Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Xamarin Studio VS Thunkable

Compare Xamarin Studio VS Thunkable and see what are their differences

Xamarin Studio logo Xamarin Studio

Build better apps with Xamarin Studio.

Thunkable logo Thunkable

Powerful but easy to use, drag-and-drop mobile app builder.
  • Xamarin Studio Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-22
  • Thunkable Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23

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.

Thunkable features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Thunkable offers a drag-and-drop interface which makes it easy for beginners to create mobile apps without needing to write code.
  • Cross-Platform Development
    It allows you to build apps that work on both iOS and Android platforms from a single codebase, saving time and effort.
  • Community and Support
    Thunkable has an active community and extensive documentation, which can be very helpful for troubleshooting and learning new features.
  • Real-time Testing
    You can test your app in real-time using the Thunkable Live app, which speeds up the development process.
  • Integrations
    Thunkable offers various pre-built integrations such as Google Sheets, Firebase, and REST APIs, making it easier to add functionality to your app.

Possible disadvantages of Thunkable

  • Limited Customization
    While the drag-and-drop interface is user-friendly, it can also be limiting for advanced users who need more control and customization.
  • Performance Issues
    Apps built with Thunkable may not perform as well as those built with native development tools, particularly for resource-intensive applications.
  • Pricing
    While Thunkable offers a free tier, many advanced features and higher usage limits are locked behind a subscription paywall.
  • Learning Curve for Complex Apps
    Although it’s beginner-friendly, creating complex apps can still require a steep learning curve, especially if you don’t have a background in app development.
  • Dependence on Platform Limitations
    As a cross-platform tool, it may not always support the latest features specific to iOS or Android as quickly as native solutions.

Analysis of Thunkable

Overall verdict

  • Thunkable is a good choice for individuals or small teams looking to develop apps quickly and without needing to learn complex programming languages. Its simplicity and cross-platform capabilities make it a preferred option for novice developers or educators teaching app development.

Why this product is good

  • Thunkable is a platform that allows users to create mobile applications without extensive coding knowledge. It features a drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible to beginners and those without a technical background. The platform supports both Android and iOS app development from a single project, which saves time and effort. Additionally, Thunkable provides various pre-built components and a community forum for support.

Recommended for

    Beginners in app development, educators introducing app creation, small startups looking for rapid prototyping, and non-technical entrepreneurs interested in building mobile applications.

Xamarin Studio videos

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Thunkable videos

What is Thunkable X?

More videos:

  • Review - Thunkable vs Kodular: Create Android and iOS Apps without Coding
  • Review - ProductHunt Review E8 (Reactful, Thunkable, Tster) by Cleveroad Inc

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Xamarin Studio and Thunkable)
IDE
38 38%
62% 62
Application Builder
0 0%
100% 100
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
Mobile App Builder
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 Xamarin Studio and Thunkable

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

Thunkable Reviews

Top 10 Android Studio Alternatives For App Development
Thunkable is a mobile application development platform that allows users to create apps on Android or iOS without having any coding skills. It consists of a drag-and-drop interface which makes it easier to use by anyone.
Top 5 App Builder To Build Your Own App Without Coding
In the Free Version of Thunkable, You can make a maximum of 10 posts with 200 MB of storage, Don't create a Good Project in the free version because Your project is available in public So that anyone can use it. If you want to create an app to publish your app on the play store, So please buy PRO subscriptions in Thunkable or Move to another app builder. Only you can...
33+ Best No Code Tools you will love 😍
With testing out Thunkable with a friend, it's a bit of s learning curve at first, but once you get used to the platform, there's a lot of potential to build awesome projects. What I do like that they have done is includes video tutorials (which is pulled in from their YouTube page) to understand specific features/tools to help build your app. Something I think more apps...
25 No-Code Apps and Tools to help build your next Startup
Thunkable is a powerful mobile app builder that requires no coding. It emphasizes speed and aesthetics. Its best feature is its functionality for advanced features.
Source: www.ishir.com
10 Best Android Studio Alternatives For App Development
Thunkable is a powerful drag and drops app builder. And this is made by two of the very first MIT engineers on the MIT app inventor. The platform is geared for the most professional users, who may want higher quality and robust apps for their business, community or just for themselves. Thus, Thunkable has an amazingly active and engaged community. And it also offers live...
Source: techdator.net

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Xamarin Studio should be more popular than Thunkable. 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.

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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Thunkable mentions (10)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Xamarin Studio and Thunkable, 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.

Bubble.io - Building tech is slow and expensive. Bubble is the most powerful no-code platform for creating digital products.

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

MIT App Inventor - App Inventor is a cloud-based tool, which means you can create apps for phones or tablets right in your web browser.

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

Kodular - Much more than a modern app creator without coding