Past technologies were mainly based on native platforms, left as a gap between new technologies and agile frameworks. There is always an urge for some value-driven technologies that fill this gap. One such excellent technology framework is Xamarin. It came into existence in the year 2011 and was later acquired by Microsoft. Since its presence, Xamarin has swung like a storm with a strong reach of 2 million developers across the globe. Microsoft assembled this technology with their Visual Studio environment to enhance the vast control of base libraries and give a surreal experience to the native developers.
Xamarin is a popular mobile app platform amongst developers and technocrats. In the first quarter of 2017, Xamarin was used by 1.6 million mobile apps developers, predominant to its excellent native UI codebases support.
Xamarin supports cross-platform to flawlessly manage the software life cycle cost with proper utilization of resources. Due to its cross interface support, developers easily develop and configure their apps on multiple platforms and come with regular upgrades. In various industries like Transportation, Healthcare, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Automobile, almost every industry prefers to choose Xamarin over other Android frameworks like React Native or Ionic.
Have you hardly considered the theories, but how about facts and stats? According to Statista, 62% of businesses are considered Xamarin for developing their mobile applications. Why? Because it brings them the optimized results best for their business vertices.
Let’s explore more and understand the ground behind the importance of Xamarin, its features, cost and time paradigms, and limitations.
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Why is Xamarin popular for Mobile App Development?
The reason behind the popularity of Xamarin over other mobile app development platforms is the optimal cost. Xamarin always supports a free IDE for developing customized applications. However, few extensive features are available for a few bugs.
Previous facts and stats speak loudly about the significant growth of Xamarin over the years. Xamarin technology has consistently been admired by 15,000+ business organizations with over 2 million-plus developers. Features like open-source resources, cross-platform support, single code base structure, and debugging support allow new developers to use the same code for making different applications with smaller changes and create an ecosystem to manage and resolve any kind of issue in the future.
While some applications are run on mobile devices and some require web browsers, Xamarin has cross-platform functionality which easily runs on both of the platforms, this enlarges its scope and helps to fuel up higher functionalities. Both Native platforms like Android, Windows, and iOS have their unique mobile interfaces and styles, but Xamarin supports cross-platform environments to reduce the time for mobile app development and encourage other developers. Android utilized 90% off code submerged with Xamarin platforms while iOS conceived 10% of codebases in this platform.
Xamarin mainly uses C # and .NET for its platform which is comparatively easy to learn and has cost-effective solutions. C# binds with the other native APIs like Android and iOS and allows their developers to use different flavors of features like graphics, animation, high-end UI/UX support. Many renowned companies like Cognizant, Slack, Bosch, Honeywell, Pinterest, JetBlue Airways, 3M, have shown their trust in Xamarin.
Before developing any mobile applications, we must keep in mind the important pros and cons of the platform, to get a better understanding and knowledge.
Advantages of Xamarin over other Mobile App Development Platforms
With the demand for mobile phones, half of the businesses are in favor of building mobile applications. They consider various technology-enabled frameworks as the best source to retain their ROI, apps to be the best solution to connect with their customers. Further, there are many advantages we must acknowledge on Xamarin.
Code Reusability: Xamarin allows its developers to work great with the code reusability structure. This allows the developers to use the single code on the native platforms. This cuts down the extra time required to create large codes and reduces the compilation time. Over 80-90% of code is reusable using C# and .NET framework.
Packed with Microsoft: Xamarin is acquired with Microsoft and used for their visual studio platform. As a part of a giant like Microsoft, Xamarin already is much more futuristic than its competitors. It assures the developers about the stability and optimal performance. New developers are under the umbrella of large community support, agile them to learn several things from large free resources and gives constant support to the mobile app developers.
Xamarin runs on the .NET language, which is mainly a platform to build anything .NET covers a large part of industries like web, mobile, gaming, desktop, and technologies like cloud, IoT, and AI.
Less Completion Time: In this competitive marketplace, every business prefers to go with that platform that is capable of drifting fast projects else others would acquire the market. Xamarin allows minimal time to launch the application. Test cloud services and sharing codes reveal quick testing and solutions. Xamarin breaks down the code into smaller structures on its platform through 2000 devices at the same time, to assure zero error in code and redundancy within the application.
Right Mix Of Technology Stack: This is one of the crucial factors for developing mobile apps under the Xamarin platform. Xamarin used a single language like C# for creating the applications. As it is a powerful language that helps integrate different codebases, API, and data structures with the layer of. NET. There is a separate business layer that emerges from different applications with cloud services.
Rapid-Prototyping: Generous prototyping is most beneficial for creating unique and innovative customer-driven mobile applications. Xamarin.Forms are the cross-platform app GUI toolkit for serving the most beautiful UI to their users. This increases the productivity of the developers. Developers are free to use single code and deploy them along with many devices at the same time. If they change code on one platform, automatically that part will be changed on another platform.
