Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Zepto.js VS Apache Cordova

Compare Zepto.js VS Apache Cordova and see what are their differences

Zepto.js logo Zepto.js

Zepto is a minimalist JavaScript library for modern browsers with a largely jQuery-compatible API.

Apache Cordova logo Apache Cordova

Platform for building native mobile applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript
  • Zepto.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30
  • Apache Cordova Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-17

Zepto.js features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Zepto.js is extremely lightweight, with a file size significantly smaller than jQuery. This reduces load times and improves performance on webpages, particularly important for mobile users with limited bandwidth.
  • jQuery Compatibility
    Zepto.js aims to offer a jQuery-compatible syntax, making it easy for developers familiar with jQuery to adopt Zepto.js without a steep learning curve.
  • Optimized for Modern Browsers
    Zepto.js is optimized for modern browsers and takes advantage of advanced features like CSS3 and HTML5, which can lead to improved performance and more elegant solutions.
  • Modular Design
    Zepto.js has a modular architecture, allowing developers to include only the features they need. This can further reduce the size of the library and improve page load times.

Possible disadvantages of Zepto.js

  • Limited Legacy Browser Support
    Zepto.js does not support older versions of Internet Explorer (like IE8 and below), which may be a limitation for projects needing to cater to a wide audience with deprecated browser support.
  • Fewer Features than jQuery
    Although Zepto.js is similar to jQuery, it lacks some of the more advanced features and plugins available in jQuery, which might require additional solutions for certain tasks.
  • Small Community
    Zepto.js has a smaller user base and community compared to jQuery, which may result in less community support, fewer tutorials, and limited plugin options.
  • Limited Official Documentation
    The official documentation for Zepto.js is not as extensive as that for jQuery, which may require developers to spend extra time understanding and troubleshooting code.

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.

Zepto.js videos

Data-binding Techniques | CSS Techniques | Zepto.js | The Treehouse Show Episode 97

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 Zepto.js and Apache Cordova)
Javascript UI Libraries
33 33%
67% 67
Development Tools
13 13%
87% 87
JS Library
100 100%
0% 0
JavaScript Framework
13 13%
87% 87

User comments

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Reviews

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

Zepto.js Reviews

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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 seems to be a lot more popular than Zepto.js. While we know about 44 links to Apache Cordova, we've tracked only 4 mentions of Zepto.js. 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.

Zepto.js mentions (4)

  • TinyJS – Shorten JavaScript QuerySelect with $ and $$
    jQuery II: The Quickening! If anybody's interested in a more minimalist jQuery-like tool check out Zepto [1]. I built a toy Golang SSR project using it and felt like I was 17 again. Also of note is that "Highlander II" takes place in the year 2024 [2]. It's a sign! Everything old is new again! `$` is immortal! [1] http://zeptojs.com/ [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_II:_The_Quickening. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • jQuery v4.0.0 Beta
    > I've always thought there should be a modern, lightweight jQuery alternative like this. Have you heard of Zepto? https://zeptojs.com. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Discovered a 63kb tiddlywiki like self saving HTML+JS wiki and its looking cool
    I once made a very crude and simple TiddlyWiki work-alike I called "HulloWurld" https://github.com/calroc/HulloWurld It's 143 KB, but it includes copies of Knockout, Underscore, Zepto, and the "Marked" markdown parser... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ( Good stuff BTW: http://knockoutjs.com/ http://underscorejs.org/ https://zeptojs.com/ https://github.com/chjj/marked ) Probably the only interesting bit is the code to save the page:... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Replacing jQuery (110kb) With UmbrellaJS (8kb)
    I think zepto.js is a better choice. It's slightly bigger than cash but much closer to jquery (for example it has $.ajax) https://zeptojs.com. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago

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 / about 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 Zepto.js and Apache Cordova, you can also consider the following products

jQuery - The Write Less, Do More, JavaScript Library.

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React

AngularJS - AngularJS lets you extend HTML vocabulary for your application. The resulting environment is extraordinarily expressive, readable, and quick to develop.

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

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

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