Mobile Development · head to head
Codemagic vs .NET MAUI

.NET MAUI
Mobile Development
Microsoft-maintained, free framework for native iOS, Android, Windows and macOS apps from one C# codebase
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Codemagic minute-based pricing opacity: exact costs for concurrent builds become difficult to predict at scale without calculator; .NET MAUI its release and support lifecycle is tied to the underlying .NET version, so a team on an odd-numbered .NET release faces a support cutoff roughly every eighteen months and must budget upgrade work accordingly.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 2 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Codemagic and .NET MAUI actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Mobile Development).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Codemagic
Nothing recorded that .NET MAUI does not also cover.
Only in .NET MAUI
- Single C# and XAML codebase
- Native UI rendering
- Xamarin migration path
- Hot Reload
- Blazor Hybrid support
- MVU and data binding
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Codemagic
- Mobile CI/CD pipelines for iOS and Androidnot .NET MAUI
- React Native CodePush over-the-air update distributionnot .NET MAUI
- Enterprise multi-team CI/CD at scalenot .NET MAUI
.NET MAUI
- A .NET shop extending an existing C# codebase or business logic layer into iOS and Androidnot Codemagic
- A team migrating a retired Xamarin.Forms app, since Microsoft provides an official upgrade pathnot Codemagic
- An organisation that wants one codebase spanning mobile and Windows desktop without a second languagenot Codemagic
- A company standardised on Visual Studio and Azure DevOps wanting mobile builds in the same pipelinenot Codemagic
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Codemagic
- Minute-based pricing opacity: exact costs for concurrent builds become difficult to predict at scale without calculator
- Free tier severely limited to 500 minutes/month with single parallel build vs. competitors offering more generous free allocations
- M1/M2/M4 pricing variance creates complexity; customers must right-size machine type upfront without clear performance guidance
- Additional concurrency is expensive at $49/month per concurrent build, potentially costing $588/year per extra slot
.NET MAUI
- Its release and support lifecycle is tied to the underlying .NET version, so a team on an odd-numbered .NET release faces a support cutoff roughly every eighteen months and must budget upgrade work accordingly.
- Platform-specific control styling and native look-and-feel have historically needed more manual work and workaround packages than Flutter delivers out of the box.
- macOS and desktop support are less mature than the iOS and Android targets, so teams wanting a strong Mac app experience often still reach for native AppKit or a dedicated tool.
- The talent pool of mobile developers fluent in MAUI specifically is smaller than for Flutter or React Native, even though C# itself is common.
- Third-party control libraries such as Syncfusion and Telerik fill real gaps in the built-in component set, meaning a serious app often carries an additional commercial licence cost despite the framework itself being free.
Pricing, plan by plan
Codemagic
Free- Pay as You Go$undefined/mo
- M2 Fixed Plan$3990/year
- M4 Fixed Plan$5400/year
- M4 Max Fixed Plan$9000/year
.NET MAUI
Free- .NET MAUIFree
- MIT licensed, unlimited apps
- Bundled with the free .NET SDK
- Visual Studio Community edition available at no cost for individuals and small teams
Which should you pick?
Choose .NET MAUI if
- You need single c# and xaml codebase.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
- You also want native ui rendering.
Questions people ask
- Is Codemagic or .NET MAUI better?
- Neither clearly leads. Codemagic starts at Free and .NET MAUI at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Codemagic or .NET MAUI?
- Codemagic starts at Free and .NET MAUI at Free.
- Does Codemagic or .NET MAUI run on more platforms?
- Codemagic runs on Web. .NET MAUI runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Codemagic for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Codemagic best used for?
- Codemagic is most often used for mobile ci/cd pipelines for ios and android, react native codepush over-the-air update distribution, enterprise multi-team ci/cd at scale. Of those, mobile ci/cd pipelines for ios and android and react native codepush over-the-air update distribution are not what .NET MAUI is typically brought in for.
- What can Codemagic do that .NET MAUI cannot?
- .NET MAUI covers Single C# and XAML codebase, Native UI rendering, Xamarin migration path, Hot Reload.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Codemagic: How much does it cost to add more parallel builds?
Each additional concurrent build costs $49/month ($588/year). Fixed-plan customers can purchase additional concurrency at $1,500–$3,000/year depending on tier.
Source.NET MAUI: Is .NET MAUI really free for commercial apps?
Yes. It ships under the MIT licence as part of the free .NET SDK, with no separate mobile licence fee from Microsoft.
Codemagic: Does Codemagic offer a free tier?
Yes. The free tier includes 500 free M2 build minutes monthly with 1 parallel build maximum, then paid usage kicks in.
Source.NET MAUI: Is this the same as Xamarin?
It is the successor. Xamarin.Forms was retired in 2024 and Microsoft provides migration tooling from it to MAUI.
Codemagic: What is the difference between monthly billing and annual fixed plans?
Pay-as-you-go charges per minute of build time. Fixed annual plans provide unlimited minutes on a specific machine type (M2, M4, or M4 Max) for one upfront yearly payment plus the option to purchase additional concurrency.
Source.NET MAUI: How long is each .NET version supported?
Even-numbered releases get Long Term Support (around three years); odd-numbered releases get roughly eighteen months, and MAUI follows that same .NET release cadence.
Codemagic: Is there a limit to monthly users on React Native CodePush?
Yes. On the fixed-price CodePush plan, users are billed per 100,000 Monthly Active Users (MAU). Overage pricing is $1 per 2,500 installs on pay-as-you-go or a higher per-instance fee on fixed plans.
SourceRelated pages
Other head to heads
- Codemagic vs Bitrise
- Codemagic vs Appcircle
- Codemagic vs EAS Build
- Codemagic vs Maestro
- Codemagic vs Firebase
- Codemagic vs Xcode
- Codemagic vs Fastlane
- Codemagic vs React Native
- Codemagic vs Adapty
- Codemagic vs NativeScript
- Codemagic vs Sencha
- Codemagic vs Superwall
- Codemagic vs Ionic
- Codemagic vs Kotlin Multiplatform
- Codemagic vs Expo
- Codemagic vs Android Studio
- Codemagic vs Flutter
- Codemagic vs Capacitor
- Codemagic vs RevenueCat
- Codemagic vs AppsFlyer
- Codemagic vs Emerge Tools
- Codemagic vs Luciq
- .NET MAUI vs Bitrise
- .NET MAUI vs Appcircle
- .NET MAUI vs EAS Build
- .NET MAUI vs Maestro
- .NET MAUI vs Firebase
- .NET MAUI vs Xcode
- .NET MAUI vs Fastlane
- .NET MAUI vs React Native
- .NET MAUI vs Adapty
- .NET MAUI vs NativeScript
- .NET MAUI vs Sencha
- .NET MAUI vs Superwall
- .NET MAUI vs Ionic
- .NET MAUI vs Kotlin Multiplatform
- .NET MAUI vs Expo
- .NET MAUI vs Android Studio
- .NET MAUI vs Flutter
- .NET MAUI vs Capacitor
- .NET MAUI vs RevenueCat
- .NET MAUI vs AppsFlyer
- .NET MAUI vs Emerge Tools
- .NET MAUI vs Luciq

