Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Meteor VS Apache Cordova

Compare Meteor VS Apache Cordova and see what are their differences

Meteor logo Meteor

Meteor is a set of new technologies for building top-quality web apps in a fraction of the time.

Apache Cordova logo Apache Cordova

Platform for building native mobile applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript
  • Meteor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21
  • Apache Cordova Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-17

Meteor features and specs

  • Full-Stack Solution
    Meteor offers an integrated full-stack solution, which includes both front-end and back-end development, making it easier to build and manage applications without needing disparate tools.
  • Reactive Programming
    Meteor leverages real-time data synchronization between the client and server, enabling reactive updates that automatically refresh the user interface when data changes.
  • MongoDB Integration
    Meteor tightly integrates with MongoDB, which facilitates real-time data integration and minimizes the complexity of database management.
  • Rich Ecosystem
    Meteor has a comprehensive ecosystem, including various plugins and packages that enhance functionality and help developers to quickly add features.
  • Developer Productivity
    Meteor emphasizes simplicity and productivity with features like hot code reload, which shortens the development feedback loop by updating the web page or app without a full refresh.
  • Strong Community
    Meteor has an active and supportive community, providing extensive documentation, tutorials, and forums that help developers troubleshoot and share knowledge.

Possible disadvantages of Meteor

  • Performance Issues
    For complex or large-scale applications, Meteor can face performance bottlenecks, especially around the use of MongoDB's oplog tailing for real-time data updates.
  • Single Database Limitation
    Meteor's default reliance on MongoDB can be a limitation for projects that would benefit from using other types of databases or require relational data structures.
  • Package Management
    While Meteor has a rich package ecosystem, it uses its own package manager, which can sometimes lead to compatibility issues or limit the ability to use NPM packages directly.
  • Learning Curve
    Though designed to be easy to use, Meteor’s unique concepts and full-stack nature can present a learning curve for developers who are not familiar with JavaScript or full-stack development.
  • Lack of Control
    Meteor's high level of abstraction can be a double-edged sword, making it difficult for developers to optimize certain aspects of their application or have fine-grained control over performance.
  • Community Shifts
    The Meteor community has experienced shifts and changes since its inception, and there have been periods of uncertainty regarding its long-term viability and support.

Apache Cordova features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Development
    Apache Cordova enables developers to build applications for multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Windows, etc.) using a single codebase, which saves time and resources.
  • Use of Web Technologies
    Cordova allows the use of standard web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, making it accessible for web developers to create mobile applications without needing to learn platform-specific languages.
  • Extensive Plugin Ecosystem
    Cordova provides a wide range of plugins that enable access to native device functionalities (such as the camera, accelerometer, GPS, etc.), allowing for more versatile app development.
  • Cost Effective
    By reducing the need for multiple native developers and leveraging a single web development team, Cordova can significantly cut down the costs of application development.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, Apache Cordova benefits from community support and contributions, leading to continuous improvements and a wealth of shared knowledge and code.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Cordova

  • Performance Issues
    Applications built with Cordova may experience performance issues, especially with complex graphical or computational tasks, as they are essentially web applications wrapped in a native container.
  • Limited Native Functionality
    Although Cordova provides many plugins, accessing the latest native features often requires custom development, which can be complicated and time-consuming.
  • Dependency on Plugins
    Developers often rely heavily on third-party plugins to access native features. If these plugins are not well-maintained, they can introduce compatibility issues and bugs.
  • User Experience
    The user experience of Cordova-based apps may not be as smooth or responsive as fully native applications, potentially leading to lower user satisfaction.
  • Security Concerns
    Using multiple plugins and technologies can increase the surface area for security vulnerabilities. Also, web-based applications can be more susceptible to common web security issues.

Meteor videos

The Meteor | Discraft Disc Review

More videos:

  • Review - Meteor Review - with Tom Vasel
  • Review - Royal Enfield Meteor 350 | Meteor 350 | Next Generation Royal Enfield Thunderbird | Review by Aj

Apache Cordova videos

Apache Cordova - Hello World from Android and iOS

More videos:

  • Review - What’s Your View on Apache Cordova?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Meteor and Apache Cordova)
Developer Tools
78 78%
22% 22
Development Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Web Frameworks
100 100%
0% 0
JavaScript Framework
24 24%
76% 76

User comments

Share your experience with using Meteor and Apache Cordova. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Meteor and Apache Cordova

Meteor Reviews

20 Next.js Alternatives Worth Considering
Exploring Next.js alternatives can open up a world of possibilities for web development projects. Choosing from frameworks like Gatsby.js, Nuxt.js, or Svelte can offer tailored features for server-side rendering, single-page applications (SPAs), and static site generation. Each option has its strengths, whether you’re aiming for speed with Hugo, ease of use with Jekyll, or...
The 20 Best Laravel Alternatives for Web Development
Meteor — a full-stack platform that’s got every stage of your app covered. Real-time by default, it’s about in-sync, on-the-fly updates across client and server. Magic? Feels like it.
9 Best JavaScript Frameworks to Use in 2023
Meteor.js is a JavaScript-based platform for developing web applications. It’s open source and supports various programming paradigms, including object-oriented, functional, and event-driven programming. Meteor.js is based on the Node.js framework and uses an asynchronous programming model.
Source: ninetailed.io
20 Best JavaScript Frameworks For 2023
Meteor.js, also known as Meteor, is a Node.js-based isomorphic JavaScript web framework that is partially commercial but primarily free and open-source. Meteor simplifies real-time app development by providing a complete ecosystem rather than requiring multiple tools and frameworks to achieve the same result.
Top 10 Best Node. Js Frameworks to Improve Web Development
It is a pretty fundamental full-stack Node.js method for creating mobile web applications. It is an ideal one and works with iOS, Android, or web desktop. Also, Meteor too executes application progress very prepared by allowing a platform for the entire development of the web application to continue in the corresponding language, none other than JavaScript.

