MAUI vs Flutter vs React vs Avalonia: A Detailed Comparison

By Vikash Soni Technology 0 Comments 440 Views

Do you want to build an app for your business? If yes, you need an app that works seamlessly across different platforms to reach a wider user market. However, a cross-platform framework comes into play to resolve the challenges of separate codebase applications.

Separate codebase applications are often considered expensive and complex to manage, due to this reason cross-platform applications have gained popularity in the market. A significant rise in the cross-platform framework has made developers choose between multiple frameworks like React, Flutter, MAUI, and Avalonia.

No worries, here we provide the list of features, benefits, and use cases of using this cross-platform framework. You can choose the right framework for your business by considering a few factors like performance, platform compatibility, overall development experience, and development speed.

Continue reading to get insights into different cross-platform frameworks based on languages, target platforms, community support, and hot reload.

MAUI vs Flutter vs React vs Avalonia – A Detailed Overview

You get an extensive overview of the different frameworks for various platforms in this section. In addition to helping you find the best mobile app development company operations, this blog will help you grasp what is needed for your project.

MAUI

Microsoft has unveiled.NET MAUI, a new cross-platform framework. It can assist you in creating native desktop and mobile applications with a single codebase. This framework is seen as a Xamarian evolution.forms that emphasize providing a consistent user experience across different operating systems such as Windows, iOS, Android, and macOS.

Timeline:

In the year 2014, Microsoft introduced Xamarian.Forms as a part of the Xamarian Suite.
Microsoft first announced MAUI at Microsoft build in the year 2020.
In 2022 May, .NET MAUI was officially released to users with .NET6.

Key Features of MAUI

Cross-Platform: With the help of this MAUI framework you can build cross-platform applications for iOS, Windows, Android, and macOS using a single codebase.
Native API Access: It provides you with direct access to device features like cameras and sensors.
Hot Reload: This feature instantly shows the UI changes during the development process.
MVU Architecture: For a cleaner code it supports a model-view-update design pattern.

Limitations of Using MAUI

Platform-Specific Dependencies: Specific platform-related adjustments are still required.
Learning Curve: Developers working with the MAUI framework need familiarity with C# and . NET.
Limited Community Support: Being a newer framework in the development environment, its community is quite smaller compared to others.

How to Get Started with MAUI

Install at least .NET 6.
Install Visual Studio 2022 utilizing the workload from MAUI.
with the Visual Studio templates, create a new MAUI project.
Create, test, and release across several platforms.

Project Structure:

my_maui_project/

|-- Platforms/

|   |-- Android/

|   |-- iOS/

|   |-- MacCatalyst/

|   |-- Windows/

|-- Resources/

|   |-- Fonts/

|   |-- Images/

|-- App.xaml

|-- MainPage.xaml

|-- MainPage.xaml.cs

|-- Program.cs

|-- my_maui_project.csproj

|-- README.md

my_maui_project/

|-- Platforms/

| |-- Android/

| |-- iOS/

| |-- MacCatalyst/

| |-- Windows/

|-- Resources/

| |-- Fonts/

| |-- Images/

|-- App.xaml

|-- MainPage.xaml

|-- MainPage.xaml.cs

|-- Program.cs

|-- my_maui_project.csproj

|-- README.md

Flutter

Flutter is an open-source software development kit given by Google that allows developers to easily create applications for mobile, web, and desktop using a single codebase. It uses the Dart programming language. Flutter is famous in the market for its appealing and flexible UI design capabilities with a hot reload feature.

Timeline:

At Google I/O in May 2017 Flutter Alpha was being announced.
Flutter 1.0 was officially released in December 2018.
The advanced Flutter 2.0 version was introduced in March 2021.

Key Features of Flutter

Hot Reload: The Hot Reload feature of Flutter allows developers to instantly check the updates while it is being developed.
Interactive UI: A large set of widget libraries is given to create a customized UI for your application.
Cross-Platform Application Development: Using a single codebase you will be able to create an application for web, mobile, and desktop.
Performance: The high performance of the natively complied application is ensured by the flutter developers.

Limitations of Using Flutter

Larger App Size: Tools and the features used from the flutter libraries are big in size which leads to an increase in the app size.
Dart Language: Developers need to be proficient with Dart programming language to build an app with Flutter.
Limited Native Features: Native code and plugins are used for some platform-specific APIs

How to Get Started with Flutter

First, you need to install the Dart and Flutter SDK.
Secondly, you can use different IDEs like Visual Studio and Android Studio.
To create a new project you can use flutter create <project-name>.
Applications developed using Flutter can be built and tested using FLutter’s CLI and IDE tools.

