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Xamarin VS Windows 10 SDK

Compare Xamarin VS Windows 10 SDK and see what are their differences

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Xamarin logo Xamarin

Create iOS, Android and Mac apps in C#

Windows 10 SDK logo Windows 10 SDK

Windows 10 SDK offers headers, libraries, metadata, and tools for building Windows 10 apps.
  • Xamarin Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17
  • Windows 10 SDK Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-27

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.

Windows 10 SDK features and specs

  • Comprehensive Tools
    The Windows 10 SDK offers a wide range of tools and libraries that facilitate the development of Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications, from coding to debugging and performance analysis.
  • Integrated Development
    It integrates smoothly with Visual Studio, providing a seamless development experience with support for multiple programming languages and project types.
  • Up-to-date APIs
    The SDK includes the latest Windows 10 APIs, enabling developers to create applications that leverage the newest Windows features and improvements.
  • Documentation and Samples
    Extensive documentation and sample projects are provided, which help developers understand and utilize platform capabilities effectively.

Possible disadvantages of Windows 10 SDK

  • System Requirements
    The SDK has relatively high system requirements, which could be a barrier for developers using older or less powerful machines.
  • Complexity for Beginners
    Due to its extensive feature set, the learning curve may be steep for beginners who are not familiar with Windows development.
  • Size and Install Time
    The SDK is large in size, which can lead to longer download and installation times, especially for those with limited bandwidth.
  • Frequent Updates
    Regular updates to the SDK, while beneficial for accessing new features, can also mean that developers have to spend additional time keeping their development environment up-to-date.

Analysis of Xamarin

Overall verdict

  • Xamarin is a good choice for developers who are entrenched in the Microsoft ecosystem and are looking to create cross-platform mobile applications using a shared codebase. Its native performance, extensive library support, and community backing make it a viable option. However, it's crucial to consider the specific needs of your project, including performance requirements and platform-specific features.

Why this product is good

  • Xamarin is a popular open-source platform developed by Microsoft for building cross-platform mobile applications. It allows developers to use a single codebase written in C# to create native apps for Android, iOS, and Windows. Xamarin is known for its integration with the .NET ecosystem, enabling developers to leverage shared code, libraries, and tools across multiple platforms. It offers access to native APIs and performance optimizations, making it a solid choice for developers familiar with C# and the .NET framework.

Recommended for

  • Developers proficient in C# and .NET
  • Teams looking to build native apps with a single codebase
  • Projects where integration with Microsoft services is a priority
  • Enterprises with existing .NET infrastructure aiming to expand into mobile

Xamarin videos

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Pros and Cons of Xamarin Development

More videos:

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

Windows 10 SDK videos

No Windows 10 SDK videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Xamarin and Windows 10 SDK)

Xamarin

Windows 10 SDK

Developer Tools
89 89%
Developer Tools
11% 11
IDE
79 79%
IDE
21% 21
Development Tools
100 100%
Development Tools
0% 0
App Development
79 79%
App Development
21% 21

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 Windows 10 SDK

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.
Source: www.moontechnolabs.com
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...
Source: positiwise.medium.com
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#.
Source: www.edigitalagency.com.au
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.
Source: technicalustad.com

Windows 10 SDK Reviews

We have no reviews of Windows 10 SDK yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Xamarin should be more popular than Windows 10 SDK. It has been mentiond 28 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 / 7 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 / over 1 year 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: almost 3 years ago
  • App developer
    Microsoft Xamarin: For this you'll need to know C# and .net. Source: about 3 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: about 3 years ago
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Windows 10 SDK mentions (17)

  • Where to download Universal Windows Platform build tools and C++ CMake tools for Windows without VisualStudio ?
    Quelle: Unterhaltung mit Bing, 25.6.2023 (1) Can I download the Visual C++ Command Line Compiler without Visual Studio?. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22290501/can-i-download-the-visual-c-command-line-compiler-without-visual-studio. (2) Install tools for preview and experimental versions of the Windows App .... https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/windows-app-sdk/preview-experimental-install. (3)... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Any way to JUST install ORCA?
    Another method, download the SDK's iso, mount the iso, browse to the Installers folder, look for Orca-x86_en-us.msi and install it. Source: over 2 years ago
  • [Q] Windows: non-MSVC Toolchains
    Note you will also need the Windows SDK. I haven't looked to see if that's on a package manager, and I don't know if it includes the MS STL or you have to install that too. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Packaging failed and I have no clue what this means. Please help!
    Windows 10 sdk - https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/windows-sdk/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Delete the closing cross
    For windows OS, yes you can through using the windows SDK api calls to access all attributes of window. Using C#, you will need to understand DllImport and possibly (because I haven't looked at the raw API in a very long time) marshalling. Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Xamarin and Windows 10 SDK, you can also consider the following products

Android Studio - Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA

Microsoft Visual Studio - Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.

OutSystems - Build Enterprise-Grade Apps Fast.

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.

Firebase - Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications for mobile and web.

Ionic - Ionic is a cross-platform mobile development stack for building performant apps on all platforms with open web technologies.

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