We have 3 amazing options to create cross-platform applications using one base code.
.NET MAUI was released in 2022, supported by Microsoft. It uses C# and .NET for the code base and you can use XAML or Blazor Hybrid (HTML, CSS, C#) to create the UI. New version of Xamarin.
Flutter started in 2017 and was created by Google. It uses dart with declarative programming. Flutter is very light and easy to learn.
React native was released in 2015 created by Meta (Facebook) and the community. Similar to React.js, React native is based on components. There are many libraries and extensions created by the community that help us to improve the user experience in our projects.
If you need to start a new project taking in consideration your skills, experience and likes, which choice do you prefer? and why?
Latest comments (5)
Xamarin.Forms user.
I think one place where I see Xamarin (maybe Maui has improved?) is that the UI tooling for XAML, specifically on mobile devices, even simulators is lacking.
I have found this tool (learn.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/...) - but it seems pretty weak.
This is even more true in comparison to Flutter's DevTools (docs.flutter.dev/development/tools...).
My team mates and I have struggled in really groking the full working knowledge of XAML without deep XAML experience/working knowledge, or a tool like Flutter's. I perceive this tool would allow a new Dev to really try things and iterate quickly. The lack of a such a tool in Xamarin has become such an acute weakness (especially in onboarding new devs) that it has caused us to consider porting our Apps with Flutter from Xamarin.Forms. This is a heavy decision considering we use .NET across enterprise development in other contexts, and we like the unification of tools here in Mobile development.
For me you have to consider two points:
1 - Which one allows you to do the job the way your customers like it, and on time ?
If more than one can make it then move to point number 2.
2 - Which one you and your team are more comfortable with ? in term of learning curve, easy of use, and so on ...
That is it.
Personnaly, I already work and am happy with .NET, so I will not learn Flutter/Dart just because it looks cool.
I would like to know more about the performance of each and what has to be sacrificed to use one over the other. It sounds like a lot of work to test that all out.
In the absence of such wisdom, React Native isn't going anywhere and it has loads of resources and tutorials available in the most popular language (JavaScript/TypeScript), which is most(?) of people's first language. freeCodeCamp will give you the skills. This makes it hard for me to lean on Maui, which is very new. I might think differently if it starts eating some of React Native's market share.
I say this as a primarily .NET developer. ...JavaScript/TypeScript and I have deeper roots though.
In this moment, i have to select one choice about the mobile architecture. Maybe we will choose .NET MAUI, because ouwn stack i'ts .Net and we have some aplications in Xamarin Forms. It Make a more sense. But
I also like Flutter
I have the same feeling. I am dotnet/C# developer but I like Flutter and I want to learn more about this technology.