Xamarin vs Xcode

[RyanTyler]

I know this topic has been brought up a few times but the threads are old so I want to know if anything has changed. I plan to build an app that uses location and maps and will be pretty complex. I love C# and have a lot of experience with it but learning a new programming language isn’t too hard. To simply get it out on iOS I know Xcode would be faster which I would like to do first, but would it be more worthwhile to write with Xamarin so it’s easy to port to Android? Or are the problems with Xamarin not worth dealing with? https://sarkariresult.onl/ Mobdro https://pnrstatus.vip/

[Bharathiraja K]

Hi RyanTyler, 

 

Greetings from Syncfusion. Creating mobile application using Xamain.Forms and Xamarin Native project should be decided based on the application scenario, complexity of app. Please find the difference between creating a mobile app using Xamarin.Forms and Xamarin.Native platforms. 

 

Xamarin.Forms: 

 

1.     Create one UI for all platforms 

2.     Use basic components that are available on all platforms (like Buttons, Textfields, Spinners etc.) 

3.     No need to learn all the native UI frameworks 

4.     Fast cross platform development process 

5.     Custom native renderers give you the ability to adjust the appearance and feeling of controls 

 

If you develop some basic mobile application across the three platforms (iOS, Android and Windows), you can choose Xamarin.Forms. 

 

Xamarin.Native: 

 

1.     Create one UI per platform 

2.     Provide more option for creating custom UI, animation and accessing platform specific API’s 

3.     Easy ability to adjust the platform specific UI features and components 

4.     Get the maximum out of your UI 

 

If you would like specialized interaction, more custom UI, Graphics and Animation, using more platform specific API’s, we prefer you Xamarin Native platform to develop a mobile application. 

 

Convert Xamarin.Android to Xamarin.iOS vice versa  

 

Using Xamarin Traditional (Native platform) approach, you can use a C# as programming language to write your models, call web services, business logics etc. So, you are writing that code logic once and using/share it across the Xamarin.Android and Xamarin.iOS projects, and in those separate projects you are writing code that is specific for that platform and you have access to their APIs. 

 

Traditional Xamarin approach (Xamarin.iOS and Xamarin.Android) built on top of Mono, an open-source version of the .NET Framework. To develop those apps, you can use C# and there is an opportunity to share up to 75% of code base such as business logics, web service, models, database access etc. You only need to recreate the user interface itself without writing navigation logic twice when converting Xamarin.Android to Xamain.iOS vice versa.  

 

The below forum links will provide some ideas on this. 

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/43031120/difference-between-xamarin-forms-and-xamarin-cross-platform 

 

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/32204807/when-to-use-xamarin-forms-vs-xamarin-native  

 

Hope the above information helps you. 

 

Regards, 

Bharathi. 

[Barry allen]

Xamarin buys you almost nothing in terms of portability. Its not an abstraction layer. Its just a language option. You will still have to write two apps to two completely different apis. shareit app vidmate apk

[Yuvaraj Palanisamy]

Hi RyanTyler, 

 

Greetings from Syncfusion. 

 

We have analyzed your query and the Xamarin.Forms and our Xamarin.Forms control will not allow you to rewrite the same app in different platforms except for very few renderers alone.  

 

Please let us know that if we misunderstand your query or you will face any other problems with our Xamarin.Forms controls. 

 

Regards, 

Yuvaraj 

[Nala Fx]

Xcode : IDE developed by Apple for developing an apps on iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS basically all Apple products out there. You can use Objective C or Swift whichever language you prefer to develop an app in xcode, you don't have such choice with Xamarin you have to use C#. ... It is hell lot better and easy than Xamarin

VivatV Cyberflix

[Swetha Srikumar]

Hi Nala, 

 

Thanks for the update. 

 

Regards, 

Swetha 

[xpaceseven]

You can use Objective C or Swift whichever language you prefer to develop an app in xcode, you don't have such choice with Xamarin you have to use C#. You always have an edge over xamarin when you develop an with Xcode. ... Xcode basically has lot of features which xamarin lacks. jiofi.local.html forpc

[Sakthivel Palaniyappan]

Hi Xpaceseven,

Thanks for the update.

