Developer tools decision
Capgo
Because an official open-source updater exists and docs describe self-hosting, a technical user can self-host a functional replacement; the main hosted advantages are global CDN, SLA, and enterprise support which are feasible but operationally heavier to replicate.
Visit website↗$14/mo
$168/yr
Read off the official pricing page.
$20one-off6 h to build
$50/mo6 h/mo upkeep
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 4 seats.
Open-source builds that already do this
Every project below is open source and already does this job today. Fork one, self-host it, or take the parts you need - the build prompt further down assumes an empty file, and this is the shortcut past that. Licences differ; check the one on each card before you ship. All Capgo alternatives, with the arithmetic →
What a replacement has to do
- Accept web bundle uploads, store signed bundles, serve differential updates via CDN, client plugin checks and applies update on next launch, track per-device logs and rollout health, allow channel-based rollouts and rollbacks.
What it still won’t have
- Global multi-region edge network and triple-provider resilience
- Managed 99.9% uptime SLA and enterprise support
- Built-in Observe analytics and device log UI
- Bundled native build machines and included build hours
- SOC 2 compliance attestation and hosted security guarantees
What remains hard
- Infrastructure at scale
Powered by serverless edge computing and distributed databases across 300+ cities and 13,000+ networks for ultra-fast global delivery.
First-year cost
Keep paying
Paying is—cheaper in year one.
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 4 seats.
Money you would actually spend
Time you would spend
—
What you would spend
What we assumed
The verdict above measures whether you could build it. This one is only about money.
Runnable build prompt
Build a self-hosted Capgo-compatible live-update service by forking https://github.com/Cap-go/capacitor-updater, deploy the server as a Docker service on a small cloud VM (Ubuntu), use PostgreSQL for metadata and S3-compatible object storage for bundles, put a CDN (Cloudflare or AWS CloudFront) in front of bundle storage, expose the same REST endpoints the official CLI/plugin expects, implement channel/rollout logic, delta manifest generation, signed bundle validation, and a minimal web UI to publish bundles, inspect device logs, and trigger rollbacks. Out of scope: building a hosted global edge network, enterprise SLAs, and a full analytics product. Include error handling, authentication for the publishing API, CI/CD for the server, and automated tests for upload/download, signature verification, and rollout percentage logic.
How we checked
How the score was reached
- Self-host verdict base92
- 3 cited sources+3
- Price verified on pricing page+3
- 1/1 assessment runs agreed+4
- Hard moats found in the evidence-3
- Evidence score99
The base comes from the verdict. Everything under it is a check that either happened or did not, and each one is a fact frozen in this record rather than a judgement made at render time - so the same evidence always produces the same number.
How scoring works →Cited sources · 3
Every page the run actually retrieved.
- official productCapgo - Live Updates for Ionic and Capacitor Apps
- official pricingCapgo Pricing
- official docsCapgo Documentation
Integrity checks
What held up, and what did not.
