Why .NET MAUI Is Smarter Than Xamarin: Upgrade Guide 2025

For years, Xamarin has helped businesses share code across platforms with C#. But many teams now find themselves stuck with slow builds, clunky UIs, and extra maintenance work as tech standards evolve. 

That’s where .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) comes in- a next-level solution from Microsoft for creating modern, multi-device apps effortlessly. It takes what Xamarin did well and upgrades it for today’s multi-device, high-performance cross-platform app development needs. 

In this guide, you’ll get: 

• A simple breakdown of how Xamarin and MAUI differ 
• Performance facts and top benefits of migrating 
• A true-to-life success story 
• Practical migration tips and what to watch out for 
• Expert answers to the questions teams ask most 

 

What Is Xamarin? A Quick Refresher

Xamarin emerged over a decade ago as one of the first cross-platform mobile frameworks. Its magic? Let developers build iOS and Android apps using C# instead of juggling Java, Objective-C, or Swift. 

Under the hood, Xamarin wraps native APIs, so apps feel “native enough” but share a big chunk of business logic. This worked brilliantly for its time, especially for startups and enterprise teams with strong .NET experience. 

But tech has moved on- app users demand faster load times, smoother interfaces, and more consistent behavior across screen sizes and platforms. And that's where Xamarin shows its age. 

 

What Makes .NET MAUI Different?

.NET MAUI, short for Multi-platform App UI, is Xamarin’s modern successor. Think of it as an evolution- not a totally new language, but a fresh, more powerful framework built into the latest unified .NET platform. 

What sets MAUI apart: 

• One Project, All Platforms: Write once, deploy on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS- no duplicate heads to maintain. 

• Modern Handlers System: Replaces Xamarin’s older renderers for faster, smoother UIs. 

• Tighter Integration: MAUI works natively with the latest Visual Studio, Azure DevOps, and .NET releases. 

• Better Desktop Reach: Adding Windows or Mac apps is now easy- same codebase, new revenue stream. 

• AI-Ready: Easily integrate Azure AI and ML.NET for smart features in any platform. 

In short, .NET MAUI is designed for today’s responsive, high-performance multi-platform UI .NET applications.  

Xamarin vs .NET MAUI: Key Feature Differences at a Glance

Upgrading isn’t just about better performance today- it’s about staying in sync with Microsoft’s mobile UI frameworks for years to come. 

Better Desktop Reach: Full support for WinUI and Mac Catalyst means one project can now target tablets, desktops, and laptops- great for business apps needing big-screen usability. 

.NET Roadmap Ready: MAUI evolves alongside .NET’s mainline releases- including .NET 9 and C# 13 features like better async streams, pattern matching improvements, and ahead-of-time compilation. 

Active Community & Ecosystem: While Xamarin’s updates have slowed, MAUI has a growing GitHub community, more frequent bug fixes, and fresh UI components contributed by both Microsoft and open-source maintainers. 

 

Real-World Speed: .NET MAUI Performance vs Xamarin

Modern app users won’t wait for slow, glitchy interfaces- and developers shouldn’t waste hours wrestling with legacy build pipelines either. 

Upgrading from Xamarin to .NET MAUI not only future-proofs your app’s performance and maintainability- it sets you up to deliver smart, AI-powered experiences that keep your product ahead of user expectations. 

In the ever-growing world of cross-platform mobile frameworks 2025, smart teams use the right tool to deliver native feel and enterprise reliability- with .NET MAUI, you get both.

 

Client Win: Upgrading a Fintech App to .NET MAUI + Smart AI

We recently helped a European fintech transform their real-time loan tracking app into a faster, smarter, and more manageable solution- all powered by .NET MAUI and modern AI. 

The Challenge: 
Their aging Xamarin app was slow on Android devices and required a separate Windows version, doubling development effort and making it hard to add intelligent fraud checks. 

Our Approach: 

• Preserved 80% of their trusted C# logic to save rebuild time 
• Rebuilt the UI using MAUI’s efficient handlers for smoother screens 
• Unified mobile and desktop versions into a single codebase, streamlining updates 
• Embedded Azure AI to detect suspicious transactions and notify users instantly 
• Optimized API performance for real-time data accuracy, even on older devices 

The Outcome: 

• 38% faster load times on Android 
• 35% reduction in maintenance overhead 
• Real-time AI-driven fraud alerts without extra infrastructure 
• One project now runs across Android, iOS, and Windows 
• Fewer bugs, easier testing, and a future-proof app ready to scale 

By combining .NET MAUI’s multi-platform power with built-in AI capabilities, the client now offers a secure, intelligent user experience- staying ahead in the competitive fintech space. 

 

Watch Out: Common Pitfalls During .NET MAUI Migration

Upgrading to MAUI pays off, but here’s what can trip teams up: 

Third-party libraries: Not all old Xamarin plugins have MAUI-ready versions yet. Always check for maintained forks or official upgrades. 

Custom Renderers: Since MAUI swaps renderers for handlers, you may need to rewrite or adapt custom UI elements. 

Build Issues: Android gradle tweaks and emulator setups might need updates; Windows projects may need tweaks to handle WinUI or Mac Catalyst quirks. 

Pro Tip: Run a “pilot migration” for a non-critical module first- like your login or profile page- before moving your whole app. 

 

How .NET MAUI Future-Proofs Your App for 2025 and Beyond

Upgrading isn’t just about better performance today- it’s about staying in sync with Microsoft’s mobile UI frameworks for years to come. 

Better Desktop Reach: Full support for WinUI and Mac Catalyst means one project can now target tablets, desktops, and laptops- great for business apps needing big-screen usability. 

.NET Roadmap Ready: MAUI evolves alongside .NET’s mainline releases- including .NET 9 and C# 13 features like better async streams, pattern matching improvements, and ahead-of-time compilation. 

Active Community & Ecosystem: While Xamarin’s updates have slowed, MAUI has a growing GitHub community, more frequent bug fixes, and fresh UI components contributed by both Microsoft and open-source maintainers. 

 

Conclusion: The Smartest Upgrade in 2025

Modern app users won’t wait for slow, glitchy interfaces- and developers shouldn’t waste hours wrestling with legacy build pipelines either. 

Upgrading from Xamarin to .NET MAUI not only future-proofs your app’s performance and maintainability- it sets you up to deliver smart, AI-powered experiences that keep your product ahead of user expectations. 

In the ever-growing world of cross-platform mobile frameworks 2025, smart teams use the right tool to deliver native feel and enterprise reliability- with .NET MAUI, you get both.