.NET MAUI or React Native?
.NET MAUI lets .NET shops build apps in C# and reuse existing skills, its strongest argument. React Native, though, has a larger ecosystem, a broader hiring pool in Sweden, and more ready-made libraries. MAUI can be rational when the team is deeply C#-focused and the backend is already .NET. For most, React Native matters more over time.
For a Swedish .NET shop, the choice sometimes feels obvious: you know C#, your backend is built in .NET, so why not build the app in .NET MAUI and reuse everything? It’s a reasonable line of thinking that sometimes holds up, but just as often other factors weigh more. Here’s the comparison between MAUI and React Native from a Swedish buyer’s perspective, focused on what actually decides total cost.
The case for MAUI: reuse your C# skills
MAUI’s strongest card is that a team already living in C# and .NET can build apps without switching languages. You keep your tools, patterns, and much of your mindset, and can share some code with a .NET backend. For a shop with deep C# skills and no JavaScript experience, that lowers the bar noticeably.
But be honest about how far the argument carries. App development has its own patterns, lifecycles, navigation, platform quirks, regardless of which language you write in. Not having to learn a new language is a real win, but it’s smaller than it sounds, and it has to be weighed against what you get on the other side of the scale. Skill reuse is a valid reason, not a trump card.
Where React Native leads: ecosystem and hiring
On two points that matter a lot over time, React Native has a clear edge.
| Aspect | .NET MAUI | React Native |
|---|---|---|
| Language | C# | JavaScript/TypeScript |
| Ecosystem | Smaller, younger | npm, the whole web ecosystem |
| Hiring in Sweden | Narrower pool for app-C# | Large pool, shared with the web |
| Ready-made libraries | Fewer, more often build it yourself | Many, often one command away |
| Shares code with | .NET backend | Web team and web codebase |
The ecosystem decides how much you avoid building yourselves. React Native draws on npm and tools like Expo, so proven solutions for maps, payment, and authentication are often available directly. MAUI’s library is smaller, which more often means custom work, and custom work is hours on the invoice.
Hiring decides how easily you can staff and replace people. React and JavaScript developers are one of Sweden’s largest groups, and web developers can shift over. There are plenty of C# developers, but those who’ve specifically built apps in MAUI or Xamarin are considerably fewer, a real vulnerability for a company that’s going to own the app for years.
Total cost when the backend is already .NET
This is where the interesting trade-off lies. Your backend being .NET is a reasonable argument for MAUI, but not a decisive one, since a React Native app talks perfectly well to a .NET backend through ordinary APIs. The technologies in frontend and backend don’t need to match.
So calculate the whole picture, not just the startup phase. MAUI can give you a faster and cheaper start if the team is already C#-heavy. React Native can give you a lower cost over the years through a richer ecosystem, less custom building, and a staffing outlook that holds up when key people move on. Which path ends up cheapest depends on how long the app will live and how much further development it needs.
A concrete scenario
Say you’re an established .NET consultancy with ten C# developers and a .NET backend, building an internal app for a client. Here MAUI can be rational: the team is on home turf, the app is contained, and sharing a language with the backend lowers the bar. The hiring argument carries little weight when you’re staffing with existing people.
Now assume instead that you’re building a long-lived consumer app that will be developed further for years and staffed broadly over time. Then React Native’s ecosystem and hiring outlook matter more, even if you have to learn JavaScript along the way. The point: the answer depends on the app’s lifespan and how it needs to be staffed, not solely on which language you happen to know today.
At Weapp we build apps in React Native for exactly these reasons, but we’re happy to reason through what fits your situation. Take a look at our services or get in touch and we’ll approach it from your starting point.
Frequently asked questions
What is .NET MAUI?
.NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) is Microsoft's framework for building apps for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac from a shared C# codebase. It's the successor to Xamarin.Forms and targets teams already working in the .NET world who want to use the same language and tools for their apps as for their backend.
Does the argument for reusing C# skills hold up?
Partly. A team that lives in C# and .NET can get going in MAUI without learning a new language, and can share some code with a .NET backend. But app development has its own patterns regardless of language, so the gain is smaller than it sounds. Skill reuse is a real but not decisive argument, weigh it against ecosystem and hiring.
Which ecosystem is bigger?
React Native, by a clear margin. It draws on npm and the web's enormous package library plus tools like Expo, so ready-made solutions for maps, payment, and authentication are often available directly. MAUI's ecosystem is smaller and younger, which more often means the team has to build or adapt things itself, work that costs hours.
Which is easiest to hire for in Sweden?
React Native. JavaScript and React developers are one of Sweden's largest skill groups, and many web developers can shift into apps. There's certainly no shortage of C# developers, but those who've specifically built apps in MAUI or Xamarin are a much narrower group. That affects how easily you can staff and replace people on the app team over time.
Does it matter that our backend is already .NET?
It's a reasonable argument for MAUI, but not a decisive one. A React Native app talks perfectly well to a .NET backend through ordinary APIs, the technologies don't need to match. The backend being .NET lowers the bar for choosing MAUI if the team is C#-heavy anyway, but it doesn't force the choice. Look at the whole picture: ecosystem, hiring, and maintenance all carry weight.