Can a live update change native code?

No. Live updates carry web-layer changes: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and web assets. Native code, a new Capacitor plugin or a new permission ships as a store build, and Native Update can then prompt users to install it.

What happens if a new bundle crashes on launch?

If the bundle never calls notifyAppReady(), the native layer reverts it after two cold starts and the app opens on the last good bundle. The dashboard counts it as a failed start.

How do I roll back a release?

Roll it back in the dashboard or with the CLI. Devices return to the previous good bundle on their next check, and the release stays in your list for later.

The plugin includes iOS code, but it has not had on-device sign-off yet. Android is the platform releases are tested on today.

What counts as a monthly active user?

A unique device that checks for an update at least once in a rolling 30-day window. A device that stops checking in drops off the count after 30 days.

What happens when I go over my plan’s limit?

Uploads and promotions pause, and the dashboard and an email tell you. Devices keep the release they have. Seven days after a plan expires, update delivery stops until billing is fixed.

Do I need a Native Update account?

Yes. The plugin talks to the Native Update service with your app’s API key. The Free plan includes every feature, up to 30 apps and 5,000 monthly active users.

Shorebird or Native Update

Code push for Flutter apps, from people who worked on Flutter.

Last checked Nov 7, 2026Check Shorebird yourself (opens in a new tab)

Who each one suits

Better served by Shorebird

Choose Shorebird if your app is Flutter: it patches compiled Dart, which no web-bundle updater can do, and its free plan covers 5,000 patch installs a month.

Better served by Native Update

Choose Native Update if your app is Capacitor and you want percentage rollouts as a dashboard setting rather than logic you write, plus the store update flow and review prompt in the same plugin.

What it costs

Shorebird

Plan	Price	Terms	Where it says so
Hobby	$0	5,000 patch installs/month	Source (opens in a new tab)
Pro	$20 a month	$240 billed yearly; 50,000 patch installs/month, $1 per 2,500 over	Source (opens in a new tab)
Business	$400 a month	$4,800 billed yearly; 1,000,000 patch installs/month	Source (opens in a new tab)
Enterprise	No price listed	Quote only	Source (opens in a new tab)

Native Update

Plan	Price	Terms
Free	$0	30 apps, 5,000 monthly active users
Pro	$9.99 a month	Unlimited apps, 50,000 monthly active users
Team	$8.99 per seat a month	Unlimited apps, 100,000 monthly active users per member, 3 seats minimum

Feature by feature

Their column comes from their pages. Ours comes from the plugin and the service as they ship today.

Feature	Shorebird	Native Update
Over-the-air web bundle updates	YesSource (opens in a new tab)	Yes
Signed bundles, verified on the device	YesSource (opens in a new tab)	Yes
Automatic rollback when a bundle fails to start	PartlySource (opens in a new tab)	Yes
Roll back from the dashboard or CLI	YesSource (opens in a new tab)	Yes
Rollout to a percentage of devices	PartlySource (opens in a new tab)	Yes
Channels (development, staging, production)	YesSource (opens in a new tab)	Yes
Delta updates	Not stated on the pages we checked	Yes
Your own server or self-hosting	Not stated on the pages we checked	Yes
In-app store update flow	Not stated on the pages we checked	Yes
In-app review prompt	Not stated on the pages we checked	Yes
Background update checks	Not stated on the pages we checked	Yes
CLI plus HTTP management API	PartlySource (opens in a new tab)	Yes
Capacitor apps	Not stated on the pages we checked	Yes
React Native apps	Not stated on the pages we checked	No
Flutter apps	YesSource (opens in a new tab)	No
Native Android and iOS apps	Not stated on the pages we checked	No
Free plan	YesSource (opens in a new tab)	Yes

Where Native Update stops

Today Native Update supports Capacitor only. React Native, Flutter and native packages are not available yet.

Live updates carry web-layer changes; native changes still ship through the store.

If your app isn’t Capacitor, we can’t serve it. Shorebird is the one to read next.

On Shorebird today?

We don’t serve that stack, so there’s no move to make. The docs page sets out how the two differ and where to start if your next app is Capacitor.

Read the guide See the plans

These facts come from Shorebird’s own pages, and they can change without telling us. Their site is the one to trust. Found something out of date? Tell us.