What is .Net MAUI and how it is different from Xamarin?

Have you ever heard about MAUI? What comes to your mind when you first hear about this? You would probably guess it is a movie character but in actuality, it is a framework for software development. MAUI is the latest framework that Microsoft has released and it has one of the best frameworks to design UI applications using .NET, XAML, and C#. This framework helps to design UI apps across all platforms including laptops, smartphones, desktops, and MacOS. 

If you are not familiar with this new .NET framework then don’t worry because in this article we have covered all the key points of MAUI. This blog is for beginners who want to learn about .NET MAUI. 

What is MAUI?

Let’s start from the basics, what is .NET MAUI? Multi-platform App UI or MAUI is a cross-platform framework for creating applications. The best part about MAUI is that its code is reusable which means you just need to write code once and use it for developing apps and is compatible with different various environments like browsers, Windows, iOS, and Android.

Furthermore, you can write almost all code in C#, and then with just one click, you can generate a code of native version for all platforms. This platform is best because coders like to switch from one device to another to remain maximum productive. It is important that codes are accessible to the users regardless of the device they are using. 

Because of this, the web has tremendous power, and developing web-based applications has many advantages. However, doing so deprives us of the native platform performance and controls provided by the OS vendors, making the application feel somewhat awkward to use and look at.

How do .NET MAUI works? 

The API in MAUI makes native platform functions accessible to programmers. MAUI adds the layer to the .NET for different platforms like Windows UI, iOS, Android, and MacOS. This makes implementation easy and flexible for coders and logic is handled within the MAUI framework. It is completely open to the developer It’s all because of the underlying use of.NET 6 BCL, which makes it possible to convert C# into native code.

How MAUI is useful for businesses?

Let’s face one thing, the main focus of business is to get the maximum potential customers and increase their ROI. MAUI is an apt framework to develop an application because of its flexible and reusable code model. MAUI gives businesses a one-stop platform to build user-friendly and robust applications across various platforms. This is why many software development companies are adopting .NET MAUI framework. 

Generally, software application development services for one platform cost a handsome amount, and therefore, businesses hesitate to build apps for various platforms. However, .NET MAUI eliminates the monotony and allows programmers to develop an application for all platforms by coding once and reusing them. In fact, you can also share static UI parts of an application.  

What .NET MAUI provides?

A range of controls are offered by NET MAUI that can be used to pick data, display collections, start actions, indicate activity, and more. .NET MAUI offers more than just a selection of controls. MAUI is considered one of the best frameworks for software development because of its features and functions. Below are some of the features that you must know:

• A layout engine option to design pages.
• Helps to design rich navigation systems like drawers. 
• It supports data binding to create elegantly and maintain development patterns. 
• It can customize handlers and modify the way in which UI layouts are presented. 
• APIs that work across platforms to access native device functionalities. Apps may access device data like the GPS, battery, network, and accelerometer states with the help of these APIs.  
• Layout for graphic designs that helps in creating a canvas to paint and draw shapes and sizes, the graphical transformation of objects, and compositing operations. 
• A multi-platform framework that enables programmers to develop an application for multiple platforms by reusing codes.
• With.NET hot reload, you can make changes to your managed source code and XAML while the app is still running and see the results without having to rebuild it. 

Xamarin vs MAUI

Although, there are many common functionalities between Xamarin and MAUI that make these two frameworks look the same. However, we cannot ignore the major differences between Xamarin and MAUI. Xamarin is considered one of the best cross-platform frameworks before MAUI was introduced 

• Project Structure

Xamarine uses a separate project structure for developing an app on different platforms. Plus, project codes and files are maintained under a separate project. 

Whereas, MAUI is more efficient and uses just one project structure to build an app for different platforms. Plus, project codes and files are maintained under platform filename and platform folders like MainPage.iOS.cs and MainPage.android.cs. 

• Supported versions and platforms

One of the major differences between Xamarin and MAUI is the Windows support system. Xamarine is compatible with UWP, whereas .NET MAUI is compatible with WinUI. 

Xamarine primary support: 

Android 4.4 (API 19) or latest version

UWP: Windows 10

iOS 9 or the latest version

.NET MAUI primary support:

Android 5.0 or the latest version

macOS 10.13 or the latest version

iOS 10 or the latest version

WinUI: Windows 10 or Windows 11

• Framework support

Another major difference between Xamarin and .NET MAUI is that Xamarin supports the .NET framework whereas MAUI supports .NET CLI. 

• Handler and Rendere Architecture

Controls in Xamarin are created using renderers. Developers must utilize a custom renderer to alter the user interface of native controls. Users pay a high price for the performance and size of these renderers in their apps.

However,.NET MAUI makes use of native assembly in a very loosely linked handler design. This produces a lightweight app with superior performance on a native platform.

• Resource Maintenance

In terms of resources, .NET MAUI surpassed Xamarin, particularly in terms of images. For purposes related to specific platforms or devices, you do not need to have a set of photos. To satisfy all platform and device requirements, just one SVG image is required. To work across all platforms, the SVG image is converted into a .png image. 

Final Thoughts

Adequate Infosoft is one of the renowned custom software development companies in India, Adequate Infosoft strives to produce effective and high-quality AI software. In more than 30 countries, including India, the USA, Sweden, Canada, Singapore, South Africa, Malaysia, Ghana, the Netherlands, Hungary, Austria, and Denmark, we have successfully completed more than 150 projects in a variety of industries. Hire our knowledgeable and experienced MAUI developers to deliver the product on schedule.

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