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B4X VS Xamarin Studio

Compare B4X VS Xamarin Studio and see what are their differences

B4X logo B4X

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

Xamarin Studio logo Xamarin Studio

Build better apps with Xamarin Studio.
  • B4X Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-17
  • Xamarin Studio Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-22

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    Some users have reported that the documentation can be inconsistent or outdated, making it challenging to find up-to-date and accurate information on certain topics.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 Studio features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Development
    Xamarin Studio, now part of Visual Studio for Mac, allows developers to build applications that can run on both iOS and Android platforms using a single codebase, reducing development time and costs.
  • C# and .NET Framework
    Utilizes the C# programming language and the .NET framework, which are familiar to many developers, allowing them to leverage existing skills and use a diverse library of resources.
  • Native Performance
    Provides the ability to create applications with native performance, as Xamarin compiles code into native binaries specific to each platform.
  • Shared Code
    Offers shared code functionality, which allows developers to write business logic once and share up to 90% of their code across different platforms.
  • Integrated Development Environment
    Visual Studio for Mac offers a comprehensive and integrated development environment with debugging, testing, and cloud deployment tools.
  • Microsoft Support
    As a Microsoft product, Xamarin Studio benefits from strong support and regular updates from Microsoft, ensuring it stays updated with the latest features and security patches.

Possible disadvantages of Xamarin Studio

  • App Size
    Applications built with Xamarin often result in larger file sizes compared to those built with native technologies due to the integration of the .NET runtime.
  • Limited Access to Latest Features
    When new features are released on iOS or Android, there might be a delay before Xamarin fully supports these new features.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers new to Xamarin, especially those with no prior experience with C# or the .NET framework, may face a steep learning curve.
  • Dependency on Microsoft Ecosystem
    Developers might find themselves becoming heavily dependent on the Microsoft ecosystem, which may not be ideal for all projects or organizations.
  • Performance Overhead
    Although Xamarin offers near-native performance, there can be some performance overhead compared to applications developed using platform-specific native SDKs.
  • Limited UI Customization
    Despite offering native-like UI performance, achieving highly customized UI elements can be more complex compared to using native development environments.

Analysis of B4X

Overall verdict

  • B4X is considered a good option for developers looking for a versatile and efficient development platform. Its ease of use, cross-platform capabilities, and strong community support make it a valuable tool, especially for those who prioritize development speed and multiplatform deployment.

Why this product is good

  • B4X is a suite of rapid application development tools that simplifies the coding process by providing a cross-platform development environment. It uses a simple, yet powerful programming language suitable for beginners and advanced users alike. The platform boasts a strong community, extensive documentation, and a rapid development cycle. Additionally, it is known for its ability to develop native apps for Android, iOS, and desktop systems from a single codebase.

Recommended for

  • Beginners who want an easy introduction to programming.
  • Developers looking to create cross-platform applications with a single codebase.
  • Small to medium-sized development teams needing rapid prototyping and development.
  • Educators seeking a simple yet effective tool to teach programming.
  • Independent developers or startups who need to quickly deploy apps across multiple platforms.

B4X videos

Little Bear B4X: A Short Sound Review

Xamarin Studio videos

No Xamarin Studio videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to B4X and Xamarin Studio)
IDE
59 59%
41% 41
Developer Tools
84 84%
16% 16
Text Editors
50 50%
50% 50
Software Development
0 0%
100% 100

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 Studio

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 Studio Reviews

10 Best Android Studio Alternatives For App Development
Xamarin Studio is one of the best Android app development tools. The Xamarin extends for the .NET developer platform with tools and libraries. Specifically the development of Android apps, iOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS and Windows. It is mandatory to start the Android app development with Xamarin Studio. But keep some points that before you start coding it is better that you...
Source: techdator.net

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Xamarin Studio seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 39 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

B4X mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of B4X yet. Tracking of B4X recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Xamarin Studio mentions (39)

  • Visual Studio vs. Visual Studio Code: An In-depth Comparison
    Visual Studio mainly supports the Windows operating system and there is a version for macOS users called Visual Studio for Mac. There is no version for devices running Linux operating systems hence they access similar features like Visual Studio's through Mono . Note that Microsoft will soon be terminating VS for Mac by 31st August, 2024. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • Microsoft is discontinuing Visual Studio for Mac after major overhaul
    I didn't know it existed. https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/mac/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Homebrew Is Awesome
    Most of the stuff is already available as classical UNIX, then, https://developer.apple.com/xcode/ https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads https://maven.apache.org/download.cgi https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/ https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download https://code.visualstudio.com/ https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/mac/ And I am pretty much done. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Can I create Windows Form with my Mac M1?
    Sorry but that’s one of the things it’s can’t do. https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/mac/. If you scroll to the bottom that page they compare vs for Mac with the windows version so you can see how they compare. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Error message in terminal
    Your code looks right I guess (been a long time since I've done C lol) so probably this means something in the build chain is broken. If this is "Visual Studio for Mac" then I think you're out of luck, as far as I can tell VS does not support C/C++ on Mac according to https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/mac/ (VS supports C via its C++ compiler, MSVC, which is not ported to Mac). If you're in VSCode you should be... Source: about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

Android Studio - Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA

Netbeans - NetBeans IDE 7.0. Develop desktop, mobile and web applications with Java, PHP, C/C++ and more. Runs on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and Solaris. NetBeans IDE is open-source and free.

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.

Orwell Dev-C - The official site of the Bloodshed Dev-C++ update, which is fully portable, and optionally ships with a 64bit compiler.

Flutter - Build beautiful native apps in record time 🚀

C4droid - C4droid is an intelligent IDE and C/C++ compiler, allowing you to create your own application on Android devices.