Should I migrate Xamarin to MAUI?
Yes. Xamarin reached end-of-support in May 2024; continuing to run Xamarin apps in production accumulates security and platform-API debt at a rate that does not pay back. MAUI is the official Microsoft successor, ships on modern .NET (8 LTS or 10 current), and migration is well-documented. Typical Xamarin-to-MAUI migration runs 6 to 16 weeks depending on app complexity and the depth of platform-specific code. The decision is when, not whether.
The longer answer
Xamarin to MAUI is the most consistent "yes, do this" recommendation in the mobile-platform-modernization landscape of 2026. Xamarin reached end-of-support on May 1, 2024; continuing to run Xamarin apps in production accumulates security, platform-API, and tooling debt that compounds.
Why the migration is non-optional
Security updates stopped. Xamarin no longer receives security patches from Microsoft. iOS and Android platform updates that ship new security baselines (sandboxing changes, certificate-pinning requirements, App Store / Play Store policy changes) are not backported.
App Store / Play Store policy. Apple and Google periodically tighten the minimum SDK / target API requirements for app submissions. Xamarin's binding layer falls behind those requirements over time; eventually new submissions get blocked.
Tooling support. Visual Studio's Xamarin support is end-of-life. New language features (C# 12, C# 13) are not available; new debugging features land in MAUI only.
What the migration actually involves
A typical Xamarin.Forms to MAUI migration is a 6-16 week engagement depending on app size and the depth of platform-specific custom renderers.
Project file conversion (1 week). Xamarin.Forms project files convert to MAUI single-project format. Microsoft ships a documented upgrade path.
XAML compatibility fixes (1-3 weeks). Most Xamarin.Forms XAML carries over with minor namespace and binding-syntax adjustments. The Xamarin Community Toolkit equivalent is the MAUI Community Toolkit.
Custom renderer migration (2-6 weeks). Xamarin's custom-renderer pattern is replaced by MAUI's handler pattern; this is the largest single body of work in most migrations because complex custom UI usually has multiple renderers per platform.
Dependency updates (1-2 weeks). NuGet packages need MAUI-compatible versions; some abandoned packages will need replacement or fork.
Testing and platform-policy compliance (1-3 weeks). Re-test on current iOS / Android SDK versions; address any minimum-API-level requirements; re-baseline the App Store / Play Store submission.
What about Xamarin.iOS / Xamarin.Android (not Forms)?
Pure Xamarin.iOS or Xamarin.Android apps (without Forms) migrate to .NET for iOS / .NET for Android — the same underlying bindings, just rebranded under the modern .NET runtime. The migration shape is similar but smaller because no Forms-to-MAUI XAML work is required.
Budget
$25,000-$120,000 depending on app size, custom-renderer count, and dependency-resolution depth. The audit / scoping deliverable comes first ($3,000-$10,000) and produces the basis for a fixed-price migration quote.
Common follow-up questions
Can I keep running Xamarin if my app already works?
For a few more months, yes; long-term, no. App Store / Play Store policy changes will eventually block submissions, and the security debt compounds. Plan the migration on a 6-18 month timeline rather than treating it as urgent.
Will users notice the difference?
Usually no. MAUI renders the same controls as Xamarin.Forms with comparable performance. The major user-visible difference is usually that the app supports newer iOS / Android features (sharing, widgets, Dynamic Island, Material You) that Xamarin no longer reached.
Should I rewrite in React Native or Flutter instead?
Only if there is a separate, strategic reason to change ecosystems. Within-ecosystem migration (Xamarin to MAUI) is 6-16 weeks; cross-ecosystem rewrite (Xamarin to Flutter) is 6-12 months. The math rarely works unless the buyer is also changing teams.
If this answer is useful and you have a real engagement in mind, the contact form routes directly to the principal — James Henderson is the single engineer who scopes, writes, and supports every engagement end-to-end.