Software Alternatives & Startups

Fluid VS Ionic

Compare Fluid VS Ionic and see what are their differences

Fluid

Turn Your Favorite Web Apps into Real Mac Apps.

Rating
0 reviews
Ionic

Ionic is a cross-platform mobile development stack for building performant apps on all platforms with open web technologies.

Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Fluid should be more popular than Ionic. It has been mentioned 19 times since March 2021.

social mentions
19 vs 10
Development Tools popularity
25% vs 75%
alternatives listed
186 vs 240+

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Fluid
Ionic
Website fluidapp.com ionic.io
Pricing
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Fluid 5 features
Ionic 5 features
  • Dedicated Browsers
    Fluid creates site-specific browsers that allow users to have dedicated apps for their favorite web pages. This can enhance focus and organization by keeping tasks separate from regular web browsing.
  • Custom User Experience
    Each Site Specific Browser (SSB) can have a custom icon and name, providing a more personalized and aesthetically pleasing user interface.
  • Resource Management
    Having dedicated apps for regularly used web services can minimize the use of browser tabs and extensions, potentially leading to better performance and resource management.
  • Independence from Web Browser
    Fluid apps are independent of the main web browser. This means that if your browser crashes or has issues, your Fluid apps remain unaffected.
  • Enhanced Productivity
    By converting web apps into standalone desktop applications, users can more easily compartmentalize their work, leading to enhanced productivity.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited to MacOS
    Fluid is available only for MacOS, which limits its usability to Mac users and excludes users on other operating systems like Windows or Linux.
  • Manual Updates
    Users need to manually update each Site Specific Browser (SSB) created through Fluid, as these do not automatically update like regular browser tabs.
  • Security Risks
    As Fluid apps are essentially wrappers for web pages, they are subject to the same security risks as any web browser. Users need to ensure they are visiting trusted sites.
  • Limited Functionality
    Unlike full-fledged desktop applications, Fluid apps might have limited native functionality. They rely heavily on the web app's own features and may lack advanced desktop integrations.
  • Cost for Full Features
    While Fluid is free to use, certain advanced features, such as pinning apps to the status bar, require a one-time purchase of Fluid's paid version.
  • Cross-Platform Development
    Ionic allows developers to build applications for multiple platforms such as iOS, Android, and the web using a single codebase. This significantly reduces development time and costs.
  • Rich UI Components
    Ionic provides a wide range of pre-built UI components that are customizable and designed to look and feel native on all devices. This makes it easier to create visually appealing and consistent interfaces.
  • Integration with Angular
    Ionic is tightly integrated with Angular, a popular and widely-used front-end framework. This integration provides a robust architecture for building complex applications.
  • Active Community and Extensive Documentation
    Ionic has an active community and extensive documentation, tutorials, and resources. This makes it easier for developers to find support and resolve issues.
  • Cordova and Capacitor Plugins
    Ionic apps can leverage Cordova and Capacitor plugins to access native device features like the camera, GPS, and file system, providing near-native functionality.

Possible disadvantages

  • Performance Issues
    Because Ionic uses WebView for rendering, performance can sometimes be inferior to native applications, particularly for highly interactive or graphically intensive applications.
  • Dependency on Third-Party Plugins
    Ionic heavily relies on third-party plugins for accessing native features. If these plugins are not well-maintained or lack support for certain functionalities, it can lead to challenges.
  • Learning Curve
    While Ionic simplifies cross-platform development, it still requires familiarity with web technologies like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML, as well as frameworks like Angular. This could be a steep learning curve for developers not versed in these technologies.
  • File Size
    Ionic applications tend to have a larger file size compared to native applications, mainly due to the inclusion of WebView and other dependencies. This can impact download times and initial load performance.
  • Rendering Delays
    There can be noticeable delays in UI rendering, especially on older devices, due to the abstraction layer that Ionic provides over native components.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Fluid
Ionic

Overall verdict

  • Fluid is a good option for macOS users who find themselves frequently switching between web applications and want a more streamlined process. It's especially useful for those who prefer to keep web app sessions isolated or those who enjoy customizing their workflows. However, consider that it is only available for macOS and may not support all features of more complex web applications.

Why this product is good

  • Fluid (fluidapp.com) allows users to create site-specific browsers, which can be useful for treating web applications as standalone apps on macOS. This can help with productivity by preventing web distractions and organizing workflows. Fluid is particularly beneficial if you frequently use web apps and want them to function like native applications with their own dock icons and separate sessions.

Recommended for

  • MacOS users looking to create desktop-like experiences for web applications.
  • Individuals seeking to minimize distractions from other open tabs in a standard browser.
  • Users who need isolated sessions for different web applications.
  • People who appreciate customizing their desktop workflow.

Overall verdict

  • Ionic is a good choice for startups, small to medium-sized businesses, and developers who are looking to rapidly build and deploy mobile apps with a consistent look and feel across devices. It is particularly useful when the apps don't require intensive use of native capabilities and where development speed is more important than the performance of strictly native apps.

Why this product is good

  • Ionic is a popular open-source framework used for developing cross-platform mobile applications. It combines HTML, CSS, and JavaScript with front-end frameworks like Angular, React, or Vue to create hybrid applications. Its main advantages are ease of use, a rich component library, and the ability to write once and deploy across multiple platforms, saving time and resources.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for a single codebase for multiple platforms.
  • Teams that are already proficient in web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  • Projects that have simple or moderate use of device hardware and native capabilities.
  • Businesses prioritizing rapid development and deployment over maximizing native performance.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Fluid 3 videos + Add
Ionic 3 videos + Add

Primochill Vue Fluid Review

More videos

  • - FluidReview - Accept Online Applications and Submissions and Review
  • - Golden Matte Fluid Acrylic Review • An Alternative to Gouache?

Fitbit Ionic smartwatch review

More videos

  • - Fitbit Ionic Review (IN-DEPTH)
  • - Fitbit Versa 2 vs Ionic | Fitness Smartwatch Review (NEW)

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Fluid
Ionic
25% 25%
75% 75%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
Mac
0% 0%

User comments

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Fluid no reviews yet
Ionic no reviews yet

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Fluid 19 mentions
Ionic 10 mentions
  • ToDesktop – Web app to desktop app in minutes
    > Is ToDesktop For Me? > If you want to make a desktop app of a website for your personal use, ToDesktop is overkill. I just want to point out that a lot of us "pros" learn how to use tools like this by semi-personal use. Therefore, you... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • in safari Sonoma, do profiles act like containers ? (firefox container)
    If you haven't used Fluid - https://fluidapp.com , I would recommend trying the free download. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Why is it so hard to change Chromium's UI?
    You can use Min, Fluid or any browser with full screen mode to have the same effect. Source: over 3 years ago

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  • Hello from Team OutSystems!
    As you may remember, Ionic, the company where I’ve worked as a Developer Advocate for the past year and a half, was acquired in late 2022 by OutSystems. As part of that acquisition, I’m excited to announce that I transitioned to a Lead... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Best Programming language to create Mobile Application ?
    You're looking for a framework to build a progressive web app. Such as Ionic: https://ionic.io/. Source: about 3 years ago
  • What is this type of styling called?
    Some website's that I've collected that use the styling I'm on about; Ionic.io, spline.design, wickedbackgrounds.com, coolbackgrounds.io,. Source: over 4 years ago

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Alternatives to Fluid and Ionic

When comparing Fluid and Ionic, you can also consider the following products.