5 Alternatives to Xamarin for Developing Cross-Platform Applications

Depending on the specifications and budget of a project, choosing hybrid or 'near-native' cross-platform development can be a huge advantage in saving time and resources without sacrificing much in terms of performance and appearance.

One of the 'big names' in the world of app development is Xamarin, which is considered by many to be number 1. However, not everything is perfect, so in this article we will show you some Xamarin alternatives for PC with Windows.

1. XAMPP

XAMPP is a web application development tools such as dbForge Studio, dotConnect, and CudaText by Kai Oswald Seidler. It has a simple and basic user interface and most importantly, it is free to download. XAMPP is an efficient software recommended by many Windows PC users, so if you are looking for Xamarin alternatives, you have found the perfect option.

XAMPP is a very fast, small, compact and innovative open source development tool for Windows PC. It is designed to be Simple for beginners and powerful for professionals.

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This app has unique and interesting features unlike other Developer Tools apps. XAMPP works with most of the OS Windows, including Windows Vista64 / Windows 7 64 / Windows 8 64 / Windows 10 64.

Although there are many popular alternatives to Xamarin, most people download and install open source applications. However, don’t forget to update the programs regularly. You can get XAMPP for free and download its latest version for Windows Vista64 / Windows 7 64 / Windows 8 64 / Windows 10 64 PC.

Advantages

• Compatibility improvements for new Windows update.
• Correct errors.
• Fast, reliable and robust.
• Free and safe download.
• It works/supports almost all versions of Windows including Windows Vista64 / Windows 7 64 / Windows 8 64 / Windows 10 64.
• Friendly interface.
• Easy to use.
• Privacy and security!
• Lightweight and low resource consumption.
• Best for Developer Tools app.
• PC User's Choice!

Disadvantages

• It is distributed without any warranty.

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2. GitKraken

GitKraken has a simple and basic user interface and can be downloaded for free. It is a recommended software and one of the best alternatives to Xamarin. It is a Very fast, small, compact and innovative development tool specially designed for Windows PC.

It is ideal for beginners as it is very easy to use. It has unique and interesting features unlike other Developer Tools apps. GitKraken is powered by Windows 7 / Windows 8 and Windows 10. Although there are other applications that can serve as alternatives to Xamarin, this one can easily be considered the best option.

Advantages

• This is a reliable application.
• The download is safe.
• Works with all versions of Windows.
• You won't pay anything at all.
• The interface is user-friendly.
• You can enjoy privacy in your projects.
• It doesn't take up much space on your computer.

Disadvantages

• There are occasional glitches with the program.

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3. BlueGriffon

BlueGriffon is a development tools application such as Inno Setup, IntelliJ IDEA and Focusky from Disruptive Innovations SAS. It has a fairly basic user interface and is free to download. It is another favorite among the Xamarin alternatives on our list due to its good reputation with users.

This is a lightweight but very fast and innovative software. It has a simple but specialized design, which makes it ideal for both beginners and professionals. It has quite interesting features and works for Windows 7 / Windows 7 64 / Windows 8 / Windows 8 64 / Windows 10 / Windows 10 64.

Advantages

• It offers speed and reliability.
• It can be downloaded for free.
• Works for most versions of Windows.
• It has a friendly interface.
• It is very easy to use.
• It does not consume many resources.

Disadvantages

• The process for changing properties is a bit cumbersome.

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4.KDiff3

It is a cross-platform developer like WebAnimator, ILSpy and Sandboxie by Joachim Eibl. It has a Pretty basic user interface and is free to download. It has one feature that is quite appealing to users, and that is the fact that it works with open source. It is also very fast, lightweight and offers great innovation.

Its design is simple for beginners, but it still has specialized tools to please professionals. KDiff3 works with most Windows operating systems, including Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10. There are other alternatives to Xamarin that can be considered, but many users prefer it for its open source and advanced features, among other things.

Advantages

• Download is direct, free and safe.
• It is compatible with Windows 10 and other versions.
• This is a completely reliable platform.
• Free and safe download of KDiff3.
• Friendly interface.
• It's easy to use.
• You have security and privacy.
• It is light.

Disadvantages

• You can't work line by line accurately.

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5. RubyInstaller

RubyInstaller is an application for development tools like ThinApp, PostgreSQL and SQLBackup from RubyInstaller Team. It has a basic interface that gets the job done easy for beginners, but it has the ideal tools for professionals.

Its speed and innovation are impressive and it is available in the software for free. This application has more interesting features than other Xamarin alternative applications that you can find. It is compatible with Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10.

Advantages

• You can download it directly and for free.
• It is compatible with almost all versions of Windows.
• The platform is completely secure.
• It has a friendly interface.
• It is very easy to use.
• It doesn't weigh much, so it won't consume as many resources.

Disadvantages

• There is no such large community.

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What is Xamarin?

