.NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) shipped as generally available in May 2022. One year into GA, the picture is clearer: MAUI delivers on its cross-platform promise with caveats that matter in production.
What MAUI delivers
MAUI builds iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows applications from a single C# and XAML codebase. The underlying architecture maps MAUI abstractions to each platform's native UI controls, meaning you get platform-native rendering rather than a web view. The developer model is consistent: one project, one programming model, four deployment targets.
The production caveats
MAUI at GA shipped with known issues that made production deployment difficult for anything beyond simple applications: memory leaks in specific navigation patterns, inconsistent gesture handling between iOS and Android, and performance issues in complex layouts..NET 7 addressed many of these..NET 8 Preview substantially improved performance. The practical advice for new projects is to use.NET 7 MAUI (or.NET 8 when it ships) rather than the original GA release.
Blazor Hybrid as an alternative
Blazor Hybrid, which embeds a Blazor WebAssembly application in a native MAUI shell, is a credible alternative for teams with web development expertise. The UI runs in a web view within a native frame, less performant than fully native MAUI but gives web developers a shorter learning curve. For line-of-business applications where performance is not critical, Blazor Hybrid can reach iOS, Android, and desktop from a single web UI codebase.
Xamarin migration
.NET MAUI is the successor to Xamarin.Forms. Xamarin.Forms support ends in May 2024. Migration from Xamarin.Forms to MAUI is mostly mechanical: the project structure changes, some namespace renames, and configuration differences, but the XAML UI code and C# business logic largely transfer intact. The migration tooling Microsoft provides covers most common cases. Start the migration before Xamarin.Forms loses support.