The State of .NET MAUI in 2025: Still Worth It?

Jan Thalheim

Jul 14, 2025 • 11 min read

When Microsoft introduced .NET Multi-platform App UI (MAUI) as the evolution of Xamarin.Forms in 2022, it promised a unified framework for building cross-platform applications with C# and XAML. Three years later, the landscape of cross-platform development has evolved significantly, with Flutter and React Native continuing to gain momentum while MAUI has followed its own trajectory. This article offers a candid assessment of MAUI's current state in 2025, evaluating whether it remains a compelling choice for developers and organizations.

The Evolution of MAUI

The journey from Xamarin.Forms to .NET MAUI represented more than a rebranding. Microsoft undertook a substantial architectural overhaul, integrating MAUI into the broader .NET ecosystem and addressing many of Xamarin's historical challenges. Since its initial stable release, MAUI has seen several significant updates:

.NET MAUI 8: Brought significant performance improvements and expanded controls
.NET MAUI 9: Added seamless desktop integration features and improved styling system
.NET MAUI 10: Introduced adaptive components and enhanced application architecture

Each release has incrementally addressed early concerns, but has MAUI managed to overcome the challenges that hindered Xamarin.Forms adoption? Let's examine the framework's current state across key dimensions.

Platform Support and Reach

MAUI's cross-platform promise has expanded beyond its initial offerings, though with varying degrees of maturity.

Current Platform Support

As of 2025, MAUI officially supports:

iOS: Comprehensive support with near-native performance
Android: Full feature support with improved rendering performance
Windows: Deep integration with Windows-specific features
macOS: Substantially improved from earlier versions
Linux: Community-supported with official Microsoft guidance
Web via Blazor Hybrid: Production-ready for business applications

The platform has made significant strides in desktop support, an area where MAUI now differentiates itself from mobile-focused alternatives. Integration with platform-specific features has improved dramatically, reducing the need for custom renderers compared to Xamarin.Forms.

API Surface and Feature Parity

One of MAUI's strengths is its consistent API across platforms:

public class WeatherPage : ContentPage
{
    public WeatherPage()
    {
        var location = new Label {
            Text = "San Francisco",
            FontSize = 24,
            FontAttributes = FontAttributes.Bold
        };

        var temperature = new Label {
            Text = "72°F",
            FontSize = 42
        };

        var conditions = new Label {
            Text = "Partly Cloudy",
            FontSize = 18
        };

        var weatherStack = new VerticalStackLayout
        {
            Spacing = 10,
            Padding = new Thickness(20),
            HorizontalOptions = LayoutOptions.Center,
            VerticalOptions = LayoutOptions.Center,
            Children = { location, temperature, conditions }
        };

        Content = weatherStack;
    }
}

This code runs consistently across all supported platforms, delivering a uniform user experience while still respecting platform-specific UI guidelines through automatic styling.

MAUI now provides access to approximately 95% of native APIs across its supported platforms—a significant improvement from earlier versions that often required platform-specific implementations.

Developer Experience and Productivity

The development experience remains one of MAUI's most contested aspects, with strong improvements in some areas and persistent challenges in others.

Tooling Maturity

Visual Studio integration has been substantially refined:

Hot reload now works reliably across all platforms
XAML previewing with accurate platform rendering
Integrated debugging across devices and simulators
Comprehensive template library with modern patterns

For organizations already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, the tooling integration creates a remarkably fluid development experience.

Learning Curve and Skill Transfer

MAUI continues to offer significant advantages for developers with C# experience:

// Repository pattern implementation in MAUI
public class UserRepository : IUserRepository
{
    private readonly IDbConnection _connection;

    public UserRepository(IDbConnection connection)
    {
        _connection = connection;
    }

    public async Task<User> GetUserByIdAsync(int id)
    {
        return await _connection.QueryFirstOrDefaultAsync<User>(
            "SELECT * FROM Users WHERE Id = @Id",
            new { Id = id }
        );
    }

    public async Task<IEnumerable<User>> GetAllUsersAsync()
    {
        return await _connection.QueryAsync<User>("SELECT * FROM Users");
    }
}

This code is virtually identical to what you'd write in any other .NET application, illustrating the minimal context switching required for .NET developers. The knowledge transfer between backend and mobile development remains one of MAUI's strongest selling points.