Xamarin is an open source framework for creating cross-platform applications (for Android, iOS and UWP) from a single shared C# codebase. Originally based on the Mono project, Xamarin was acquired by Microsoft in 2016 and has since been integrated into the .NET platform. It is now a firm member of the C#/.NET/Visual Studio family, and one of the most popular toolkits for cross-platform mobile development in the world.

Why look for alternatives to Xamarin

These are the shortcomings why people usually look for alternatives to Xamarin:

1. Prices

Right off the bat, the first downside to Xamarin is price. On its own, Xamarin is free and open source as part of the .NET platform. Commercial development, however, requires the use of the Microsoft Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE) – and its licensing isn't cheap. Unless you're talking about very small or non-commercial projects, you'll have to shell out a lot of money.

2. Platform-specific limitations

No matter how close Xamarin is to native development, when creating single-code solutions for multiple platforms, some limitations are bound to arise. For example, some workarounds are required for multi-touch functionality and certain platform-specific gestures.

These have been observed for the longest time, so the developers took it into their own hands given the open source nature of Xamarin. You will find Many Xamarin gaps filled thanks to developers who got tired waiting for official support.

If there is a feature you need in your app and it isn't supported, you'll have to 'take care of' it yourself. Below are examples of current platform-specific limitations of Xamarin mobile development that you should be aware of:

Xamarin Limitations on iOS

• Limited generic support.
• No dynamic code generation.
• Without remote control.
• Runtime features disabled.
• Some limitations of the .NET API.

Limitations of Xamarin on Android

• Limited dynamic language support.
• Limited Java build support.
• Partial support for Java generics.

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3. Limited community (compared to platform-specific ones)

Probably the biggest drawback of all hybrid app development products is the community, or rather its absence. The number of developers working with all major platforms simultaneously is naturally smaller than those who dedicate their time and efforts to just one platform.

The huge, long-standing communities for iOS and Android alone naturally outnumber anything that even the best hybrid mobile app frameworks have to show for it. Xamarin, despite being one of the best options for cross-platform mobile development, doesn't compare to the major platforms in terms of presence, accumulated common knowledge, and experience.

4. Overhead Code

Xamarin has to work with multiple platforms at the same time, which means that apps built through Xamarin can be bloated. Simply put, they are too complicated to allow for smooth integration.

The disadvantage of this is the fact that the Xamarin-built apps are 'heavier' and they can take up more space than native apps, simply because native apps don't need that shared functionality.

However, the Microsoft Xamarin department continues to work diligently on it, and Xamarin-based applications are becoming lighter and faster with There.

5. API support delay

It still takes time for the Xamarin API to be updated. So for example, when a new SDK is released for iOS, Android, or another platform, Xamarin needs to properly integrate it into its ecosystem to maintain code sharing. This means that its developers can't start working on new features for your applications until that support is enabled.

Microsoft’s Xamarin department strives to get same-day releases for system updates, but keeping up with each beta release and various new features introduced for Android and iOS isn’t entirely free of delays, which can be a competitive bottleneck.

Specifically, Xamarin's Android support often lags behind iOS (the release of the API for new Android SDKs often takes longer). If your focus is on Android, you may want to take this limitation into account.

6. Not ideal for game development

Due to the above disadvantage, Game development with Xamarin is often considered mediocreThe logic behind this is this: if code sharing and time savings aren't that great with Xamarin-based games and you still need to build two or more separate apps, you should do it natively.

It should be noted that there are definitely options for creating games. Xamarin is rarely a mobile game developer's first choice. Games, with all their interactive UI elements, are simply They leave no room for meaningful code sharing and productivity gains.

How to Uninstall Xamarin Studio on a Windows PC

Steps to uninstall Xamarin Studio on Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7 and Windows Vista:

• Step 1: Click on the Windows Start menu.
• Step 2: Find and select the menu of the Control panel and then press Programs.
• Step 3: In Programs, click Uninstall a program.
• Step 4: Choose Xamarin Studio and then right click and press Uninstall / Change.
• Step 5: then click Yes to confirm the Xamarin Studio uninstallation process.

Will Xamarin Studio normally run on any Windows?

Yes! Xamarin Studio for PC will typically run on most recent Windows operating systems including Windows 7 / Windows 7 64 / Windows 8 / Windows 8 64 / Windows 10 / Windows 10 64 64-bit and 32-bit.

What is the difference between 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Xamarin Studio?

The 64-bit version of Xamarin Studio was specifically designed for 64-bit Windows operating systems and performed much better on them. The 32-bit version of Xamarin Studio was initially designed for 32-bit Windows operating systems, but can also run on 64-bit Windows operating systems.

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Final thoughts

Xamarin is a very good development tool that you can find today. It is also very reliable in terms of performance and stability. However, many of the users prefer to look for alternatives to Xamarin because of the drawbacks mentioned above.

We hope you can find the right option here. You can share with us your experience using them. And if you know other people who are looking for Xamarin alternatives for Windows PC, you can share this article to help them. Enjoy your experience and don’t forget that we will be here with many more informative articles and step-by-step tutorials.