Apache Cordova Reviews

Top 10 Flutter Alternatives for Cross-Platform App Development
Developed by Apache Cordova, PhoneGap is used extensively for developing cross-platform mobile with the use of several web technologies. It lets developers write code by using HTML, CSS & JavaScript and package it as a native app. Being a simple framework, it includes the largest collection of plugins that extend its wide functionality.
Top 5 Flutter Alternatives for Cross-Platform Development
Apache Cordova is an open-source mobile development framework that lets you create cross-platform apps using standard web technologies like HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. Like NativeScript, Apache Cordova is more accessible to developers comfortable with web development, especially Angular or VueJS.
Source: www.miquido.com
Exploring 15 Powerful Flutter Alternatives
Oracle Mobile Application Framework (MAF) offers cross-platform development using standards like HTML5 and JavaScript containerized via Apache Cordova. Oracle MAF delivers excellent offline support capabilities matching the needs of field service teams and remote inspectors. With tools like Oracle Database and middleware, MAF apps cache relevant data subsets locally while...
Top 10 Android Studio Alternatives For App Development
Apache Cordova is used for building mobile applications with the help of HTML, CSS, and Javascript. It is an open-source mobile application development framework that was created by Nitobi.
10 Best Android Studio Alternatives For App Development
Apache Cordova is a tool to develop Android App Development. It enables software engineers to build apps for Android mobile phones. Using HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript instead of relying on platform-specific APIs. Like those in Android, iOS or Windows phones. When you are using Apache Cordova APIs, an app can be developed without any native code (like Java, objective-C, etc.) from...
Source: techdator.net

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Cordova should be more popular than Meteor. It has been mentiond 44 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Meteor mentions (13)

  • Big Changes at Meteor Software: Our Next Chapter
    Our new Meteor brand represents our commitment to modern JavaScript. It features a cleaner, more contemporary design that represents our future direction rather than just our heritage. The redesigned Meteor website is now ready and includes a really cool interactive demo that showcases what Meteor can do. We're excited for you to check it out and experience Meteor's capabilities firsthand. - Source: dev.to / 1 day ago
  • Reactive Data Structures in MeteorJS - Reactive Stack
    MeteorJS brings client-side reactivity out of the box. No matter which frontend framework you choose, you will always have an integrated reactivity that synchronizes your data and the UI. This is one of the core strengths of MeteorJS. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • MeteorJS 3.0 major impact estimated for July 2024 ☄️ - here is all you need to know 🧐
    The next major MeteorJS release is coming in July 2024! After more than two years of development, this is the final result. The first discussions started in June 2021 and there has been multiple alphas, betas, rcs and a huge amount of package updates. These were constantly battle-tested by the Meteor Core team and the Community, shaping the features and performance of the platform one by one. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Tutorial: how to install Meteor.js with Tailwind CSS and Flowbite
    Meteor.js is a full-stack JavaScript platform for developing modern web and mobile applications. Meteor includes a key set of technologies for building connected-client reactive applications, a build tool, and a curated set of packages from the Node.js and general JavaScript community. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Meteor.js with Vite, Solid, and Tailwind CSS
    Meteor.js is a full-stack platform that simplifies the development of web applications by providing a unified approach to building both the front-end and back-end. With real-time data updates, Meteor.js speeds up the development process and ensures you can create powerful applications. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
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Apache Cordova mentions (44)

  • Show HN: I Made a Web App to Bring Children's Drawings to Life
    This is truly amazing. Is there a 'How it Works' a 'Potentials' section? I work with things that push to inspire creativity and learning to foster the passion behind creativity and authentic works where otherwise we'd see how 'AI copies our work' and now we can see how AI can bring works to life and make them more fun. Over-all would you like to see schools adopting your project? I didn't see a contact form but... - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • PWAs wont replace native iOS apps
    Anyone have experience with/opinions on Apache Cordova? [1] It seems like it would solve most of the PWA issues. Although I vaguely recall reading that Apple is not too fond of apps that are basically just wrapped web views. [1] https://cordova.apache.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • What's the latest way of submitting pwas to the app stores?
    Has anyone tried pwa builder?[2] Thank you for any insights! [0]https://cordova.apache.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Why does everyone "suddenly" hate Single Page Apps?
    A little over a decade ago, I worked on the open-source project Apache Cordova/Adobe PhoneGap, first at IBM and later at Adobe. Apache Cordova enables you to build mobile applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript while targeting multiple platforms with one code base. In today’s technology landscape, mobile is dominated by iOS and Android. In the early 2010’s we were awash in mobile platforms from BlackBerry,... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • The right way to build multi platform apps in 2023 using web tech. ?
    There are layers that offer access to native APIs like capacitor, cordova and nativescript. Apparently sometimes multiple of them should be used, but I didn't understand what are the differences even after reading the announcement. These seem to be frontend agnostic technologies and Capacitor is apparently the more modern choice at the moment. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Meteor and Apache Cordova, you can also consider the following products

ExpressJS - Sinatra inspired web development framework for node.js -- insanely fast, flexible, and simple

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

Ruby on Rails - Ruby on Rails is an open source full-stack web application framework for the Ruby programming...

PhoneGap - Easily create apps using the web technologies you know and love: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Django - The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines

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