Project Structure:

my_flutter_project/

|-- android/

|   |-- app/

|       |-- build.gradle

|-- ios/

|   |-- Runner.xcodeproj/

|-- lib/

|   |-- main.dart

|-- test/

|-- pubspec.yaml

|-- .gitignore

|-- README.md

my_flutter_project/

|-- android/

| |-- app/

| |-- build.gradle

|-- ios/

| |-- Runner.xcodeproj/

|-- lib/

| |-- main.dart

|-- test/

|-- pubspec.yaml

|-- .gitignore

|-- README.md

Now, you must have understood the benefits of choosing Flutter for your project.

React Native

React native was introduced in the market by Facebook as an open-source framework. This framework allows developers to create an application using JavaScript and React. React native ensures the development of a cross-platform application for Android and iOS with a single codebase while maintaining near-native performance.

Timeline:

In 2015 at the React.js conference, React Native was introduced by Facebook
React native was first accessed by people in March 2015.
It was updated in the year 2022, to integrate features related to architecture improvement and performance optimization.

Key Features of React

Cross-Platform: React Native also provides cross-platform development solutions, so a single codebase can be used for iOS and Android app development.
JavaScript Framework: This framework is ideal for developers who are already familiar with React.
Live Reload: During the development process you can instantly see the code changes.
Third-Party Plugins: To integrate unique functionalities, a wide range of plugins are provided.

Except for these features, you must also know about the top IDE that every React App Development Company must use.

Limitations of Using React

Performance: This is slightly less efficient than fully native apps.
Complex UI Customization: It is difficult to build an intuitive UI using React.
Native Code Dependency: Native modules are still required for some features.

How to Get Started with React

First, you should install Node.js, npm, and React Native CLI.
After installing you can set up Android Studio for Android and Xcode for iOS.
Create a new project: npx react-native init <project-name>.
Here, you can test the app using a physical device or an emulator.

Project Structure:

my_react_native_project/

|-- android/

|   |-- app/

|       |-- build.gradle

|-- ios/

|   |-- my_react_native_project.xcodeproj/

|-- src/

|   |-- components/

|   |-- screens/

|-- App.js

|-- package.json

|-- node_modules/

|-- .babelrc

|-- .gitignore

|-- README.md

my_react_native_project/

|-- android/

| |-- app/

| |-- build.gradle

|-- ios/

| |-- my_react_native_project.xcodeproj/

|-- src/

| |-- components/

| |-- screens/

|-- App.js

|-- package.json

|-- node_modules/

|-- .babelrc

|-- .gitignore

|-- README.md

Avalonia

Avalonia is one of the famous open-source cross-platform frameworks that use XAML to create applications for macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web, and Windows. To design applications with this framework you need developers transitioning from the .NET ecosystem in mind. Moreover, this framework is highly flexible and offers lightweight UI controls.

Timeline:

In 2013 Avalonia began its development as an experimental project. It was originally called Perspex.
The first stable release of Avalonia was launched in 2018.
In 2022 it provides improvements in performance and broader platform support.

Key Features of Avalonia

Cross-Platform UI: Applications developed using this framework support multiple platforms like macOS, Linux, web, Windows, iOS, and Android.
Lightweight Controls: Even after the application scalability due to an enhanced user base it provides an optimized performance across devices.
XAML Support: To build an intuitive UI design of the application or reduce complexity for developers, one creating a UI design must be proficient with WPF.
High Customizability: You can create a theme of the application as per your interest and it also offers flexible styling.

Limitations of Using Avalonia

Smaller Ecosystem: Avalonia does not provide multiple third-party libraries and resources. It has a limited access.
Learning Curve: Developers who do not have proficiency in the .NET framework find it difficult to adopt a framework for app development.
Mobile Support: This framework is not as strong as other frameworks like Flutter or React Native as it has recently been released in the market.

How to Get Started with Avalonia

Set up the.NET SDK.
The dotnet CLI can add Avalonia templates.
Dotnet new Avalonia signifies the new Avalonia project that should be launched.
Use Visual Studio or the Avalonia IDE to run tests and develop your application.

