Comparison of Xamarin Forms and Xamarin Native

When developing in the Xamarin environment, you face two important paths: Xamarin Forms and Xamarin Native. Especially in the world of mobile development, choosing the right one between the two in terms of functionality, performance, and developer experience is critical. So, what are the key differences between Xamarin Forms and Xamarin Native? In which scenario should you choose which? In this article, we will answer all these questions from a technical perspective, based on the keyword "Xamarin Forms vs Xamarin Native".

What is Xamarin Forms?

Xamarin Forms allows you to build cross-platform applications for both Android and iOS with a single C# codebase. It offers a XAML-based approach for the UI layer and maximizes the amount of shared code. Thus, it enables much faster prototyping and development. It is ideal for simple and medium-sized applications.

A Basic Page with Xamarin Forms

public class MainPage : ContentPage
{
    public MainPage()
    {
        Content = new StackLayout
        {
            Children = {
                new Label { Text = "Hello with Xamarin Forms!" }
            }
        };
    }
}

What is Xamarin Native?

Xamarin Native (Xamarin.Android & Xamarin.iOS) allows you to use each platform's native interface elements via C#. The user interface is designed separately (with XML for Android, Storyboard/Xamarin.iOS APIs for iOS). It is ideal for those seeking the maximum in control and performance between platforms. Even though it brings more code repetition and maintenance burden, it is preferred in projects that require platform specificity.

A Basic Activity with Xamarin.Android

[Activity(Label = "MainActivity")]
public class MainActivity : Activity
{
    protected override void OnCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
    {
        base.OnCreate(savedInstanceState);
        SetContentView(Resource.Layout.activity_main);
    }
}

Differences Between Xamarin Forms and Xamarin Native

• Code Sharing: Xamarin Forms allows more code sharing, including the interface. In Xamarin Native, only the business logic part of the code is shared.
• Performance: Xamarin Native stands out for complex interfaces and platform-specific experiences. Forms offers sufficient performance for simple applications.
• Scope and Flexibility: Forms provides fast development, while Native is more flexible in platform customizations.

Conclusion and Which to Choose in Which Scenario?

When making the "Xamarin Forms vs Xamarin Native" choice, analyze your project's needs well. If rapid development, shared code, and simple interfaces are your priorities, Xamarin Forms is more suitable. If platform-specific details and high performance are needed, Xamarin Native should be preferred. With the right choice, both your development process and application success are significantly affected.