When .NET developers think about cross-platform UI development, .NET MAUI often comes to mind. It’s a modern, powerful framework that bridges mobile and desktop development with a single codebase. Yet, when the requirement is to create rich desktop experiences for Windows and Linux—and in some cases even macOS—.NET MAUI isn’t always the right fit.

This is where Avalonia UI steps in. Built from the ground up with desktop in mind, Avalonia provides a true cross-platform XAML-based UI framework that feels familiar to WPF and UWP developers, while running seamlessly on Windows, Linux, and beyond.

In this article, we’ll explore what Avalonia UI offers, why .NET MAUI sometimes falls short for desktop-centric applications, and how SkiaSharp plays a role in delivering fast, GPU-accelerated rendering. We’ll also walk through some C# snippets to illustrate how Avalonia makes desktop development both productive and enjoyable.

Why Not Just Use .NET MAUI?

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: .NET MAUI.

Microsoft’s MAUI is an excellent choice when you need to build applications targeting iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS from a single project. Its focus is mobile-first, with desktop support added on top. This design philosophy is a double-edged sword:

• Strengths:

  • Unified project structure for mobile and desktop.

  • Native controls for each platform, which means apps “feel” natural to the OS.

  • Excellent for scenarios where mobile deployment is a requirement.

• Limitations for Desktop Development:

  • Desktop support (especially Linux) is not a priority. Linux isn’t supported at all.

  • Some advanced desktop scenarios—multi-window support, system tray integration, complex keyboard shortcuts—are harder to implement.

  • Rendering pipelines and layout performance are optimized for mobile UI patterns, not heavy, data-rich desktop environments.

If your main target is Windows and Linux desktops, and you need an environment where both platforms are treated as first-class citizens, .NET MAUI feels limiting. You’ll likely spend more time working around its mobile-first design than building your actual product.

Enter Avalonia UI

Avalonia UI is a cross-platform UI framework for .NET, inspired heavily by WPF. It uses XAML for UI markup, supports the MVVM pattern, and provides a desktop-first development model.

Here’s why Avalonia stands out:

1. True Cross-Platform Desktop Support
   Avalonia supports Windows, Linux, and macOS right out of the box. Unlike MAUI, Linux is not an afterthought—it’s a primary target.

2. Rich Desktop Features
   Multiple windows, system tray integration, window chrome customization, and advanced input handling are built-in.

3. High-Performance Rendering
   Avalonia leverages Skia (via SkiaSharp) as its rendering engine, giving it GPU acceleration and consistent visuals across platforms.

4. WPF-Like Development Experience
   For developers coming from WPF, Avalonia feels natural: XAML, bindings, templates, styles, and resources all follow familiar patterns.

The Role of Skia in Avalonia

At the heart of Avalonia’s rendering lies Skia, Google’s open-source 2D graphics library, also used in Chrome, Android, and Flutter. Avalonia integrates Skia through SkiaSharp, giving developers:

• Consistent Rendering: No more relying on native OS drawing APIs, which differ widely across platforms.

• Hardware Acceleration: Smooth animations, vector graphics, and scalable UIs.

• Cross-Platform Fidelity: What you design in Windows looks the same in Linux.

This abstraction frees developers from worrying about platform inconsistencies. Avalonia renders the UI the same way everywhere.

Getting Started with Avalonia

Let’s walk through a simple example to demonstrate Avalonia’s power.

Step 1: Create a New Avalonia Project

You’ll need the Avalonia project templates:

$> dotnet new install Avalonia.Templates

Now create a new project:

$> dotnet new avalonia.app -o MyAvaloniaApp
$> cd MyAvaloniaApp

Step 2: Define Your UI in XAML

In MainWindow.axaml:

<Window xmlns="https://github.com/avaloniaui"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        Title="Hello Avalonia"
        Width="400" Height="200">
    <StackPanel Margin="20">
        <TextBlock Text="Welcome to Avalonia UI!"
                   FontSize="18" 
                   HorizontalAlignment="Center"/>
        <Button Content="Click Me" 
                Width="100" 
                HorizontalAlignment="Center" 
                Command="{Binding ClickCommand}"/>
    </StackPanel>
</Window>

Step 3: Add a ViewModel

In MainWindowViewModel.cs:

using ReactiveUI;
using System.Reactive;

namespace MyAvaloniaApp.ViewModels
{
    public class MainWindowViewModel : ReactiveObject
    {
        public MainWindowViewModel()
        {
            ClickCommand = ReactiveCommand.Create(() => ClickMessage = "Button Clicked!");
        }

        private string _clickMessage;
        public string ClickMessage
        {
            get => _clickMessage;
            set => this.RaiseAndSetIfChanged(ref _clickMessage, value);
        }

        public ReactiveCommand<Unit, Unit> ClickCommand { get; }
    }
}

Step 4: Run Your App

$> dotnet run

The same executable will run flawlessly on both Windows and Linux—no hacks, no workarounds.

Going Beyond Basics: Custom Drawing with Skia

One of Avalonia’s strengths is custom rendering via Skia. For example, suppose you want to draw a simple chart.

using Avalonia;
using Avalonia.Controls;
using Avalonia.Media;
using SkiaSharp;

public class ChartControl : Control
{
    public override void Render(DrawingContext context)
    {
        var rect = new Rect(Bounds.Size);
        using (var skiaContext = new SKCanvasRenderTarget(context).CreateCanvas())
        {
            skiaContext.Clear(SKColors.White);

            using var paint = new SKPaint
            {
                Color = SKColors.Blue,
                StrokeWidth = 4,
                IsAntialias = true
            };

            // Simple line chart
            var points = new[] { new SKPoint(10, 100), new SKPoint(50, 70), new SKPoint(90, 120) };
            skiaContext.DrawPoints(SKPointMode.Polygon, points, paint);
        }
    }
}

This demonstrates how Avalonia + Skia gives you full control of pixel-level rendering, enabling sophisticated graphics, custom charts, and even game-like UIs.

Why Avalonia Is Perfect for Desktop-First Scenarios

Let’s summarize when Avalonia makes more sense than .NET MAUI:

• Linux is a requirement. Avalonia supports it natively; MAUI doesn’t.

• Rich desktop UX. Multiple windows, context menus, system tray integration—all easier in Avalonia.

• Consistency across platforms. Thanks to Skia, Avalonia apps look and behave identically on Windows and Linux.

• Familiarity for WPF developers. Migration feels natural, since XAML and MVVM patterns are supported.

Of course, Avalonia is not a silver bullet. If you need mobile support (iOS/Android), then .NET MAUI is the way to go. But for desktop-first, Linux-inclusive projects, Avalonia is hard to beat.

Avalonia UI vs. .NET MAUI: Comparison

Conclusion

In the evolving landscape of cross-platform development, choosing the right tool matters. .NET MAUI shines when mobile is part of your roadmap, but it falls short for Linux desktop scenarios and heavy desktop workflows.

Avalonia UI, powered by Skia, offers a compelling alternative: a true cross-platform, desktop-first framework with WPF-like familiarity and modern rendering capabilities. Whether you’re migrating from WPF, targeting Linux desktops, or simply want a consistent UI across multiple platforms, Avalonia is a framework worth serious consideration.

The best part? You don’t need to compromise. With Avalonia, you can build beautiful, performant applications that make Windows and Linux users feel equally at home—all while writing clean, maintainable C# code.