# CapWrapp vs the alternatives

> How CapWrapp compares with Despia, Median, AppBuild.diy, Natively, Capawesome, Capgo and Codemagic for taking a web app to the App Store and Google Play.

Built a web app with Lovable, Bolt or Cursor and want it on the App Store and Google Play? Here is how CapWrapp compares with the other tools that promise to get you there — what each one really ships, what it costs, and when another tool is the better pick.

- Interactive hub: https://capwr.app/comparison
- Last updated: 2026-10-29
- Written by the CapWrapp team.

## Different ways to get a web app into the stores

- **Wrap your live website** A native shell opens your hosted site. Setup is quick and site changes show up without a store update — but the store app is your website, which is what Apple’s Guideline 4.2 rejects when nothing native is added. (Median, Natively, Despia, AppBuild.diy)
- **Mobile CI/CD you set up** Cloud Macs, signing and store uploads for developers who already have a Capacitor project. Flexible, sometimes with live updates, but you write the config and look after the native projects. (Capawesome Cloud, Capgo, Codemagic)
- **Done for you** A team builds and submits the app for you. The least work on your side, usually the highest price, and the least control over when a new version ships. (AppBuild.diy’s submission, Median’s publishing service, agencies)
- **Your repo, shipped to the stores** Capacitor is added to your GitHub repo, your built code goes inside the app, and one dashboard takes it from TestFlight and Google Play testing to App Review and production. (CapWrapp)

## All of them at a glance

Entry prices are the cheapest plan that publishes to both stores, from each product’s public pricing page. Apple ($99 a year) and Google ($25 once) charge their own fees on top.

| Product | You give it | What the app is | Mac needed? | Store uploads | If you leave | Price to publish |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **CapWrapp** | A GitHub repo (Lovable, Bolt, Base44, Cursor…) | Capacitor app built from your code, in your repo | No — builds on GitHub’s Macs | TestFlight, Play testing, then App Review and production | Keep the full iOS and Android projects in your repo | $29/mo (3 apps), 14-day free trial |
| [Despia](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-despia) | Your hosted URL + its SDK | Despia runtime loading your site | No — Despia’s cloud Macs | TestFlight upload; Android AAB by hand | Export Xcode and Android Studio projects | $498 once for both stores |
| [Median.co](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-median) | Any website URL | Median’s shell showing your live site | No — Median’s cloud | TestFlight upload; Android AAB by hand | Download Median’s native source | $229 once + $179/yr per app |
| [AppBuild.diy](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-appbuild-diy) | Your live URL | Your hosted app in a native shell | No | Their team submits from your accounts | Keep listing and brand; no code export documented | $49/mo up to 1,000 users |
| [Natively](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-natively) | Your website URL | Webview of your live site | No | Automatic iOS upload on paid plans | No code export documented | $19/mo (4 builds) or $699 lifetime |
| [Capawesome Cloud](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-capawesome) | A Capacitor project on any Git host | Your Capacitor app | No — Capawesome’s cloud Macs | TestFlight, App Review, any Play track | Standard Capacitor project | $19/mo (200 build minutes) |
| [Capgo](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-capgo) | A Capacitor project, via its CLI | Your Capacitor app | No — Capgo’s cloud Macs | TestFlight, Play and review via CLI | Standard Capacitor project | $14/mo (1 build hour) |
| [Codemagic](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-codemagic) | A repo with native projects + YAML | Whatever your project builds | No — Codemagic’s cloud Macs | TestFlight, App Store, Play — as you script it | Your code; the YAML is Codemagic-only | Free 500 Mac min/mo, then $0.095/min |

## Full comparisons

- [CapWrapp vs Despia](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-despia) — A one-time licence and a long native feature list, against an open-source Capacitor app with Google Play uploads and store releases automated. Text version: https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-despia.md
- [CapWrapp vs Median.co](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-median) — Any URL, a mature plugin catalogue and managed plans, against a Capacitor app built from your repo with both stores automated. Text version: https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-median.md
- [CapWrapp vs AppBuild.diy](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-appbuild-diy) — A done-for-you submission with a refund guarantee, against self-serve Capacitor builds from your repo that you release whenever you like. Text version: https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-appbuild-diy.md
- [CapWrapp vs Natively](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-natively) — The lowest price and a lifetime licence for any URL, against your own code built into a Capacitor app with no rebuild quota. Text version: https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-natively.md
- [CapWrapp vs Capawesome Cloud](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-capawesome) — Live updates, any Git host and unlimited apps for Capacitor teams, against a guided path that adds Capacitor and creates signing for you. Text version: https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-capawesome.md
- [CapWrapp vs Capgo](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-capgo) — Live updates and a developer CLI, against a dashboard that adds Capacitor for you and walks a web app to both stores. Text version: https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-capgo.md
- [CapWrapp vs Codemagic](https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-codemagic) — Full CI flexibility and free Mac minutes, against a guided dashboard that needs no YAML and no signing know-how. Text version: https://capwr.app/comparison/capwrapp-vs-codemagic.md

## FAQ

### What is the best way to publish a Lovable app to the App Store?

Lovable builds a web app, and the App Store only takes signed native apps. There are three common routes: wrap the live URL with a tool such as Median, Natively or Despia; set up Capacitor yourself and build it with a CI service such as Codemagic, Capgo or Capawesome Cloud; or connect the GitHub repo to CapWrapp, which adds Capacitor, builds on GitHub’s Macs and ships to TestFlight, Google Play and App Review from one dashboard. CapWrapp is the route that keeps your code in your repo without learning Xcode.

### What is the difference between a webview wrapper and Capacitor?

A webview wrapper is a native shell that opens your website’s URL, so the app shows whatever is live on your site. Capacitor is an open-source runtime that bundles your built web code inside a real iOS and Android project, with plugins for native features. Both use a web view to draw the screens; the difference is whether your code ships in the app or is loaded from your server.

### Do I need a Mac to publish an iPhone app?

Not on your desk. iPhone apps are built with Xcode on macOS, but every tool compared here builds on cloud Macs — CapWrapp on GitHub’s macOS runners in your own GitHub account. You still need an Apple Developer account ($99 a year).

### Will Apple accept a wrapped web app?

Only if it feels like an app. Apple’s Guideline 4.2 (Minimum Functionality) rejects apps that are just a website, whichever tool built them. Native features people actually use — push notifications, purchases, offline screens, phone hardware — are what get wrapped apps approved. The free Guideline 4.2 self-audit on capwr.app shows the usual gaps.

### How are these comparisons kept fair?

Every fact about another product comes from its own website, linked at the bottom of each page with the date it was checked, and each page says when the other product is the better choice. We make CapWrapp, so we are not neutral. If something is wrong or out of date, email contact@capwr.app and we will fix it.

## About CapWrapp

CapWrapp turns a web app on GitHub — built with Lovable, Bolt, Base44, Cursor or by hand — into iPhone and Android apps. It adds Capacitor if the repo needs it, signs the builds, and ships them to TestFlight and Google Play from GitHub Actions, with no Mac or Xcode on your side. [Get started free](https://capwr.app/login) · [Lovable to App Store guide](https://capwr.app/guides/lovable-to-app-store)