained, capacitor or ionic?
Ionic currently has the higher overall health score at 59/100. Capacitor has a maintenance score of 20/100 and Ionic scores 40/100 on maintenance.

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