Is Xamarin Dead?
Tags: xamarin, microsoft, ios, android
Published: 2024-01-17 10:42:19


The short answer is No, it's not dead. The long explanation starts here.

A couple of days ago, I had a quite heated conversation on Twitter:

![tweek](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/f5j5kjw754x4lyg0s6kl.png)

At the beginning of my career building mobile apps, I was also confused about **what was Xamarin? Was it a multi-platform solution or was it a single-platform solution?** _The answer was both._

With Xamarin at the present time, you can build apps for:
- **Android** only AKA _Xamarin.Android_,
- **iOS** only AKA _Xamarin.iOS_.

**Xamarin.Forms** was the cross-platform solution that was replaced by **MAUI.NET** _(more about it later)._

In my case, I started to build straightaway [Android apps](https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=5690548735972645731&hl=es) only since I didn't own a _Mac_ (I still don't), and that's how I easily understood the difference between the 3 solutions. However, I noticed that this confusion still persists in 2024, and that's why I wanted to bring you this short explanation:

![android](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/0gfeeotdgjpsfpobc2zo.png)

**Xamarin.Android** is a platform for building **native Android** apps with C# that **only works on Android**. These are some important points about it:

- _The code can be compared with using Kotlin or Java._
- _Kotlin or Java code can be reconverted to C#._
- _You can reuse the typical XMLs to create your activities or views._
- _It generates only **.apk** or **.abb**._
- _It can be used to bind Android libraries from Gradle._
- _The final app will be more optimal and smaller since it works only on Android._
- **_Most code might not be compatible with Xamarin.iOS._**

You can read more at:

Its official GitHub repository is:
[xamarin/xamarin-android](https://github.com/xamarin/xamarin-android)

Its official documentation:
[Xamarin.Android - Xamarin](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/android/)

![apple](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/nu4u8yy0ok1kuhtstjnw.png)

**Xamarin.iOS** is a platform for building **native iOS** apps with C# that **only works on iOS**. These are some important points about it:

- _The code can be compared with using Swift or Objective C._ 
- _Swift or Objective C code can be reconverted to C#._
- _You can reuse Storyboards to create your views._
- _It generates only **.ipa**._
- _It can be used to bind iOS libraries._
- _The final app will be more optimal and smaller since it works only on iOS._
- _You must own a Mac either physically or in a cloud to compile your code._
- **_Most code might not be compatible with Xamarin.Android._**

You can read more at:

Its official GitHub repository is:
[xamarin/xamarin-macios](https://github.com/xamarin/xamarin-macios)

Its official documentation:
[Xamarin.iOS - Xamarin](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/ios/)

Furthermore, there is a variation for building **macOS apps only** that is called **Xamarin.Mac**:
[Xamarin.Mac - Xamarin](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/mac/)

![maui](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/8hiwrmr1rt03brdrzeq7.png)
_Credits: [Microsoft](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/maui/what-is-maui?view=net-maui-8.0)_

**.NET MAUI** is a platform for building native multiplatform apps for Android, iOS, Windows, etc. from one source code. It is the official _Xamarin.Forms' evolution_. These are some important points about it:

- 
_It can be compared with React Native, Flutter, or NativeScript._
- _Some Android, Windows, and/or iOS code/libs might be compatible but they should be readapted per platform._
- _It generates **.akp, .abb, .exe .ipa, .app**, etc._
- _The UI might be less flexible since it must work on all devices._
- _The final app will be less optimized and bigger since it works on multiple platforms._
- _You must also own a Mac either physically or in a cloud to compile your code for iOS and/or macOS._

You can read more at:

Its official GitHub repository is:
[dotnet/maui: .NET MAUI](https://github.com/dotnet/maui)

Its official documentation:
[.NET MAUI](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/maui/what-is-maui?view=net-maui-8.0)

Hopefully, this short explanation can support you in your adventure as a mobile developer and avoid confusion. The better you know which tech you must choose, the better performance you will get and the better your results will be.


### Follow me on:

|  LinkedIn  |YouTube|Instagram|Cyber Prophets|Sharing Your Stories|
|:----------|:------------:|:------------:|:------------:|:------------:|
|[![LinkedIn](https://i.stack.imgur.com/idQWu.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/federiconavarrete)|[![YouTube](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CFPMR.png)](https://youtube.com/c/FedericoNavarrete)|[![Instagram](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PIfqY.png)](https://www.instagram.com/federico_the_consultant)|[![RedCircle Podcast](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4XICF.png)](https://redcircle.com/shows/cyber-prophets)|[![RedCircle Podcast](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4XICF.png)](https://redcircle.com/shows/sharing-your-stories)|


[![sponsor me](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FANMixco/Xamarin-SearchBar/master/bmc-rezr5vpd.gif)](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/fanmixco)