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Xamarin VS vscode.dev

Compare Xamarin VS vscode.dev and see what are their differences

Xamarin logo Xamarin

Create iOS, Android and Mac apps in C#

vscode.dev logo vscode.dev

Now when you go to https://vscode.dev, you'll be presented with a lightweight version of VS Code running fully in the browser.
  • Xamarin Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17
  • vscode.dev Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-03

Xamarin features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Development
    Xamarin allows developers to write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms (iOS, Android, and Windows), which can significantly reduce development time and effort.
  • Native Performance
    Apps built with Xamarin perform as well as native apps because they leverage platform-specific hardware acceleration and compile directly to native ARM assembly code.
  • Shared Codebase
    With Xamarin, developers can use a single codebase for different platforms, making it easier to maintain and update apps across multiple operating systems.
  • Large Ecosystem
    As part of the broader .NET ecosystem, Xamarin benefits from a large collection of libraries, tools, and developer resources provided by Microsoft.
  • Strong Community Support
    Xamarin has a strong developer community and comprehensive documentation, making it easier for developers to find support and resources.
  • Integration with Visual Studio
    Xamarin integrates seamlessly with Visual Studio, providing a robust development environment complete with debugging, profiling, and unit testing tools.

Possible disadvantages of Xamarin

  • App Size
    Xamarin apps tend to have larger file sizes compared to native apps because of the additional overhead of the Mono runtime.
  • Limited Third-Party Library Support
    While Xamarin supports a wide range of libraries, not all third-party libraries and SDKs are compatible, which might require custom bindings or workarounds.
  • Performance Overhead
    Some performance overhead might still exist compared to fully native applications, especially in complex and resource-intensive apps.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers coming from purely native development backgrounds might face a learning curve when adopting Xamarin, particularly in understanding the shared codebase approach and platform-specific nuances.
  • Platform Limitations
    Certain platform-specific features and UI elements might not be fully supported or might require additional custom code to implement.
  • Licensing Costs
    Although Xamarin itself is open source, enterprise-level features or more advanced tools might require a Visual Studio Enterprise subscription, which can be costly.

vscode.dev features and specs

  • Accessibility
    You can access VSCode.dev from any device with a web browser, making it highly convenient for on-the-go editing.
  • No Installation Required
    Users can start coding immediately without any need to install software, simplifying the setup process.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    VSCode.dev works across different operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux), offering flexibility.
  • Regular Updates
    The web version receives updates in sync with the desktop version, ensuring you have access to the latest features and improvements.
  • Extension Support
    Many extensions available in the desktop version are also accessible in VSCode.dev, enhancing functionality.

Possible disadvantages of vscode.dev

  • Limited Offline Support
    Unlike the desktop app, VSCode.dev requires an internet connection, which could be a drawback in areas with poor connectivity.
  • Performance Constraints
    Running in a browser may result in decreased performance compared to the desktop version, especially for resource-intensive tasks.
  • Lower Customizability
    The web version may have some limitations in customization options compared to the full-featured desktop app.
  • Security Concerns
    Storing code and editing in a browser might raise security and privacy concerns for some users, particularly when dealing with sensitive information.
  • Dependency on Browser
    The experience can vary depending on the browser used, and it might not be fully optimized for all browsers.

Xamarin videos

Pros and Cons of Xamarin Development

More videos:

  • Review - Is Xamarin Forms Any Good?
  • Review - Why Xamarin Is Awesome

vscode.dev videos

VSCode.Dev (VS Code in the Browser) - A Few Reasons You Might Care

More videos:

  • Review - VSCode In The BROWSER!? | vscode.dev | VS Code Online
  • Review - vscode.dev - VS Code In The Browser!!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Xamarin and vscode.dev)
Developer Tools
64 64%
36% 36
Text Editors
0 0%
100% 100
Development Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Open Source
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 and vscode.dev

