Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

B4X VS Xamarin.Forms

Compare B4X VS Xamarin.Forms and see what are their differences

B4X logo B4X

Cross platform development tools for native iOS, Android, desktop and server applications.

Xamarin.Forms logo Xamarin.Forms

Xamarin.Forms is an open source cross-platform framework for building native UIs for iOS, Android, and Windows from a single, shared C# codebase.
  • B4X Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-17
  • Xamarin.Forms Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-24

B4X features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Development
    B4X allows developers to write a single codebase that can be deployed across multiple platforms, including Android, iOS, and desktop applications, which significantly reduces development time and effort.
  • Ease of Use
    B4X offers a simple and intuitive environment for developing applications, making it accessible for beginners while still powerful for experienced developers.
  • Strong Community Support
    B4X has an active and supportive community that provides plenty of resources, tutorials, and forums for troubleshooting and mentorship.
  • Rapid Application Development
    The visual designer and powerful libraries included in B4X allow for quick prototyping and development, helping to accelerate the overall development process.
  • Cost-Effective
    B4X offers a free version with substantial features, allowing smaller developers and hobbyists to get started without incurring high costs.
  • Native Performance
    Applications developed with B4X leverage native controls and performance, which ensures that apps run fast and efficiently on their target platforms.

Possible disadvantages of B4X

  • Limited to B4X IDE
    Developers are largely locked into the B4X IDE, limiting flexibility in terms of using other development environments and tools.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic development is straightforward, mastering advanced features and functionalities requires time and effort, which could be a hurdle for some developers.
  • Less Popular
    B4X is less popular compared to other development frameworks like React Native or Flutter, which could mean fewer third-party resources and plugins.
  • Limited Enterprise Features
    While excellent for small and medium-sized projects, B4X may lack some of the advanced features or extensive third-party integrations needed for large enterprise-level applications.
  • Inconsistent Documentation
    Some users have reported that the documentation can be inconsistent or outdated, making it challenging to find up-to-date and accurate information on certain topics.
  • Platform-Specific Customization
    Despite being cross-platform, extensive customization for each platform may still be required to ensure optimal user experience and compliance with design guidelines.

Xamarin.Forms features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

B4X videos

Little Bear B4X: A Short Sound Review

Xamarin.Forms videos

6 IMPORTANT THINGS DIFFERENT ABOUT XAMARIN.FORMS VS XAMARIN NATIVE

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to B4X and Xamarin.Forms)
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
Cross-Platform Development
Developer Tools
88 88%
12% 12
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare B4X and Xamarin.Forms

B4X Reviews

Top 10 Android Studio Alternatives For App Development
B4X is a cross-platform tool that helps in creating applications on platforms like Google Android, Arduino, Apple iOS, and so on. The syntax of B4X is similar to BASIC.
10 Best Android Studio Alternatives For App Development
B4X is a suite of rapid application development IDE’s. This platform allows you to create applications on the following platforms: Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS, Java, Raspberry Pi, and Arduino. B4X is a popular tool for Android app development. It is not only used by developers, but popular companies are also using this amazing tool like IBM, NASA, and others.
Source: techdator.net

Xamarin.Forms Reviews

12 Best Frameworks and Toolkits to Build Desktop Applications
Xamarin.Forms is an open-source framework for developing applications for different operating systems such as Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, etc.
Source: geekflare.com

What are some alternatives?

When comparing B4X and Xamarin.Forms, you can also consider the following products

Android Studio - Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA

OS.js - OS.js is an open-source JavaScript web desktop platform with a window manager, application APIs, GUI toolkit, filesystem abstractions and much more.

Qt Creator - Qt Creator is a cross-platform C++, JavaScript and QML integrated development environment. It is the fastest, easiest and most fun experience a C++ developer could wish for.

EnactJS - An app development framework built atop React that’s easy to use, performant and customizable.

Flutter - Build beautiful native apps in record time 🚀

Xojo - Real Software and Real Studio are now Xojo.