Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

C++ Builder VS Xamarin.Android

Compare C++ Builder VS Xamarin.Android and see what are their differences

C++ Builder logo C++ Builder

Modern, fast C++. Four platforms, backed by powerful UI and database frameworks.

Xamarin.Android logo Xamarin.Android

Integrated environment for building not only native Android but iOS and Windows apps too.
  • C++ Builder Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-02
  • Xamarin.Android Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-06

C++ Builder features and specs

  • Rapid Application Development
    C++ Builder provides a powerful IDE with drag-and-drop components that significantly accelerate the process of building applications.
  • Cross-Platform Development
    Supports the development of applications for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, allowing developers to use a single codebase across multiple platforms.
  • Comprehensive Libraries and Components
    Offers a wide range of libraries and pre-built components, which reduce the amount of code developers need to write from scratch.
  • Strong Backward Compatibility
    Maintains strong compatibility with older versions, which aids in the maintenance and upgrading of legacy systems.
  • Integration with Other Embarcadero Tools
    Seamless integration with other Embarcadero products like Delphi, enhancing the development ecosystem with additional tools and features.

Possible disadvantages of C++ Builder

  • High Licensing Costs
    C++ Builder requires a paid license, which can be expensive compared to some other development environments.
  • Learning Curve
    While it offers many powerful features, new users might find it a bit challenging to learn, especially those unfamiliar with C++.
  • Limited Community Support
    Compared to more popular IDEs and frameworks, C++ Builder has a smaller community, which can make finding help and resources more difficult.
  • Compatibility Issues with Third-Party Libraries
    Integration with third-party C++ libraries can sometimes be inconsistent, requiring extra effort to resolve compatibility issues.
  • Performance Overhead
    Although it simplifies cross-platform development, the additional abstraction can sometimes lead to performance overhead compared to native development.

Xamarin.Android features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Development
    Xamarin.Android allows developers to write for multiple platforms using a single codebase, facilitating code reuse and reducing development time and costs.
  • Native Performance
    Applications built with Xamarin.Android can achieve near-native performance levels, leveraging platform-specific APIs and hardware capabilities.
  • Shared Codebase
    Developers can share a large portion of their code across different platforms (i.e., Android, iOS, Windows), simplifying maintenance and updates.
  • Access to .NET Libraries
    Xamarin.Android enables the use of the extensive .NET ecosystem and libraries, providing a robust and well-supported development environment.
  • Strong Integration with Visual Studio
    Xamarin offers seamless integration with Visual Studio, allowing developers to use familiar tools and workflows to debug, test, and deploy their applications.

Possible disadvantages of Xamarin.Android

  • Overhead and Package Size
    Xamarin.Android applications can have larger package sizes and extra overhead compared to natively developed applications.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers coming from a purely native Android development background (Java/Kotlin) may face a steep learning curve when transitioning to C# and the Xamarin framework.
  • Limited Access to Latest Features
    Sometimes there may be delays in gaining access to the latest Android features and updates, as Xamarin bindings need to be updated to support them.
  • Performance Overheads
    While near-native performance is achievable, there may be some performance overheads especially with complex applications requiring extensive platform-specific optimizations.
  • Community and Support
    Although Xamarin has a dedicated community, it is smaller compared to native Android development communities, which may result in fewer resources and less community support.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to C++ Builder and Xamarin.Android)
IDE
25 25%
75% 75
Text Editors
22 22%
78% 78
Development
23 23%
77% 77
Tool
32 32%
68% 68

User comments

Share your experience with using C++ Builder and Xamarin.Android. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Xamarin.Android seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 6 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.

C++ Builder mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of C++ Builder yet. Tracking of C++ Builder recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Xamarin.Android mentions (6)

  • Why is Android Development so difficult/complex? (compared to Web and Desktop)
    Take a look at https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/apps/mobile. It will allow you to write Android apps in C# in Visual Studio. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Stop EU Chat Control
    > It's not hardware. So now are kernel extensions also “applications”? > VSCode is an app that needs the .NET runtime, in order to run the code you write in e.g. C#. You could not possibly be more wrong. VSCode is written in Typescript. It is an Electron app. There have been cross platform JS frameworks that ran on iOS for a decade. Besides that, it’s been years since you have needed the .Net runtime to run... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • this sub in a nutshell
    Ah, so C# (and .NET) does have its answer to Qt, point taken. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Which programming language to learn next (as a competitive programer before college)?
    C# can be used for mobile and macOS - https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/apps/xamarin/mobile-apps. Source: over 3 years ago
  • How good is .Net Core for iOS apps?
    Iric that’s only possible with Microsoft Xamarin. Never used it, rarely hear about it. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing C++ Builder and Xamarin.Android, you can also consider the following products

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.

RAD Studio - RAD Studio 10.2 with Delphi Linux compiler is the fastest way to write, compile, package and deploy cross-platform native software applications. Learn 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.

Rider - Rider is a cross-platform .NET IDE based on the IntelliJ platform and ReSharper.

KDevelop - KDevelop is a free, open source IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, Mac OS X and other Unix flavors.

IntelliJ IDEA - Capable and Ergonomic IDE for JVM