Xamarin vs native development: what is the difference for mobile apps?

Xamarin and native mobile app development differ primarily in code sharing, supported languages, and platform access. Xamarin uses C# and .NET to maintain a single codebase across iOS, Android, and Windows, streamlining maintenance and reducing development time. With bindings, it delivers near-native performance and access to native APIs. Native development requires separate code in Swift/Objective-C for iOS or Kotlin/Java for Android, enabling maximum performance and tailored platform control but increasing overall workload, cost, and complexity due to distinct codebases. Xamarin simplifies cross-platform projects, while native development emphasises custom performance and platform integration.