Xamarin comprises 3 main components: Xamarin Cloud, Xamarin Platform, and Xamarin Insights. Xamarin Cloud allows automation testing to preserve the quality of products, consisting of object-oriented testing for conventional results. Xamarin Platform has various components like encryption, APIs, controls, virtual machines, authentication, runtime engines, and many more, to smoothly run the activities. Xamarin Insights is an analytical tool for monitoring and tracking activities like app crashes and exceptions. It allows reversible alerts to minimize any unexpected failures.
Cost-Effective: Xamarin offers plenty of cost-effective solutions to the development team, saves working time. Once the developer modifies the coding structure, no additional changes could be required on other platforms in the future. Code is available on public files and integrated with other inherited files, directly reflecting the ongoing changes. It eliminates the overhead of regular updating of every file.
Easily Update: Xamarin provides cross-platform solutions, it would hardly take 1 to 2 days to reflect the changes on its native frameworks.
Low Code Maintenance: Single code reusability allows maintaining a single file for all of the platforms.
Good User Experience and Native Performance: For years, businesses have used system-based natural APIs that are hard to integrate and difficult to distribute among developers. But Xamarin resolves the solution and supports various APIs including native UI, SDK, and Bluetooth.
There are numerous advantages to consider Xamarin for mobile app solutions. We have to know in brief about its limitations also.
Other Popular Mobile Apps using Xamarin
Plenty of big mobile applications are using Xamarin for building sustainable apps for various mobile platforms. A few of them we have listed here are:
Transistor: It is one of the top gaming mobile app, previously developed for Xbox and PC. It surreal intuitive experience to the users through their UI interface and 3D graphical presentation and deep combat system for real once in a lifetime experience to their users. Allows their users with fast gamepad control as well as they can easily switch for classic controls.
Transistor is renowned as the best Editor’s choice mobile app for the iOS platform in 2015. It comes in several languages like English, French, German, Russian, and many more.
Storyo: Who doesn’t like pictures? We all like it, indeed! Storyo is one such mobile app developed in Xamarin, helps to collect old memories and turn them into an amazing picture-telling experience for their customers. It provides features like share and collaboration with friends, allows customers to cherish their unforgettable moments with their friends and family. They can create the group videos and images within a small time. It is developed in various languages like English, French, German, Spanish, and many more.
Alaska Airlines: Gone are the days when you stand behind the queue of people and waiting for your turn. Ticket bookings are one of the tedious tasks we all in the past have gone through. Alaska Airlines is a great example of an airline booking mobile app, developed in Xamarin. It offers several features like book trips, check-in, find flight information within touch, and everything whatever you’re looking for. It comes in the English language.
Before crafting the plane of the Xamarin app, you should consider every depth of features. Now let’s figure out the cost and time paradigms required for your mobile app.
Cost and Time Required: Xamarin Mobile App Development
Cost is an important factor to consider before planning for a mobile application. The cost of a project depends on several factors. Depending on the location and complexity of the app, the price may vary. Whether you opt for an individual team of professionals to assist you with your ideas or hire a freelance Xamarin developer, in both, the cost of development would fluctuate.
We have suggested you look for expertise Xamarin to, as per their capability and past years of experience they have made across the development of various mobile apps. First, decide your budget, and choose the best Xamarin developer match to that.
For developing the project in Xamarin, the developer should have the expert level of knowledge of C# and .NET framework, past hands inexperience in Xamarin visual studio, project requirements, and the demographics. Based on that, the cost would lie between $20k to $ 70k. While advanced feature project costs you around $150k.
Rough time estimation for Xamarin mobile app development is 3-4 months, depending on the complexity of the project and the afterward bugs that arise.
What’s Your Turn?
Xamarin is the next compliment technology partner for your businesses. It is highly cost-effective, time-efficient, robust, and productive to different platforms like for small businesses and large industries. Mobile apps are intrigued with it, harnessing the implacability technologies and APIs. After its release by Microsoft, Xamarin attained a lot of popularity amongst a group of technologists, experts, and an array of experienced professionals. It offers unmatched experiences to its users with its fast and unbeaten solutions. Microsoft is a leading technology-driven company, takes care of Xamarin for any flaws and bugs, and provides regular updates for maintaining the trust amongst their trusted Xamarin developers and designers.
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A dedicated Xamarin app developer reaps benefits to your business. They have years of experience so it’s quite normal for them to implement the codes in a fast-driven and error-less way which helps to improve the overall productivity of the mobile application. They have proposed automated testing solutions to create smooth debugging of codes. Their solutions are tailor-made with easy implementation of the native APIs.
Here in Octal IT Solution, we have experienced Xamarin Mobile app developers who help you to deliver 3 times more well-proven solutions to your business. Our Xamarin developers cater high engagement to their businesses and likewise leverages the wonderful end-user experience. Don’t sit, make a free quote.
This content was originally published here.