Regards,
Sakthivel P. 

[rahulkunal]

When considering iOS or Android app development, most of us think about Objective-C vs Swift, and Java first of all. Being considered native tech stacks, they are naturally most often used mobile development tools when it comes to iOS and Android app development. However, there are more ways to build performant and user-friendly mobile apps. And Xamarin is one of them. In this article, we conduct an in-depth Xamarin review and compare it to native and cross-platform mobile development solutions on the market. If you know the basics, consider skipping to the sections you are interested in. MegaBox HD APK

What Is Xamarin?

It’s impossible to ignore Xamarin when talking about the key approaches to mobile application development. Xamarin is a tool used for cross-platform mobile app development that allows engineers to share up to 90 percent of code across major platforms. Being a comparatively new tool, it is based on the Microsoft technology stack and already has a community of over 1.4 million developers.

The platform was built by the developers behind Mono, an open source development platform based on the .NET Framework, led by Miguel de Icaza and first introduced in 2001. The Xamarin company was founded on May 16, 2011. Cinema APK

However, unlike its predecessor, Xamarin was created as a commercial project until the company was acquired by Microsoft in 2016. Xamarin became a popular cross-platform product for developing mobile apps within the Microsoft ecosystem. This acquisition broke the financial barrier for using Xamarin. As Microsoft made Xamarin SDK open-source, it became part of Xamarin Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment (we discuss best IDEs to use for Xamarin development below). What are the main features of Xamarin?

C# language. Xamarin uses a single language, C#, to create apps for all mobile platforms. Unlike interpreted solutions, such as Appcelerator Titanium, Xamarin is natively compiled, which makes it a go-to option for building high-performance apps with native look and feel. 

Based on .NET framework. C# is a mature language with strong safety-typing that prevents code from unexpected behavior. As C# is one of the .NET framework languages, it can be used with a number of useful .NET features such as Lambdas, LINQ, and Asynchronous programming (async/await).

Technically speaking, Xamarin uses C# and native libraries wrapped in the .Net layer for cross-platform app development. Such applications are often compared to native for both iOS and Android mobile development platforms in terms of performance and user experience. Additionally, Xamarin can leverage all native and the latest API access to utilize underlying platform capabilities in Xamarin apps such as ARKit on iOS or Android Multi-Window. While the code related to business logic, database access, and network communication can be shared across all platforms, Xamarin allows you to create a platform-specific UI code layer. Thus, Xamarin cross-platform apps look 100% native on any device, providing a better user experience, as compared to generic hybrid apps. Exiled Ros

Compilation. The platform has two major products: Xamarin.iOS and Xamarin.Android. In the case of iOS, the source code is compiled directly into native ARM assembly code (Ahead-of-Time compilation), while Android Xamarin apps are first compiled down to Intermediate Language and then – into native assembly code at runtime (Just-in-Time compilation). However, in both cases the process is automated and tailored to handle such issues as memory allocation, garbage collection, and platform interoperability by default.  beetv

Xamarin.Forms. Xamarin.Forms is a separate product designed to create prototypes or mobile apps sharing up to 100 percent of the code across iOS and Android. 

Xamarin.Mac. Additionally, engineers can use Xamarin.Mac to build applications for Mac OS.  These and some other products from the Xamarin stack will be discussed in a bit.

Platform SDKs. Xamarin provides access to platform-specific SDKs (Cocoa Touch for iOS and Android SDK) via simple C# syntax.

Platform-specific code bindings. In most cases engineers will be able to handle development keeping the native look and feel of the respective platforms within the Xamarin environment. However, Xamarin allows you to call existing platform code (e.g. Swift for iOS) if you must reuse some modules or realize some platform-specific functions like barcode scanning, PayPal or Google Analytics integration. Support of wearables. Xamarin supports building apps for Apple and Android Watch devices. Engineers can use Visual Studio both for Mac and Windows to build iOS Apple Watch apps. Also, Xamarin fully supports Android Wear. Xamarin project structure. Most of the Xamarin-related work is expected to be run via a Windows development computer with Visual Studio and Xamarin installed. The apps can be debugged straight from the desktop or on devices and emulators. If you plan to develop iOS apps on Windows, it’s also possible as Visual Studio connects to the iOS storyboard designer and iOS simulator. There’s also Visual Studio for Mac which allows for running a simulator on the Mac or directly on a tethered iPhone. Debugging is run via Visual Studio.

