Comparison
AirBuild vs Shorebird
Shorebird pioneered code push for Flutter; AirBuild serves Flutter patches over the same open Shorebird updater protocol — so the client side works identically — while adding React Native OTA support, full binary distribution with UDID capture, crash-rate auto-pause, and team/billing management under one roof.
| Feature | AirBuild | Shorebird |
|---|---|---|
| Flutter OTA patches | Yes | Yes |
| Client protocol | Open Shorebird updater protocol | Shorebird updater protocol |
| React Native OTA updates | Expo Updates v1 protocol | No |
| Binary distribution (IPA/APK links + QR) | Yes | No |
| Automatic UDID capture for ad-hoc iOS | Yes | No |
| Automatic pause on crash threshold | Yes | No telemetry collected |
| Per-device check-in analytics | Yes | Limited |
| Team roles + audit logs | Yes | Limited |
| Custom branding / org billing | Yes | Limited |
| Go CLI for CI/CD | Yes | Dart CLI |
Which should you pick?
If you only need Flutter code push and prefer the original vendor, Shorebird does that one job well. AirBuild makes sense when OTA is one part of a bigger pipeline — distributing test binaries with links and UDID capture, pushing both Flutter and React Native updates from one dashboard, and pausing rollouts automatically when crash telemetry spikes — all on a protocol your Flutter client already speaks.
Frequently asked questions
Is AirBuild's Flutter OTA compatible with the Shorebird client?
Yes — AirBuild implements the open Shorebird updater protocol, so apps configured with `shorebird.yaml` check AirBuild's `base_url` for patches exactly as they would with Shorebird's servers.
Can AirBuild distribute the binary itself, not just patches?
Yes — that's the key difference. AirBuild hosts the full IPA/APK with install links and QR codes, then serves patches on top. Shorebird only pushes code updates to already-installed apps.
Does Shorebird collect crash data to auto-pause rollouts?
No — Shorebird intentionally avoids telemetry collection. AirBuild counts install successes and failures per update and pauses a rollout automatically when the failure rate crosses your threshold.