State Management and Architecture

MAUI has embraced modern development patterns, with comprehensive support for:

MVVM: Built-in binding system with minimal boilerplate
MVU (Model-View-Update): Community libraries supporting Elm-inspired patterns
Dependency Injection: First-class support in the framework
Advanced Binding: Two-way binding with validation support

Microsoft's implementation of .NET Community Toolkit MVVM has become the standard approach for many MAUI apps:

public partial class LoginViewModel : ObservableObject
{
    [ObservableProperty]
    private string _username;

    [ObservableProperty]
    private string _password;

    [ObservableProperty]
    private bool _isLoading;

    [RelayCommand]
    private async Task LoginAsync()
    {
        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(Username) || string.IsNullOrEmpty(Password))
        {
            await Shell.Current.DisplayAlert("Error", "Username and password are required", "OK");
            return;
        }

        IsLoading = true;

        try
        {
            var result = await _authService.LoginAsync(Username, Password);

            if (result.Success)
            {
                await Shell.Current.GoToAsync("//main");
            }
            else
            {
                await Shell.Current.DisplayAlert("Error", result.ErrorMessage, "OK");
            }
        }
        finally
        {
            IsLoading = false;
        }
    }
}

This approach significantly reduces boilerplate compared to classic MVVM implementations, addressing one of the historical criticisms of MAUI and Xamarin.Forms.

Performance and User Experience

Performance remains a critical consideration for cross-platform frameworks, and MAUI has made substantial progress in this area.

Rendering Performance

On modern devices in 2025, MAUI applications now achieve:

60fps scrolling for typical list scenarios on mid-range devices
Smooth transitions for most navigation scenarios
Reduced startup time compared to earlier versions

The most significant improvements have come from:

Optimized AOT compilation across platforms
Enhanced rendering pipeline with reduced overhead
Improved memory management

However, performance still lags behind Flutter for animation-heavy interfaces and complex custom UI, where MAUI's abstraction layer introduces overhead.

Application Size

MAUI's app size has improved dramatically since its initial release:

iOS: ~15-20MB for a typical application (down from 30-40MB)
Android: ~20-25MB (down from 35-45MB)
Windows: ~40MB (down from 60MB)

While still larger than equivalent native applications, these sizes are now competitive with other cross-platform frameworks and rarely present a significant barrier to adoption.

UI Fidelity and Customization

The framework now supports:

Material Design 3 for Android
Current iOS design language
Windows 11 UI patterns
Custom rendering with significantly reduced complexity

MAUI's handler architecture has simplified platform-specific customization:

Microsoft.Maui.Handlers.ButtonHandler.Mapper.AppendToMapping("CustomButtonStyle", (handler, view) =>
{
    if (view is Button button)
    {
        #if ANDROID
        handler.PlatformView.SetTextColor(Colors.Red.ToPlatform());
        handler.PlatformView.SetBackgroundColor(Colors.Black.ToPlatform());
        #elif IOS
        UIButton platformButton = handler.PlatformView;
        platformButton.SetTitleColor(Colors.Red.ToPlatform(), UIControlState.Normal);
        platformButton.BackgroundColor = Colors.Black.ToPlatform();
        #endif
    }
});

This approach represents a significant improvement over Xamarin.Forms' custom renderers, though still requires more platform-specific code than alternatives like Flutter.

Enterprise Adoption and Ecosystem

MAUI's position in enterprise development has evolved significantly since its introduction.

Enterprise Integration

Microsoft has positioned MAUI as an enterprise-friendly framework with:

Azure integration: Native support for Azure services
Authentication libraries: Microsoft Identity and other providers
Enterprise security features: Encryption, secure storage, and MDM support
Accessibility compliance: Strong support for accessibility standards

For organizations already invested in Microsoft technologies, MAUI provides seamless integration with existing backend services:

public class AzureDataService : IDataService
{
    private readonly IAuthenticationService _authService;
    private readonly HttpClient _client;

    public AzureDataService(IAuthenticationService authService)
    {
        _authService = authService;
        _client = new HttpClient
        {
            BaseAddress = new Uri("https://api.mycompany.com/")
        };
    }

    public async Task<IEnumerable<Customer>> GetCustomersAsync()
    {
        var token = await _authService.GetAccessTokenAsync();
        _client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Authorization =
            new AuthenticationHeaderValue("Bearer", token);

        var response = await _client.GetAsync("customers");
        response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();

        var content = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
        return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<IEnumerable<Customer>>(content);
    }
}

This example demonstrates MAUI's natural fit in the Microsoft ecosystem, with minimal friction between mobile applications and Azure-based backends.