[rareskyfive]

Xamarin is an open-source platform for building modern and performant applications for iOS, Android, and Windows with . NET. Xamarin is an abstraction layer that manages communication of shared code with underlying platform code. mybkexperience mcdvoice

[Ruba Shanmugam]

Hi Rareskyfive,

Thanks for the update.

Regards,
Ruba Shanmugam

[Peter Veg Smith]

is today updated smartphones of motorola and samsung support xamarin and xcode? Do I have to buy an IOs phone?

[Suganya Sethuraman]

Hi Peter,

Greetings from Syncfusion.

We are not aware of your exact requirement. Please provide the more details about requirement. This will help us to investigate further and provide better solution at earliest.

Regards,
Suganya Sethuraman. 

[Peter Veg Smith]

Hi Suganya,

What I am asking is, does xamarin and xcode support the android versions smart phones?

Or it only support the iOS?

[Suganya Sethuraman]

Hi Peter,

XCode is an IDE that supports Swift and Objective C language to develop iOS applications Where as Xamarin is a cross platform used to develop applications in both iOS and Android. So developing using Xamarin will support current Android and iOS devices. 

Regards,
Suganya Sethuraman. 

 

[Peter Veg Smith]

Thanks for the information, I also came to know more about Xamarin and Xcode as both are both tools used in the development of mobile applications, but they are associated with different platforms and have distinct characteristics.

1. Xamarin

Platform

Xamarin is a cross-platform mobile app development framework that allows developers to build applications for iOS, Android, and Windows using C# and the .NET framework.

Language

Xamarin uses C# as its primary programming language, providing a familiar syntax for developers who are already familiar with C# and .NET technologies.

Code Sharing

Xamarin allows for a high degree of code sharing between iOS and Android platforms, reducing development time and effort. However, some platform-specific code may still be required.

IDE

Xamarin development can be done using Microsoft Visual Studio, which is a popular integrated development environment (IDE).

2. Xcode

Platform

Xcode is the official integrated development environment for iOS and macOS app development. It is exclusive to the Apple ecosystem.

Language

The primary programming language for iOS development in Xcode is Swift, although Objective-C is also supported. Swift is a modern programming language developed by Apple.

Code Sharing

While Xcode itself doesn't inherently support cross-platform development, you can use frameworks like SwiftUI or Catalyst to share code between iOS and macOS applications. However, these are more for Apple-specific platforms.

Platform Support

Choose Xamarin if you want to develop applications for multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Windows) using a single codebase. If you are focused on iOS development exclusively, Xcode is the way to go.

Programming Language

If you have a preference for C# and .NET, Xamarin is a natural choice. If you prefer Swift or Objective-C and want to align with Apple's recommended languages, then Xcode is the way to go.

Code Reusability

Xamarin promotes a high degree of code sharing between platforms, which can be beneficial in terms of development efficiency. Xcode, on the other hand, is more tailored for building native applications for Apple devices.

Ecosystem and Tools

Consider the additional tools, libraries, and support available for each platform. Xamarin leverages the .NET ecosystem, while Xcode is integrated with Apple's extensive set of developer tools like the Apple Pay Express checkout extension.

Summary

the choice between Xamarin and Xcode depends on your specific requirements, platform preferences, and the extent to which you want to share code across different operating systems. If you're primarily targeting the Apple ecosystem, Xcode is the natural choice. If you need cross-platform capabilities, Xamarin provides a solution.

[Preethi Rajakandham]

Hi Peter,

 

Thank you for the information. Please let us know if you need further assistance. As always, we are happy to help you out.

Regards,

Preethi R