I often explain that Capacitor turns web apps into native apps and unlocks APIs and SDKs that only exist on native platforms. When people ask where to browse plugins, I usually point them here:
https://github.com/capawesome-team/awesome-capacitorjs
That repo lists Capacitor plugins—official, Community, and third-party. Capacitor can also use Cordova plugins, so if you ignore maintenance status there are 1,000+ options. That makes "you can do anything" hard for newcomers, so here are the Capacitor and Cordova plugins I use in apps I manage, grouped by product.
tipsys — a women-only social app for connecting with friends
| Plugin | Purpose |
|---|---|
| @capacitor-community/admob | Show Google AdMob ads for revenue |
| @capacitor-community/apple-sign-in | Native Apple Sign In |
| @capacitor-community/facebook-login | Native Facebook Login |
| @capacitor-community/firebase-analytics | Analytics with Firebase Analytics |
| @capacitor-community/in-app-review | Prompt users for app reviews |
| @capacitor-community/stripe-identity | Identity verification with Stripe Identity |
| @capacitor/browser | In-app browser |
| @capacitor/camera | Take photos with the native camera |
| @capacitor/clipboard | Copy text to the clipboard |
| @capacitor/device | Read the device UUID |
| @capacitor/geolocation | Read device location |
| @capacitor/haptics | Haptic feedback |
| @capacitor/keyboard | Keyboard show/hide events |
| @capacitor/network | Notify users when offline |
| @capacitor/preferences | Persist data in native storage |
| @capacitor/push-notifications | Push notifications |
| @capacitor/share | Share sheet |
| @capacitor/splash-screen | Splash screen |
| @capawesome/capacitor-badge | App icon badge |
| @rdlabo/capacitor-screenshot-event | Screenshot events |
| cordova-plugin-purchase | Cordova plugin with broad native IAP support |
winecode — business wine management on smartphones
Duplicate sections are omitted.
| Plugin | Purpose |
|---|---|
| @capacitor-mlkit/barcode-scanning | Fast barcode scanning with ML Kit |
| @rdlabo/capacitor-brotherprint | Print labels on Brother label printers |
| cordova-plugin-printer | Cordova plugin to print pages as-is |
Food Label Printing — simple food-label printing
Uses only plugins introduced above.
ODSS — business core system for Oda Shoten Co., Ltd.
Duplicate sections are omitted.
| Plugin | Purpose |
|---|---|
| @rdlabo/capacitor-codescanner | Barcode scanning tuned for business workflows |
Summary
When you build apps with Capacitor, most of the value often lives in the web app—maybe 90%—but the last 10% may need native APIs and become the most important part of the product. If you ship value on the web and wonder what is next, consider whether native features could deliver one more step for your users.
See you next time.