Pros of MAUI

• Cross-platform development for iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows
• Single codebase for multiple platforms, reducing development time
• Leverages existing .NET knowledge for mobile and desktop development

Cons of MAUI

• Steeper learning curve for developers new to cross-platform development
• May have performance overhead compared to native development
• Limited access to platform-specific features without custom renderers

Code Comparison

MAUI:

public class MainPage : ContentPage
{
    public MainPage()
    {
        Content = new StackLayout
        {
            Children = {
                new Label { Text = "Welcome to .NET MAUI!" }
            }
        };
    }
}

WindowsAppSDK:

public sealed partial class MainPage : Page
{
    public MainPage()
    {
        this.InitializeComponent();
    }
}

Key Differences

• MAUI focuses on cross-platform development, while WindowsAppSDK is Windows-specific
• MAUI uses a single codebase for multiple platforms, WindowsAppSDK is optimized for Windows
• MAUI has a more abstracted UI approach, WindowsAppSDK provides deeper Windows integration
• MAUI offers broader platform support, WindowsAppSDK provides more Windows-specific features
• MAUI may have a larger community due to its cross-platform nature

Pros of Xamarin.Forms

• Cross-platform development for iOS, Android, and Windows
• Shared codebase for UI and business logic
• Large community and extensive third-party library support

Cons of Xamarin.Forms

• Performance can be slower compared to native development
• Limited access to platform-specific features
• Steeper learning curve for developers new to .NET

Code Comparison

Xamarin.Forms:

public class MainPage : ContentPage
{
    public MainPage()
    {
        Content = new StackLayout
        {
            Children = {
                new Label { Text = "Welcome to Xamarin.Forms!" }
            }
        };
    }
}

WindowsAppSDK:

public sealed partial class MainPage : Page
{
    public MainPage()
    {
        this.InitializeComponent();
    }

    private void myButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
    {
        myButton.Content = "Clicked";
    }
}

The code snippets demonstrate the different approaches to creating a simple UI. Xamarin.Forms uses a cross-platform XAML-like syntax, while WindowsAppSDK utilizes WinUI 3 for Windows-specific development.

Pros of Electron

• Cross-platform development for Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Large ecosystem with extensive libraries and community support
• Easier learning curve for web developers

Cons of Electron

• Larger application size and higher memory usage
• Performance may be slower compared to native applications
• Less integration with Windows-specific features

Code Comparison

Electron (JavaScript):

const { app, BrowserWindow } = require('electron')

function createWindow () {
  const win = new BrowserWindow({ width: 800, height: 600 })
  win.loadFile('index.html')
}

app.whenReady().then(createWindow)

WindowsAppSDK (C#):

using Microsoft.UI.Xaml;

public sealed partial class MainWindow : Window
{
    public MainWindow()
    {
        this.InitializeComponent();
    }
}

The Electron code creates a basic window using web technologies, while the WindowsAppSDK code defines a window using XAML and C#. Electron's approach is more familiar to web developers, whereas WindowsAppSDK provides deeper integration with Windows and potentially better performance for Windows-specific applications.

Pros of Flutter

• Cross-platform development for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase
• Rich set of pre-built widgets and customizable UI elements
• Hot reload feature for faster development and iteration

Cons of Flutter

• Larger app size compared to native applications
• Limited access to platform-specific features without plugins
• Steeper learning curve for developers new to Dart language

Code Comparison

Flutter:

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(MaterialApp(
    home: Scaffold(
      body: Center(child: Text('Hello, World!')),
    ),
  ));
}

WindowsAppSDK:

using Microsoft.UI.Xaml;

public sealed partial class MainWindow : Window
{
    public MainWindow()
    {
        this.InitializeComponent();
    }
}

Flutter uses Dart and provides a more concise way to create UI elements, while WindowsAppSDK uses C# and XAML for UI design. Flutter's code is more declarative, whereas WindowsAppSDK follows a more traditional object-oriented approach. Flutter's single file can create a complete app, while WindowsAppSDK typically requires separate files for code-behind and XAML.

Pros of React Native

• Cross-platform development for iOS and Android
• Large and active community with extensive third-party libraries
• Hot reloading for faster development cycles

Cons of React Native

• Performance can be slower than native apps for complex UIs
• Limited access to platform-specific features without native modules
• Steeper learning curve for developers new to React

Code Comparison

React Native:

import React from 'react';
import { View, Text, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';

const App = () => (
  <View style={styles.container}>
    <Text>Hello, React Native!</Text>
  </View>
);

Windows App SDK:

using Microsoft.UI.Xaml;
using Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls;

public sealed partial class MainWindow : Window
{
    public MainWindow()
    {
        this.InitializeComponent();
        this.Content = new TextBlock { Text = "Hello, Windows App SDK!" };
    }
}

The React Native code uses JSX and React components, while the Windows App SDK code uses XAML and C#. React Native's approach is more declarative and JavaScript-based, whereas Windows App SDK follows a more traditional object-oriented programming style typical of Windows development.

Pros of Tauri

• Cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• Smaller app size due to native system components
• Flexibility in frontend technologies (React, Vue, Svelte, etc.)

Cons of Tauri

• Less mature ecosystem compared to Windows App SDK
• Steeper learning curve for developers new to Rust
• Limited access to some platform-specific features

Code Comparison

Tauri (Rust):

#[tauri::command]
fn greet(name: &str) -> String {
    format!("Hello, {}!", name)
}

Windows App SDK (C#):

public string Greet(string name)
{
    return $"Hello, {name}!";
}

Key Differences

• Tauri uses Rust for backend logic, while Windows App SDK primarily uses C#
• Tauri apps can run on multiple platforms, Windows App SDK is Windows-specific
• Windows App SDK provides deeper integration with Windows features
• Tauri offers more flexibility in choosing frontend technologies
• Windows App SDK has a larger, more established ecosystem

Use Cases

Tauri:

• Cross-platform desktop applications
• Apps requiring small file sizes
• Projects with diverse frontend requirements

Windows App SDK:

• Windows-specific applications
• Apps leveraging advanced Windows features
• Projects within the Microsoft ecosystem

Both frameworks offer modern approaches to desktop app development, with Tauri focusing on cross-platform compatibility and Windows App SDK providing deep Windows integration.