What is the difference between Xamarin.Forms and Xamarin Native?

The difference between Xamarin.Forms and Xamarin Native lies primarily in their approach to building user interfaces and the extent of code sharing across platforms.

Xamarin.Forms

Overview:
Xamarin.Forms is a UI toolkit that allows developers to build native user interfaces using a single, shared codebase. The UI is defined using XAML (a markup language) or C# code, and Xamarin.Forms maps these UI components to native controls on each platform (iOS, Android, Windows) at runtime.

Pros:

• High Code Reuse: Xamarin.Forms allows for a high degree of code sharing, often up to 90%, including both business logic and UI code[2][5].
• Rapid Development: It is ideal for projects that require quick development and deployment, such as MVPs or internal enterprise apps[4][6].
• Simplified Maintenance: Updates and bug fixes can be applied once and propagated across all platforms, reducing maintenance efforts[2][11].
• Cost-Effective: It is generally more cost-effective for projects with simpler UIs or those that do not require extensive platform-specific customizations[2][3].

Cons:

• Performance: There can be a slight performance overhead due to the abstraction layer between the shared code and the native platform[12].
• Limited Customization: While Xamarin.Forms covers many common UI scenarios, it may not fully support highly customized or platform-specific UI requirements[5][6].
• App Size: Applications built with Xamarin.Forms tend to be larger due to the additional libraries and runtime included[2][4].

Xamarin Native (Xamarin.iOS and Xamarin.Android)

Overview:
Xamarin Native involves using Xamarin.iOS and Xamarin.Android to build platform-specific applications. While the business logic can be shared across platforms using C#, the UI is built using the native UI frameworks of each platform (e.g., XML layouts for Android, Storyboards for iOS).

Pros:

• Native Performance: Offers near-native performance as the UI is built using platform-specific tools and frameworks[4][12].
• Full Customization: Provides full access to platform-specific APIs and features, allowing for highly customized and sophisticated UIs[3][7].
• Better for Complex Apps: Ideal for applications that require complex interactions, high performance, or extensive use of platform-specific features[2][3].

Cons:

• **Lower ...