Xamarin Vs. NativeScript: Which One Is The Ideal Cross-Platform Framework For Your Project?
TABLE OF CONTENTS ● ● ●
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1) About Xamarin 2) About NativeScript 3) The advantages and disadvantages ● Advantages of Xamarin ● Disadvantages of Xamarin ● Advantages of NativeScript ● Disadvantages of NativeScript 4) 1. Performance standards ● Performance of Xamarin ● Performance of NativeScript
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5) 2. The architectures supported ● The architectures supported by Xamarin ● The architectures supported by NativeScript 6) 3. Building complex apps ● Building complex apps on Xamarin ● Building complex apps on NativeScript 7) To conclude
About Xamarin You probably know a thing or two about Xamarin. It’s a well-renowned cross-platform framework suitable for developing high-performance apps with native-like features. It started its journey in 2011, but in 2016, Microsoft acquired Xamarin. Soon after that, the SDK of the framework became open-source and is now available to everyone for free. ● ● ●
At the moment, more than 15,000 apps created using the Xamarin framework are circling the internet. All these apps account for more than 2 billion downloads. Around 14% of all developers across the world use Xamarin to build cross-platform applications. Xamarin holds a market share of 1.74% with the highest share in the sphere of business apps amounting to 6.23%.
About NativeScript NativeScript is another open-source app development framework that lets developers build cross-platform mobile solutions for Android and iOS devices using JavaScript. It can transpile two programming languages and facilitates building native apps using TypeScript, Angular, and Vue.js. ● ● ●
According to researchers from Statista, 5% to 11% of all developers resort to NativeScript for cross-platform app development. About 28% of all developers are using NativeScript dedicatedly for more than a year for different cross-platform app development projects. NativeScript downloads increased significantly between 2019 and 2020 and amounted to more than 812,575.
The advantages and disadvantages Before you choose to work with xamarin app developers or NativeScript experts, you should take a look at the pros and cons of both frameworks for a clearer picture.
Advantages of Xamarin ●
Development speed
Xamarin brings down the development time as it utilizes just one tech stack combined with a shareable codebase. Developers simply need to introduce a few simple changes to publish their apps on various platforms. ●
Native-style UX
Xamarin uses native toolkits and APIs to achieve native design and performance standards. As it leverages the APIs associated with the system and hardware, it’s almost impossible to separate a native app from something designed using Xamarin.
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One tech stack
Xamarin allows developers to create applications for several mobile platforms using just one language. They won’t have to switch between environments as they can do everything in Microsoft Visual Studio.
Disadvantages of Xamarin ●
Increases app size
Whenever a developer builds an app using Xamarin, they unwillingly add 3 to 5 MBs for releasing it. After debugging, this app can increase by 20 MBs. ●
Doesn’t support high graphics
Another problem with Xamarin is that it doesn’t allow developers to include rich graphical animations and other elements. Naturally, it isn’t suitable for building games or other graphically demanding applications. ●
Update delays
It takes about 1 to 3 days to update the latest Android and iOS releases and integrate the same into the framework’s ecosystem.
Advantages of NativeScript ●
Compatible with cross-platform tech
NativeScript utilizes TypeScript, Angular, or JavaScript, which, in turn, allows easy data binding and better component reusability. ●
Programming languages
NativeScript utilizes an XML-Esque-based markup language, just like HTML, to develop apps powered by customized features. ●
Native functions
NativeScript accesses the API of native devices through native components developed using native performance.
Disadvantages of NativeScript ●
Limitations with the UI
NativeScript doesn’t widely support HTML and DOM. As a result, developers have to learn the method of using different components of the UI. ●
Native knowledge
Developers have to be aware of the native functionality of Android and iOS APIs. Only then they’ll be able to access the device’s hardware and all other platform-specific elements. ●
Non-verified plugins
NativeScript has only a handful of verified plugins. Naturally, there won’t be any assurance regarding the plugin quality used in this framework. Performance standards now that the advantage-disadvantage section is over, it’s time for you to take a look at the performance standards of both frameworks.
1. Performance of Xamarin Based on the results of a series of tests conducted on Xamarin to determine its performance, experts found significant differences in two of the prevalent environments of the framework. These include Xamarin Native and Xamarin.Forms. ●
Xamarin.Forms
This one presents about 90% code reusability, but in terms of app performance, it lags behind its counterparts. Apps built using Xamarin.Forms couldn’t perform as efficiently as native applications, even the most common functions of mobile apps, such as processing API requests, booting, image loading/saving, and serialization/deserialization. ●
Xamarin Native
When the developers of a xamarin app development company like Moon Technolabs use Xamarin Native, they yield something comparable with native apps regarding performance. In specific instances, such as SQL BulkInsert, Xamarin.Android performs better than native solutions.
Performance of NativeScript The performance standard of NativeScript was never too high or too low. It stands at par with most of the cross-platform frameworks of today. Animations created using NativeScript perform perfectly at 60 FPS without any hitches. Additionally, NativeScript can offload specific long-running processes to keep the front-end balanced. The architectures supported Selecting a framework without learning about the supported architectures can lead to a host of problems. This section will tell you about the architectures supported by NativeScript and Xamarin.
2. The architectures supported The architectures supported by Xamarin The environment of Xamarin lets it support several architectural patterns. Unlike most of the other frameworks, Xamarin doesn’t have any limitations regarding architecture. Then again, a few patterns are usually more useful compared to others.
The architectures supported by NativeScript Just like Xamarin, NativeScript supports MVVM and MVC architectural patterns. However, this framework also functions widely on modules, plugins, and CLI. The structure of NativeScript has several modules, and each of them is in charge of enabling a specific collection of features.
3. Building complex apps If you have a complicated project in your hand, will you opt for a xamarin app development company or NativeScript development agency?
Building complex apps on Xamarin Xamarin gets compiled natively, which makes it one of the best cross-platform frameworks to create high-performance applications. Anything built using Xamarin will look and feel just like a native application.
Building complex apps on NativeScript Compared to other frameworks, NativeScript facilitates the smooth performance of apps of all kinds, whether complex or simple. However, if you hope to use NativeScript to build an advanced solution, your developers will need additional UI and XML support.
To conclude As you can see, the information provided here is useful to every business owner, even if they have plans to hire one of the top mobile app development companies like Moon Technolabs for their project. Researchers from Gartner describe the future of app development for mobile devices using the term “multi-experience.” With every passing day, adhering to a user-centric method of development is becoming the need of the hour. The information provided in this write-up will surely help you find one of the top mobile app development companies for your project. Just don’t forget to research service providers to segregate the ones that can handle your project.
THANKS Original Source https://www.moontechnolabs.com/blog/xamarin-vs-nativescript-which-one -is-the-ideal-cross-platform-framework/