Third-Party Component Ecosystem

The component ecosystem has matured considerably:

Commercial UI kits: Several vendors now offer comprehensive MAUI controls
Open-source libraries: Growing community contributions
Integration packages: Simplified access to common services

The .NET MAUI Community Toolkit has become the central repository for community-contributed components, offering everything from advanced layouts to specialized controls:

<toolkit:AvatarView
    Text="John Doe"
    Size="80"
    BorderColor="{StaticResource PrimaryColor}"
    BackgroundColor="{StaticResource SecondaryColor}"
    CornerRadius="40"
    Source="https://example.com/profile.jpg">
    <toolkit:AvatarView.GestureRecognizers>
        <TapGestureRecognizer Tapped="OnProfileTapped" />
    </toolkit:AvatarView.GestureRecognizers>
</toolkit:AvatarView>

While the ecosystem has grown, it still trails Flutter and React Native in breadth, though it arguably offers better enterprise-focused components.

Comparison with Alternatives

How does MAUI stack up against other cross-platform frameworks in 2025?

MAUI vs. Flutter

Flutter strengths relative to MAUI:

Superior performance for complex animations
More comprehensive component library
Stronger community growth and adoption
Better hot reload experience

MAUI strengths relative to Flutter:

Native desktop support
C# language ecosystem and tooling
Tighter integration with native platform features
Better fit for enterprise .NET shops

MAUI vs. React Native

React Native strengths relative to MAUI:

Larger ecosystem of components and libraries
Greater mobile developer availability
JavaScript/TypeScript familiarity
Stronger community support

MAUI strengths relative to React Native:

Better desktop support
More predictable behaviors across platforms
Stronger type safety and tooling
Enterprise integration

MAUI vs. Native Development

Native development strengths:

Optimal performance
Full platform API access
Platform-specific design fidelity
No abstraction layer overhead

MAUI strengths relative to native:

Code sharing across platforms (70-90% typically)
Faster development for multi-platform scenarios
Unified skill set requirements
Simpler maintenance for cross-platform apps

Making the Decision: Is MAUI Right for You?

After examining MAUI's current state, when should you choose it in 2025?

MAUI Makes Sense When:

You're a .NET shop: Organizations with existing .NET investments gain significant advantages from skill reuse and backend integration.
You need desktop and mobile: Few frameworks handle desktop as well as MAUI while also supporting mobile platforms.
Enterprise integration matters: For applications that integrate deeply with Microsoft services, MAUI offers the path of least resistance.
Long-term support is critical: Microsoft's backing provides stability for applications with long lifecycles.
Your team knows C#: Leveraging existing skills accelerates development and reduces training costs.

Consider Alternatives When:

UI performance is critical: Applications with complex animations or graphics might benefit from Flutter's rendering approach.
You need extensive third-party components: Flutter and React Native still offer broader ecosystems.
Developer availability is challenging: Finding MAUI developers remains more difficult than React Native developers in many markets.
You're starting from scratch: Teams without existing .NET investments might find other options more approachable.

Real-World MAUI Success Stories

Several notable applications demonstrate MAUI's capabilities in 2025:

Enterprise Field Service Applications: Large organizations have successfully deployed MAUI apps for field personnel that work across phones, tablets, and laptops with offline support.
Cross-Platform Productivity Tools: Business applications leveraging unified codebases for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
Line-of-Business Applications: Internal corporate applications that integrate with Microsoft 365 and Azure services.

These success stories typically share common elements: .NET backend integration, requirements for desktop and mobile support, and teams with existing C# expertise.

Future Outlook

Looking ahead, MAUI's trajectory appears stable with Microsoft's continued investment. Upcoming developments on the roadmap include:

Further performance optimizations: Ongoing work to reduce overhead
Enhanced adaptive UI toolkit: Better support for different form factors
AI integration components: Simplified access to Azure AI services
Web component convergence: Closer alignment with Blazor components

Microsoft's commitment suggests MAUI will remain a viable option for cross-platform development, particularly for organizations in the Microsoft ecosystem.

Conclusion: MAUI in Perspective

In 2025, .NET MAUI has matured into a capable cross-platform framework that delivers on many of its initial promises. It offers particular value for:

.NET-centric organizations looking to extend to mobile platforms
Applications requiring both desktop and mobile support
Enterprise scenarios with Microsoft infrastructure integration
Teams with existing C# expertise

While it hasn't displaced Flutter or React Native in terms of market share or community size, MAUI has carved out a sustainable position, especially in enterprise environments. Its performance has improved substantially, though still lags behind native development and Flutter for animation-intensive applications.

For organizations aligned with its strengths, MAUI remains not just "worth it" but potentially the optimal choice for cross-platform development. For others, the decision requires careful consideration of team skills, performance requirements, and ecosystem needs.

The most successful MAUI adopters approach it not as a universal solution but as a strategic choice aligned with their specific technical landscape and organizational capabilities. In that context, MAUI has earned its place in the cross-platform development toolkit of 2025.