React Native and Xamarin are two of the most widely used app development platforms. Trello, Slack and GitHub all use Xamarin. However, popular companies such as Walmart and Instagram also use React Native to build their apps.

Both are useful for creating cross-platform apps that work well. It is not easy to choose the right one, as both Xamarin or React Native have their merits and detractors. Today I’ll share the main differences between these platforms that can help you make the right choice.

Main Differences Between Xamarin and React Native

Key Features

Let’s begin the list by listing the main features of each framework. Xamarin uses C# from the very beginning. It is highly preferred by many web developers. Microsoft supports C#, a popular programming language with many useful features, such as functional programming, metaprogramming and portability.

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C# developers can easily switch from web development platforms to mobile apps development with no additional help. Xamarin can be used with Visual Studio and Mac IDE. It makes it easy to access code sharing, test clouds, class libraries and testing clouds.

React Native, on the other hand, comes with many important built-in libraries, tools, and frameworks. It utilizes Java and C# respectively for the iOS and Android versions of the app. Hot reloading is one of the main features of this framework. This allows developers to modify the code quickly and without having to spend a lot of time in the compilation process.
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Development Environment

Xamarin includes complete software packages and tools for app development. This framework makes it easy for developers to integrate third-party software without spending a lot of time or money.

This package contains highly compatible IDEs that work on both Windows and Mac. It also includes a Hockey app to perform analytics and Xamarin Cloud for testing. Xamarin Framework uses a mono execution environment to support both iOS and Android platforms.

React Native, on the other hand, allows for faster and more efficient development. React Native allows you to execute different code even when the application is running. This makes rendering much easier.

React Native requires app developers to follow several processes to create the user interface. React Native does not support 64-bit. This can affect code execution and runtime in iOS.

Working Principle

Xamarin uses the MVVM Model View-ViewModel Architecture and is coupled with a 2-way data binding to allow for collaboration between departments. Xamarin is a great choice if you aren’t sure if your development process follows a performance-oriented approach. It allows developers to achieve whatever they want in a short time and offers high process flexibility.

React Native, on the other hand, supports modular architecture. Developers can divide the code into separate functional blocks. It uses one-way data binding, which helps to improve the overall performance of your application.

React Native supports manual data binding, however. This is useful in reducing complex errors.
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Ending Words

These are the key differences between these two popular cross-platform mobile application development platforms. React Native is faster, while Xamarin offers greater development flexibility.

If you’re unsure which one to choose, make sure that your decision is based on the type and requirements of the application as well as the development cost. Xamarin is preferred for quicker development, while React Native is better suited for more complex e-commerce or game development.

Amelia is a content manager of The Next Tech. She also includes the characteristics of her log in a fun way so readers will know what to expect from her work.