Xamarin Reviews

Explore 9 Top Eclipse Alternatives for 2024
Xamarin.Forms An open-source UI framework that enables developers to conjure up applications for Xamarin.iOS, Xamarin.Android, and Windows from a singular shared codebase. Offers rich features like XAML user-interface language, databinding, gestures, effects, styling.
Source: aircada.com
Top 10 Flutter Alternatives for Cross-Platform App Development
Developed and launched by Microsoft, Xamarin facilitates developers to build apps for iOS and Android by using C# and .NET. It ensures a seamless integration with Visual Studio and lets developers experience a fully familiar environment. The framework provides a single codebase and allows developers to perform app development rapidly.
Exploring 15 Powerful Flutter Alternatives
Xamarin is a Microsoft-created framework for building native iOS, Android, and Windows apps in C#/.NET. On the complexity front, Xamarin apps generally require more focus on memory management and garbage collection tuning relative to alternatives like Flutter. The additional diligence pays dividends in runtime performance when done properly. However, developers with...
THE BEST 34 APP DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE IN 2022 LIST
Xamarin is a Microsoft-owned tool to write native code for apps. Free. Cross-platform. Open-source. An app platform for building Android and iOS apps with .NET and C#.
9 Of The Best Android Studio Alternatives To Try Out
You can also access the required resources at the Xamarin Universal project. You can stay up to date with the latest updates by subscribing to their YouTube channel or blogs. The Xamarin community is most active, and you can get answers to your questions swiftly.

vscode.dev Reviews

We have no reviews of vscode.dev yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, vscode.dev should be more popular than Xamarin. It has been mentiond 271 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 mentions (28)

  • Wine Releases Framework Mono 6.14 in Taking over the Mono Project
    I haven't been following .NET lately, but AFAIK .NET works on Linux now and "Mono" is basically .NET for Linux... What even are the differences? Sounds like Microsoft just doesn't want to maintain 2 different versions so they're dumping it. Also, > Microsoft became the steward of the Mono Project when it acquired Xamarin in 2016 They probably never even wanted Mono, they just inherited it because they wanted... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • C# Fundamentals
    Mobile Applications: With Xamarin, a cross-platform mobile development framework, developers can write C# code to build native Android, iOS, and Windows mobile applications. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Making an android app with c#
    Xamarin - Basically an older version of MAUI. I would advise against creating new projects on Xamarin since MAUI is supposed to render it obsolete. Source: over 2 years ago
  • App developer
    Microsoft Xamarin: For this you'll need to know C# and .net. Source: over 2 years ago
  • I own a web development company in San Antonio and I'm looking for ideas to support the UTSA students with some sort of free courses or classes
    At my internship, we moved to Microsoft's Visual Studio for C# development from Java, and for application development we use Xamarin which can be used on Windows and Mac. Source: over 2 years ago
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vscode.dev mentions (271)

  • Who Needs Software for Development Anyway?
    The GitHub code editor (immediately accessible by changing the ".com" to ".dev" in your browser URL, in case you didn't know) is miles, leagues ahead of what AWS has to offer. It has a full, working version of vscode.dev, which is pretty much the same as github.dev those days, I hear. It will allow you to install supported extensions, do some code completion, run your tests - and even has a shell! You can't... - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Show HN: I'm tired of sharing code using PasteBin and Slack, so I made this
    Vscode itself can run in the browser (https://vscode.dev/), and presumably so could the extension - so a full live-demo ought to be possible. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Dear AWS, how do I build & develop purely on AWS right now?
    As an alternative for Cloud9, you can use vscode.dev, which runs VS Code in the browser or other alternatives that are more integrated and personalized like gitpod.io or Github Codespaces. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Coding on iPad using VSCode, Caddy, and code-server
    Is it ergonomic to code on a tablet without bci? https://vscode.dev can connect to a remote vscode instance in a container e.g. Over Remote Tunnels ; but browsers trap so many keyboard shortcuts. Which container with code-server to run to connect to from vscode client? You can specify a development container that contains code-server with devcontainer.json. vscode, Codespaces and these tools support... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Show HN: Defrag the Game
    Microsoft has an elaborate VS Code demo app that uses this API. Click "Open Folder" to see the API in action): https://vscode.dev. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Xamarin and vscode.dev, you can also consider the following products

Android Studio - Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA

replit - Code, create, andlearn together. Use our free, collaborative, in-browser IDE to code in 50+ languages — without spending a second on setup.

OutSystems - Build Enterprise-Grade Apps Fast.

GitHub Codespaces - GItHub Codespaces is a hosted remote coding environment by GitHub based on Visual Studio Codespaces integrated directly for GitHub.

Xcode - Xcode is Apple’s powerful integrated development environment for creating great apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Xcode 4 includes the Xcode IDE, instruments, iOS Simulator, and the latest Mac OS X and iOS SDKs.

StackBlitz - Online VS Code Editor for Angular and React