.NET MAUI vs Xamarin: A Deep Dive into the Key Differences

Mobile apps have now become omnipresent, and that much is not news. Think about it: today, a lot of our daily activities can be done through a mobile app. Grocery shopping? There is an app for that. Pay bills? You’ve got an app for that, too. Clearly, mobile app development is supremely important in the modern market. In this mobile app development landscape, framework selection is a significant choice. This is because the framework you opt for stands to have a considerable impact on the app’s performance and the project’s overall success. Often, the choice is between .NET MAUI and Xamarin. Among the two prominent contenders in this regard, both frameworks use the.NET ecosystem to build cross-platform apps. Both frameworks allow you to build apps for multiple platforms using a single codebase. Nonetheless, it must be noted that they use different approaches.

If you want to make an informed decision regarding the framework you choose, understanding the differences between MAUI and Xamarin is critical. So, to help you choose the best framework for their specific requirements, I have compiled a handy NET MAUI vs Xamarin comparative guide.

.NET MAUI versus Xamarin: How Do These Cross-Platform Frameworks Fare?

1. Architecture: .NET MAUI uses a single shared project across all platforms. This goes a long way in simplifying development and reducing code duplication. Furthermore, .NET MAUI employs a modern, cross-platform UI framework built on the XAML language. On the other hand, Xamarin creates a separate project for each platform. Though this requires more project management it may also provide greater control over platform-specific customizations. Oh, and it employs Xamarin.Forms, a UI framework that abstracts platform differences.
2. Project structure: .NET MAUI gets a simpler project structure that facilitates codebase management and navigation. This is especially useful for large projects involving multiple developers. Xamarin gets a multi-project structure. This can be not easy to manage, particularly for complex applications with numerous platform specific components. However, it is also worth noting that this can also improve organization and separation of concerns.
3. Hot reload support: The hot reload feature is a supremely favored feature. Thankfully, .NET MAUI provides superior hot reload support. This means developers working with this framework can see changes to the UI without recompiling the entire app. What you get as a result is a significantly accelerated development process. And let us not forget the increased productivity. Xamarin also supports hot reloading. Unfortunately, its implementation may not be as seamless or efficient, particularly for complex changes or when dealing with platform-specific code.
4. Resource maintenance: .NET MAUI can greatly simplify resource management by offering a unified approach to managing assets across all platforms. Before you ask, the assets I am referring to here include things such as images and fonts. This reduces the costs of managing and maintaining resources, particularly for large apps with extensive localization requirements. Xamarin needs separate resource files for each platform. This complicates resource management and may lead to inconsistencies.
5. Support for .NET 6: .NET MAUI comes fully integrated with .NET 6, taking advantage of its performance enhancements, new features, and compatibility with other .NET platforms. This ensures a modern and updated development experience. Even though Xamarin can still be used with .NET 6, it may not provide the same integration or feature parity level as .NET MAUI.

Final Words

That about sums up the NET MAUI vs Xamarin comparison, folks. Remember that besides these differences, you must also consider your business and project’s unique requirements to make an informed decision.

To summarize, both .NET MAUI and Xamarin offer robust solutions for cross-platform app development. Still, they cater to different development needs. .NET MAUI’s modern architecture, streamlined project structure, and superior resource management make it a strong choice for developers looking for efficiency and simplicity. On the other hand, Xamarin provides more granular control over platform-specific customizations. Ultimately, the right choice depends on your project’s specific requirements, and understanding their key differences is crucial for success.