Why is Xamarin to MAUI migration important in 2025?

Key Takeaways

> Are you still stuck with your Xamarin apps?

> Even if they are running fine now, they will become an easy target for a cyber attack due to the loss of support from Microsoft.

> Read this blog to know the importance of Xamarin to MAUI migration in 2025 and how to do it.

Table of Contents

1. A few facts about Xamarin to MAUI migration 
2. Xamarin to MAUI Migration: Why do you need it?

⤷ What is .NET MAUI? 

3. Xamarin to MAUI Migration: Pre-migration Checklist
4. Xamarin to MAUI Migration: The Process

⤷ Xamarin to MAUI Migration: Ways

⤷ Xamarin to MAUI Migration: The Step-by-Step Map

5. Xamarin to MAUI Migration: Case Studies

⤷ Case Study 1: A Reputed Airline in the USA

⤷ Case Study 2: A Renowned Energy and Fuel Company from the UK

6. Conclusion
7. FAQs

The app development services are evolving with great speed due to the inculcation of AIs, other digital trends and the end of support frameworks.

For example, Xamarin, a widely used cross-platform app development framework, got its support discontinued from Microsoft in May of 2024.

This means that Xamarin, as an app development framework, will not grow, and any issues in it will not be solved.

That’s why we wrote this blog on Xamarin to MAUI migration, highlighting its importance for businesses, project managers, developers, users, and tech experts.

A few facts about Xamarin to MAUI migration

• Xamarin was released in May of 2011.

• Xamarin supports Android 13 and iOS 17, while Google needs Android 14+ and Apple needs iOS 17+ for updates to the existing apps.

• Xamarin’s market share was 62% before May 2024, and its current market share has reduced to 11%.

• .NET MAUI was released in May of 2022.

• .NET MAUI is better than Flutter (performance), Xamarin.Forms (migration option) and .NET 6 (performance), but it has lesser community support than React Native.

Xamarin to MAUI Migration: Why do you need it?

In simple words, your business apps (mobile apps, web apps and desktop apps) need constant upgrades and maintenance to stay on top of the competing apps on Google Play Store, Apple App Store and other platforms.

And with Xamarin, this is not possible, as the apps will become less secure since there will be no security patches or bug fixes, making your business apps prone to cyberattacks.

Also, due to discontinued support for some Xamarin libraries, some Features in Xamarin apps have stopped working, and eventually, the app will also stop working.

Fig 1: A graphical representation of Benefits of choosing MAUI over Xamarin.

Here are some additional pointers:

Future Support

Microsoft wants to unify its apps under the .NET umbrella, and thus with .NET MAUI, your apps are future-ready.

Access to the Latest Feature

Only by opting for Xamarin to MAUI migration will your business and clients’ apps be able to beat their competition head-on via the latest features.

Better Tools & Integration

.NET MAUI integration helps with utilization of better tools such as enhanced Visual Studio integration and more.

Wider Platform Support

.NET MAUI is a successor of Xamarin and provides extended support beyond platforms like Windows and macOS.

Plus, it is open-source as well; that means it comes with a larger community support.

Lesser Maintenance Cost

Since .NET MAUI is a new framework compared to Xamarin, it will have fewer bugs and security vulnerabilities.

Cross-platform Code Sharing

MAUI ensures that your apps can leverage the cross-platform code sharing, which will reduce the time to market significantly.

Modern Architecture

.NET MAUI supports the MVU, or model-view-update architecture along with Blazor development patterns.

It also supports the MVVM (model-view-viewmodel) and RxUI (reactive extensions user interface) patterns.

This will reduce the long-term maintenance costs associated with an app built on MAUI.

What is .NET MAUI?

If you are wondering what .NET MAUI is, we got you.

MAUI, or Multi-platform App UI, is a cross-platform development framework used to create mobile & desktop apps that can run on iOS, Android, macOS and Windows using a single shareable codebase.

It is the suggested development framework for all the apps built on Xamarin by Microsoft.

Xamarin to MAUI Migration: Pre-migration Checklist

Once you are ready to migrate your business apps from Xamarin to MAUI, then you must adhere to the below premigration checks for easy migration.

Fig 2: A graphical representation of the Pre-migration checklist for Xamarin to .NET MAUI.

Project Compatibility

You need to review the Xamarin Forms to MAUI migration codebase compatibility, as some custom renderers might need adjustment.

Using .NET Upgrade Assistant, Visual Studio Analyser and .NuGet Package Explorer, these codes can be easily rooted out.

