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androidxamarin.iosxamarin.formscross-platformmobile-application

Xamarin Forms vs. Native Mobile App Development

What are the limitations in app development with Xamarin forms as compared to native iOS/Android app development?

Can Xamarin forms be used for CRM or enterprise level applications?

Solution

  • Native vs Cross

    Cross platform development

    Pros - Development time: It can be potentially faster to develop a cross platform mobile app rather than a native app for iOS and Android. You can leverage one codebase and customise for multiple platforms instead of creating a new codebase for each platform. Making one cross-platform app functional across all platforms can also be more efficient than building multiple native apps from scratch.

    • Costs: In theory, its more cost effective to build a cross platform solution for multiple platforms because it leverages one codebase. This is generally true unless, the application requires a lot of customisation for each platform.

    • Simplicity: Updates to your cross-platform app would, naturally, be instantly synced across all platforms and devices. There are also a number of technologies like PhoneGap and Appcelerator offering a cross-platform solution that one team of developers can more easily handle to deploy changes.

    Cons

    • Platform limitations: Each platform has its own unique style and affords certain flexibilities missing in others. This may put you at a disadvantage because you may not be able to leverage the unique functionality and tools of the respective native platform when developing an app for multiple platforms. Limited access to advanced features such as gyroscopes, geolocations, cameras, and much more.

    • User Experience: iPhone and Android operating systems, screen layouts, functions, etc. are different so designing and developing a cross-platform app that offers a good user experience on two or more platforms will undoubtedly be challenging. The majority of successful consumer apps are built on either Native iOS or Android.

    Performance and secure - Native application provides the high performance and best user experience in secured environment.

    • Integration challenges: Integrating the app with preferences, local settings, and notification apps can be quite a task. Diverse storage options may also require engaging a third-party cloud service. Clearly, there's lots to consider when deciding whether to build native or cross-platform. Consider these pros and cons when assessing your resources and the level of expertise of your team to make the decision easier.

    Overall cross platform application would be better for simple application for displaying content with less user interaction.