Choosing Between .NET MAUI and Blazor Hybrid for Your Next App
Last updated 43 Days ago | 7 Min Read | 45 views
Developing cross-platform applications requires selecting the right framework that aligns with your project goals, performance expectations, and development expertise. Microsoft offers two powerful frameworks—.NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) and Blazor Hybrid Apps—each catering to different development needs.
While .NET MAUI is designed for native-first applications, offering high-performance UI and direct access to platform APIs, Blazor Hybrid allows developers to combine web technologies like HTML, CSS, and Blazor with native platform capabilities within a hybrid app.
So, which one should you choose for your next app? This blog will break down both frameworks, their key features, and their differences, helping you make an informed decision.
What is .NET MAUI?
.NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) is Microsoft’s official framework for building cross-platform native applications using a single C# codebase. It enables developers to create apps for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows, ensuring a consistent experience across all platforms.
As the successor to Xamarin.Forms, .NET MAUI introduces better performance, enhanced UI capabilities, and a more unified API for accessing native device features. Developers can write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms without losing the native experience.
Key Features of .NET MAUI
- Native UI Performance
One of the biggest advantages of .NET MAUI is its native UI rendering. This means that instead of relying on a web-based UI (like Blazor Hybrid), .NET MAUI applications use platform-specific UI components to provide a smooth, responsive, and optimized experience. The UI controls in .NET MAUI are not just imitations; they use the native elements of Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS, ensuring a truly native look and feel.
- Single Codebase for Multiple Platforms
With .NET MAUI, developers can write a single application codebase and deploy it across Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows, eliminating the need to develop separate apps for different platforms. This reduces development time, maintenance efforts, and overall costs.
- Flexible UI Development
.NET MAUI supports both XAML and C# for UI development, giving developers the flexibility to choose the approach they’re most comfortable with. XAML provides a structured way to design UI components, while C# enables dynamic UI generation and logic-driven interfaces.
- MVU (Model-View-Update) and MVVM Support
.NET MAUI supports both MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) and MVU (Model-View-Update) design patterns, making it adaptable to different architectural styles. MVVM is useful for maintaining separation between UI and business logic, while MVU simplifies UI updates by using a unidirectional data flow.
- Access to Native APIs
Unlike web-based frameworks, .NET MAUI provides direct access to native device APIs. Developers can integrate:
- Camera for capturing images/videos
- GPS & Location Services for navigation apps
- Sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, etc.) for fitness apps
- File storage for local data management
This makes .NET MAUI the best choice for applications requiring deep integration with device hardware.
- Hot Reload & Live Preview
.NET MAUI comes with XAML Hot Reload and Live Preview, allowing developers to see UI changes in real-time without recompiling the app. This speeds up the development process and enhances productivity.
- Cross-Platform Styling
Developers can create consistent UI themes across different platforms using platform-independent styles, shared resource dictionaries, and adaptive layouts. This ensures that an app looks great on all devices without requiring separate UI designs.
.NET MAUI vs. Blazor Hybrid: Key Differences
- UI Framework
.NET MAUI uses XAML and native UI components, ensuring optimized rendering and responsiveness. Blazor Hybrid, in contrast, renders UI using HTML and CSS inside a WebView, making it more web-friendly but slightly less performant.
- Performance
Since .NET MAUI applications use native UI rendering, they are generally faster and more responsive than Blazor Hybrid apps, which rely on WebView to display UI components.
- Development Model
.NET MAUI follows a native-first approach, focusing on direct hardware access and optimized UI performance. Blazor Hybrid follows a web-first model, allowing code sharing across web, mobile, and desktop applications.
- Code Reusability
Blazor Hybrid allows greater code reuse between web and native apps, making it ideal for developers who already have a Blazor-based web application. .NET MAUI is more focused on mobile and desktop, offering better platform-specific optimizations.
- Access to Platform APIs
Both .NET MAUI and Blazor Hybrid provide full access to native APIs, but .NET MAUI does so more efficiently since it doesn’t rely on WebView.
- Learning Curve
.NET MAUI requires XAML knowledge and an understanding of native UI development. Blazor Hybrid is easier for web developers familiar with HTML, CSS, and Razor components.
Which One Should You Choose?
The decision between .NET MAUI and Blazor Hybrid depends on your project's specific requirements, the level of native integration needed, and the technologies your development team is comfortable with.
Choose .NET MAUI if…
If you need a high-performance application with a truly native UI, .NET MAUI is the better choice. Since it renders platform-specific UI components, it provides a smooth, fast, and responsive experience on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. If your application relies heavily on device hardware and sensors, such as the camera, GPS, Bluetooth, or file system, .NET MAUI offers direct access to native APIs without relying on an intermediary like WebView.
For developers who are comfortable working with XAML and C# for UI design, .NET MAUI provides powerful UI customization capabilities while maintaining cross-platform compatibility. It is ideal for projects that prioritize mobile-first or desktop-first development, where the focus is on delivering optimized user experiences on native platforms rather than adapting an existing web app.
Choose Blazor Hybrid if…
Blazor Hybrid is a great option if you already have a Blazor-based web application and want to extend it to desktop or mobile without rewriting the UI in XAML. Since it allows developers to reuse existing Blazor components, it reduces development time and ensures a consistent user experience across web and native applications.
If your project is primarily web-based but needs access to native device features, Blazor Hybrid provides the best of both worlds. It allows you to build applications using HTML, CSS, and Razor components while still accessing native APIs through the .NET runtime. This makes it an ideal choice for enterprise dashboards, internal business tools, and hybrid applications where code-sharing and rapid development are top priorities.
Additionally, if your team is more experienced with web development technologies and prefers working with Blazor rather than XAML, Blazor Hybrid provides an easier transition into cross-platform application development. It offers flexibility by integrating with .NET MAUI, Windows Forms, and WPF applications, making it a strong choice for projects that need a unified codebase for web, desktop, and mobile.
Conclusion
Choosing between .NET MAUI and Blazor Hybrid depends on your project’s goals, performance needs, and technology preferences. .NET MAUI is ideal for high-performance, native-first applications that require deep integration with device hardware, while Blazor Hybrid is best suited for web developers looking to extend their apps to native platforms with minimal code changes. Both frameworks offer powerful cross-platform capabilities, making them valuable tools for modern application development. Assess your requirements carefully to select the right framework that aligns with your long-term vision and development expertise.