.NET MAUI Familiarity

Understanding the .NET MAUI framework and how your apps will align to its features will help in choosing them accordingly.

Take Back-ups

Ensure that a complete backup of the Xamarin project is saved in case the migration needs help or faces some issue.

Planning the Migration Strategy

By using an incremental migration from Xamarin to MAUI, you can ensure that troubleshooting and testing happen smoothly.

Updated Development Environment

Your apps need the latest versions of Visual Studio in alliance with .NET MAUI along with the required SDK (software development kit) files.

UI/UX Design Review

Your application’s UI/UX must be in line with MAUI’s layouts and controls to deliver a responsive app after the migration.

Testing Preparation

Having physical devices and emulators to test the migrated apps on all the targeted platforms will deliver a bug-free app.

Resources and Documentation

Use Microsoft guides, as they are the best documentation when it comes to migration of Xamarin to MAUI.

Once you have ensured all the above steps, it is time to proceed with the Xamarin to .NET MAUI migration.

Xamarin to MAUI Migration: The Process

Before jumping into the migration process, let us tell you about the two ways to migrate from Xamarin to MAUI.

Xamarin to MAUI Migration: Ways

You can choose either one of them.

Manual Migration

It would involve a manual process of conversion of the entire Xamarin project’s codebase and structure to .NET MAUI.

It can be time-intensive but imparts complete control over the migration process, including

• Updating the project structure, dependencies and namespaces

• Resolving any API breakup changes

It is best for complex apps.

Automated Migration

By using .NET Upgrade Assistant, you can automatically migrate your business apps from Xamarin to .NET MAUI.

It automatically handles,

• Required updates

• New SDK transition

• Dependency upgrades.

It is best suited for less complex apps.

Xamarin to MAUI Migration: The Step-by-Step Map

Now,

 you are ready to finally migrate from Xamarin to MAUI, and we have the step-by-step map to help you along the way.

Fig 3: A graphical representation of the Step-by-step process for the Xamarin to MAUI migration.

Step 1: New MAUI Project Creation

Start with the creation of a new .NET MAUI project after the complexity and compatibility assessment of the Xamarin.Forms apps.

Step 2: Project Files’ Upgrade

It is done in three consecutive steps, and they are as follows:

• Converting project files using the new SDK file format by modification of the ‘.csproj’ files and the update of the TargetFrameworks to the .NET MAUI targets.
• Update the namespaces by replacing the Xamarin.Forms instances with ‘Microsoft.MAUI.Controls’ and changing Xamarin.Forms.Xaml to Microsoft.MAUI.Controls.Xaml.
• NuGet Package Update by replacing them with .NET MAUI equivalents.

Step 3: Address Breakup Changes

There can be several .NET MAUI changes when undergoing a migration from Xamarin to .NET MAUI, including

• Layout changes from ‘StackLayout” to ‘VerticalStackLayout’ and ‘HorizontalStackLayout’.
• Custom renderers are supported, but it is advisable to use mappers and handlers for better results.
• Main app structure needs to be updated, including the ‘MainActivity’ in Android and ‘AppDelegate’ in iOS.

Step 4: Resource Management & Platform Functionality Update

It is done in a two-pronged approach by

1. Resource management transition from ‘Resource.designer.cs’ to ‘MAUIProgram.cs’ along with updates to the images and fonts as well.
2. Platform-specific functionalities need a move from ‘DependencyService’ to .NET MAUI Handlers & .NET MAUI Essentials.

Step 5: Using the .NET Upgrade Assistant

Use its CLI tool or command line interface tool to automate those parts of migration which can be automated.

Using CLI helps with better visibility for the changes.

Step 6: Manual Adjustments & Testing

Here are the manual adjustments and testing that are needed after the automation process is complete.

1. Issues like ambiguous references, missing dependencies and more can be fixed by using Visual Studio.
2. Testing should be done on all the target platforms like macOS, iOS, Windows, Android and more.
3. Clean the build after transition to deliver the best possible version of the apps.
4. There might be a need to upgrade the platform-specific arrangements as well.

With these 6 steps, your business apps are now ready for the future.

Xamarin to MAUI Migration: Case Studies

We bring you two real-world case studies of businesses that could not have their apps down even for a minute, showing how important Xamarin to MAUI migration is.

Case Study 1: A Reputed Airline in the USA

Background:

An airline company used Xamarin.Forms to build its mobile apps for flight booking, check-in, and live flight updates.

While Xamarin served well, they started exploring .NET MAUI as a part of modernization to improve performance, developer productivity, and future-proof their tech stack.

