Capacitor vs Crosswalk: What are the differences?

Key Differences between Capacitor and Crosswalk

Capacitor and Crosswalk are both popular technologies used for developing mobile applications. Here are the key differences between the two:

1. Target Platforms: Capacitor is a cross-platform framework that allows developers to build apps for iOS, Android, and the web using a single code base. On the other hand, Crosswalk is primarily focused on Android and is specifically designed to improve webview performance on older Android devices.

2. Webview Integration: Capacitor uses the native webview provided by the platform, which means it utilizes the latest web engine available on each platform. Crosswalk, on the other hand, uses its own webview, which is a full-featured web browser based on the Chromium project.

3. Offline Support: Capacitor provides built-in offline support, allowing developers to create apps that can work offline and offer a seamless user experience. Crosswalk, however, does not have native offline support and would require additional custom implementation to achieve the same functionality.

4. Plugin Ecosystem: Capacitor has a growing plugin ecosystem that allows developers to easily integrate popular native features like camera, geolocation, push notifications, etc. Crosswalk, on the other hand, does not have a dedicated plugin ecosystem and may require more manual effort to integrate such features.

5. App Size: Capacitor apps tend to have smaller app sizes as it leverages the native webview provided by the platform. Crosswalk apps, on the other hand, have larger file sizes due to the inclusion of the Chromium-based webview.

6. Compatibility: Capacitor is compatible with most popular web frameworks like Angular, React, and Vue, providing developers with the flexibility to use their preferred front-end framework. Crosswalk, on the other hand, may have limited compatibility with certain web frameworks as it focuses primarily on improving webview performance on Android.

In summary, Capacitor is a cross-platform framework with native webview integration and offline support, while Crosswalk is focused on enhancing webview performance on Android devices with its own browser implementation. Capacitor also offers a larger plugin ecosystem, smaller app sizes, and wider compatibility with popular web frameworks.