Project Structure:

my_avalonia_project/

|-- Assets/

|-- Views/

|   |-- MainWindow.axaml

|   |-- MainWindow.axaml.cs

|-- App.axaml

|-- App.axaml.cs

|-- Program.cs

|-- my_avalonia_project.csproj

|-- README.md

my_avalonia_project/

|-- Assets/

|-- Views/

| |-- MainWindow.axaml

| |-- MainWindow.axaml.cs

|-- App.axaml

|-- App.axaml.cs

|-- Program.cs

|-- my_avalonia_project.csproj

|-- README.md

Now, you have got a brief idea about all the frameworks. You can also learn about custom software development frameworks like Node.js vs. Django vs. Laravel.

MAUI vs Flutter vs React vs Avalonia: Comparison Based on Parameters

Here we will compare MAUI, Flutter, React, and Avalonia frameworks based on the different parameters given below: Read further to decide which one suits your projects best.

1.Development of Language and Ecosystem

MAUI:

To develop an application using this framework, most of the developers use C# programming language as it is known for its strong typing and excellent tooling. Use can use the ecosystem of .NET libraries and packages.

Flutter:

Flutter mainly uses Dart programming language as it is easy to learn and adapt for developers. The package ecosystem of Flutter is continuously growing which allows Flutter developers to easily access native device features

React

React uses an easily accessible and highly famous programming language which is Javascript. It provides a large ecosystem of libraries that allow developers to easily find solutions for all the challenges.

Avalonia

Avalonia uses XAML for UI design and C# for functionality. Development for Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile devices with personalized user interfaces is made available by this cross-platform framework, which is based on.NET.

2.User Interface

MAUI

It focuses on providing a consistent interface across different platforms with the help of toolkits like Xamarin. Forms and the .NET community.

Flutter

The Flutter framework uses a widget-based approach to create a custom user interface and pixel fill. This layout provides some pre-built widgets that can be customized to the user’s liking.

React

The user interface of react native can be inconsistent as it uses a bridge to communicate between native components and JavaScript Code.

Avalonia

Avalonia provides a clear, visually appealing, responsive user interface of the cross-platform application as it uses XAML and also takes the help of flexible layouts, and custom themes.

3.Scalability and Performance

MAUI

It ensures a seamless experience for users across different platforms. Moreover, it also supports native performance using platform-specific APIs, ensuring scalability for large, complex projects.

Flutter

Applications developed using Flutter can be easily scaled up based on the increase in user demand. The smooth performance of the application is also provided on different devices.

React

With its component-based architecture, it provides scalability features in exceptional conditions. Though it provides a great performance of the application, it has to be regularly updated.

Avalonia

This framework provides app scalability options for both mobile and desktop devices. In complex high-demand applications, the performance can sometimes lag due to large traffic.

4.Hot Reload

MAUI

Yes, it can instantly showcase the changes made during the development of C# and XAML.

Flutter

Flutter also has a hot reload feature but it is not reliable in every situation.

React

React native allows developers to check the changes in the coding phase of the development. It allows them to make the real-time changes.

Avalonia

It also provides a hot reload feature, but it is not as accurate as other frameworks.

5.Development Tools and Ecosystem

MAUI

This framework provides access to multiple development tools including Visual Studio Code support and Visual Studio. It also provides access to an extensive ecosystem like Xamarin.Forms and NuGet package.

Flutter

For developing an application using Flutter you can use multiple features and the custom designs provided by the Flutter widgets and libraries to make it look intuitive.

React

React boasts a wider range of communities, which means that it provides access to a large set of third-party features and widgets to create an innovative application. In this framework developers generally use Expo to enhance user experience.

Avalonia

With XML-based UI design Avalonia offer support to tools kike VS Code, Rider, and Visual Studio. It also works well with .NET tools like MSBuild and NuGet due to an increase in the library widgets and ecosystem and enhancement in the cross-platform application capabilities.

Final Words

Finally, after conducting a comparison of MAUI vs Flutter vs React vs Avalonia, we can say that none of the frameworks has all the benefits. Each of them has some other challenges that need to be addressed with its uses. Here, we have compared these frameworks based on the parameters given above. We have also covered all its features and how it is used to simplify your process of selecting a framework.

Despite all the comparisons and features, the choice of framework depends on your client’s requirements, future objectives, and the expertise of the development team. Hence, you should hire an expert mobile app developer, or especially a Flutter app development company to fulfill all your project requirements.

MAUI vs Flutter vs React vs Avalonia: A Detailed Comparison