Challenges with Xamarin:

• Complex platform-specific customization
• UI inconsistencies across iOS and Android
• Dependency on older Xamarin.Forms libraries and slower updates

Transition to .NET MAUI:

• The airlines’ team migrated their Xamarin.Forms codebase to .NET MAUI incrementally.
• They used MAUI’s single project structure to streamline code sharing and reduce platform-specific overhead.

Results:

• 40% faster app load times on Android and iOS
• 25% reduction in platform-specific bugs
• Unified codebase improved developer productivity and simplified onboarding for new developers.
• Easier integration with modern .NET 7/8 libraries

Why did it matter?

The transition allowed the airlines to move faster, offer a more reliable app experience, and stay aligned with Microsoft’s long-term support roadmap.

Case Study 2: A Renowned Energy and Fuel Company from the UK

Background:

The client used a Xamarin-based field app for their technicians to perform inspections, data logging, and maintenance tracking in refineries and remote areas.

Pain Points in Xamarin:

• Limited hot reload support
• Performance lag in UI-heavy forms
• Increased time-to-market for new features due to platform-specific tweaks

Transition Strategy:

• The energy business’s developer team adopted .NET MAUI and rebuilt core UI screens using .NET MAUI Blazor Hybrid to reuse existing web components.
• They also leveraged MAUI’s support for native APIs and modern graphics for smoother visual performance.

Outcomes:

• Achieved a 50% reduction in app update cycles with hot reload and .NET MAUI’s modern tooling
• Significantly better performance in complex forms and offline-first capabilities
• Reduced code duplication thanks to Blazor hybrid support

Impact:

The move to MAUI enabled the energy and fuel company to scale the app to more regions while improving real-time sync and lowering their long-term maintenance cost.

We are sure that these case studies will help you take the decision that will bring your business from the past to the present and let it grow for the future.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, there is no point in sticking with Xamarin because, without support and the ability to cater to the latest trends & features, the apps will lose their users.

So, instead of worrying about the expenses and the time taken for this migration, the business should be thinking about all the positive outcomes that await their transition.

All you need is a reliable and recognized software development company…

Wildnet Technologies is one of the leading software development companies in India that has helped 4,100+ clients across the globe in more than 8,000+ projects.

We do this via our Design and Development division & software development services, and if you need to hire Xamarin developers and hire .NET MAUI developers on contract, we do that too via contractual IT staffing services.

If you need to know more,

> Top Software Development Frameworks of 2025: Powering Your Code like Never Before!

> The Future of Cross-platform App Development: How to Stay Ahead?

> Wildnet’s Digital Glossary

> Wildnet’s Digital Yum (our weekly newsletter from the thought leadership’s desk about the hottest in the digital industry)

Connect with us at info@wildnettechnologies.com and get the Xamarin to .NET MAUI transition done, asap.

FAQs

FAQ 1: How to migrate Xamarin to .NET MAUI?

Ans: By following the pre-migration checklist, choosing the migration process and then adhering to the 6 steps, you can easily migrate from Xamarin to .NET MAUI.

FAQ 2: Which is better, Xamarin or MAUI?

Ans: Here is the comparison of Xamarin vs MAUI for better understanding.

Platform support

Android and iOS don’t allow Xamarin apps to be upgraded.

Native Platform-Specific Features

.NET MAUI has direct access to the native platform APIs.

Performance

MAUI has the best performance compared to Xamarin be it for .NET 6, .NET 7, .NET 8 or more.

Customization

MAUI has enhanced customization options.

Single Project for All Platforms

MAUI allows usage of a single project for all platforms.

Multi-targeting & Multi-window

MAUI supports both multi-targeting and multi-window.

Community Support

Xamarin has an established community, while .NET MAUI’s community is still growing.

Third-party Library & Plugin Support 

Xamarin has lost some third-party support or libraries and plugins as the have transitioned to .NET MAUI.

While, more will transition over time.

So, choose MAUI without a doubt.

FAQ 3: Is Microsoft discontinuing Xamarin?

Ans: Yes, Microsoft discontinued Xamarin support for Xamarin in May 2024.

FAQ 4: Is Xamarin end of life?

Ans: Yes, Xamarin is an end-of-life platform since May 2024.

FAQ 5: Is Flutter better than MAUI?

Ans: Flutter is a better choice in terms of UI consistency, broad community support and rapid development, but MAUI is better in terms of performance.

FAQ 6. Can I use the Xamarin package in MAUI?

Ans: By following the above Xamarin to MAUI pre-migration steps, you can use Xamarin packages in MAUI.