Adobe discontinued PhoneGap in 2020. No updates, no security patches, no compatibility with modern iOS and Android releases. If your app still runs on PhoneGap, every OS update is a ticking clock. We migrate PhoneGap apps to Ionic Capacitor, React Native, or Flutter — screen by screen, without a feature freeze, without losing your users.
Why migrate now
PhoneGap is dead software. Adobe pulled investment in 2020. The plugins are unmaintained, the build service is gone, and every iOS or Android update risks breaking your app with no fix available. Here's what actually matters if you're still running one.
PhoneGap plugins haven't received security patches since 2020. Every one of them is a potential CVE with no maintainer watching. We audit your plugin inventory and replace each one with an actively maintained Capacitor or native equivalent.
iOS 18, Android 15 — each release can break PhoneGap's WebView behaviour, plugin bridge, or build tooling. There's nobody maintaining compatibility. We migrate you to a runtime that updates with the platforms.
PhoneGap's Cordova bridge sends async JSON between JavaScript and native. Capacitor's native bridge is direct, typed, and measurably faster. Your users notice the difference on every native API call.
PhoneGap apps are web apps — HTML, CSS, JavaScript. That code moves to Ionic Capacitor with minimal changes. Your team's web skills, your existing business logic, your UI — it all carries over.
Migration paths
PhoneGap has no future. The decision is which modern framework your app moves to. We'll tell you on the first call which path fits your app, your team, and your budget.
MIGRATE TO IONIC CAPACITOR WHEN
MIGRATE TO REACT NATIVE WHEN
MIGRATE TO FLUTTER WHEN
WE SAY NO WHEN
What we migrate
The shapes of PhoneGap migration work we take on most. Each ends with a modern, maintainable app on both stores.
The cleanest path. Your web code stays. Cordova plugins get replaced with Capacitor equivalents. Native bridge upgraded. App store builds modernised.
Full UI rebuild with native-rendered components. Business logic migrated from JavaScript. Expo for OTA updates and cloud builds.
Full rewrite in Dart with pixel-perfect custom UI. For teams that want maximum rendering control and a fresh start.
Every unmaintained PhoneGap plugin identified, risk-scored, and replaced with an actively maintained Capacitor or native equivalent.
PhoneGap app failing review or flagged for deprecated APIs? We fix compliance, update build tooling, and resubmit.
For apps that have outgrown the hybrid model entirely. Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android — built from the existing spec, not from scratch.
The playbook
Migration patterns proven across real PhoneGap rescues — not theoretical upgrade guides.
P01
Every Cordova/PhoneGap plugin catalogued with maintainer status, last update date, CVE history, and Capacitor equivalent availability. This drives the migration plan.
P02
Old PhoneGap app and new Capacitor app run side-by-side during migration. Each screen goes live independently. Kill-switch on every cutover.
P03
PhoneGap Build is gone. We wire Appflow, Codemagic, or GitHub Actions to build, sign, and submit to both stores from CI. No manual Xcode steps.
P04
Every native API call migrated from untyped Cordova callbacks to typed Capacitor async/await. TypeScript strict throughout.
P05
Cypress or Playwright on every migrated screen before cutover. The new version doesn't ship until it matches or exceeds the old one's behaviour.
P06
Updated build tooling, SDK targets, privacy manifests, and store metadata. First submission handled by us — including compliance with current review guidelines.
Signature case
An enterprise field service app on PhoneGap — 23 Cordova plugins, 9 unmaintained with known CVEs, camera plugin crashing on iOS 17, and a PhoneGap Build replacement jury-rigged with shell scripts. Migrated to Ionic 8 with Capacitor 6 in 7 weeks. Every plugin replaced. Both store listings updated. Zero user disruption.
Before
PhoneGap · 23 plugins, 9 unmaintained · camera crash on iOS 17 · no CI/CD · 3 known CVEs
After
Ionic 8 Capacitor 6 · all plugins maintained · camera stable · GitHub Actions CI · 0 CVEs
Engagement shape
A typical PhoneGap migration. Screen by screen — never flag-day. The current app stays on both stores while we work.
Two senior engineers on the project. Plugin inventory, CVE scan, OS compatibility audit, build tooling assessment. A ranked migration plan — not a list of things that are broken.
Capacitor baseline, first batch of plugins replaced, one production screen migrated end-to-end. Real performance on a physical device.
Old and new side-by-side. Kill-switch on every cutover. Your team keeps shipping throughout.
Both stores updated. CI/CD wired. Runbook handed to your team — or we stay on retainer.
Stack
Our default PhoneGap migration stack.
Engagement
No hourly retainer that bills for "thinking time." Pick a lane that matches your stage; everything is fixed-quote or transparently rated.
A defined migration, a fixed price, a senior-only team. From audit to both app stores in 6–12 weeks.
$15k–$30k
FIXED SCOPE
Embedded engineers handling your PhoneGap migration alongside your team. Pause, resize, end with 30 days' notice.
$5k / eng / mo
PER ENGINEER
A long-term partner for organisations with multiple PhoneGap apps needing a phased migration roadmap.
custom
PROCUREMENT-FRIENDLY
Founder-direct
Thirty minutes with the founder. We'll bring a senior migration engineer, the relevant playbook, and a candid read on which migration path — Capacitor, React Native, Flutter, or native — fits your PhoneGap app best.
