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Avalonia

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What is Avalonia

Avalonia is a cross-platform UI framework for building desktop and mobile applications with .NET. It targets developers who want a single codebase for Windows, macOS, Linux, and selected mobile targets, using XAML-based UI definitions and an MVVM-friendly architecture. Avalonia provides its own rendering pipeline rather than relying on native UI controls, which helps deliver consistent UI behavior across platforms. It is commonly used for line-of-business apps, developer tools, and cross-platform client applications.

pros

Cross-platform .NET UI framework

Avalonia supports building applications that run on Windows, macOS, and Linux from a shared .NET codebase. This reduces the need to maintain separate UI implementations per desktop platform. It fits teams already standardized on C#/.NET and XAML patterns. The approach aligns with organizations seeking cross-platform delivery without switching to JavaScript-based stacks.

Consistent rendering across platforms

Avalonia uses a custom rendering approach instead of wrapping native widgets, which helps keep layout and styling behavior consistent across operating systems. This can reduce platform-specific UI discrepancies that appear when relying on native control sets. It also enables a unified styling model across targets. For teams prioritizing uniform UI behavior, this can simplify QA and UI maintenance.

XAML and MVVM workflow support

Avalonia uses XAML for UI markup and supports common MVVM patterns used in .NET client development. This can shorten onboarding for developers coming from WPF/UWP-style workflows. The framework includes tooling and libraries that support data binding and templating scenarios typical in business applications. It is well-suited to applications with complex forms and data-driven views.

cons

Mobile support is less central

Avalonia is primarily adopted for desktop applications, and mobile targets are not the main focus for many deployments. Organizations building mobile-first apps may find the ecosystem, device integrations, and community examples less mature than frameworks centered on iOS/Android. This can increase effort for mobile-specific UX patterns and testing. Teams should validate platform coverage and production readiness for their specific mobile requirements.

Smaller ecosystem than incumbents

Compared with long-established cross-platform UI stacks, Avalonia has a smaller third-party component and integration ecosystem. This may limit out-of-the-box availability of specialized UI controls, reporting, or enterprise connectors. As a result, teams may need to build or adapt components themselves. Procurement may also find fewer certified implementation partners.

Not native-control UI model

Because Avalonia does not primarily use native UI controls, applications may not automatically match platform-native look-and-feel and accessibility behaviors without additional work. Some OS-specific features can require custom implementations or platform-specific code. This can matter for apps that must closely follow native UI conventions. It also increases the importance of validating accessibility and input behavior per platform.

Plan & Pricing

Avalonia (official offerings)

Core (open-source)

Plan Price Key features & notes
Community / Avalonia (core) Free (MIT) Full open-source UI framework for .NET; no license fees; community support

Avalonia Accelerate (productized tooling & components)

Plan Price Key features & notes
Community €0 per year / seat Free tier for hobbyists; lite versions of tools (VS extension, VS Code extension, Dev Tools, Parcel).
Business €299 per year / seat Rent-to-own option (monthly available); Business tier includes Pro components (Media Player, WebView, enhanced Dev Tools, Parcel, Markdown Viewer, TreeDataGrid). Free 30-day trial available.
Enterprise €599 per year / seat Source-code access for components, Virtual Keyboard, discounted dev services; targeted at large organizations; purchase / talk to sales available.

Notes: Some Accelerate components/listings show occasional component-level pricing differences (e.g., TreeDataGrid listed at €219/year on its product page). The vendor also announced rent-to-own monthly subscriptions (customers subscribing 12 consecutive months receive a permanent license key). See vendor pages for per-component variations.

Avalonia XPF (commercial WPF modernization product)

Plan Price Key features & notes
Internal €9,500 / app For development and internal deployment to employees only; includes macOS/Desktop Linux support, 10-working-day SLA; free 30-day trial mentioned.
Business €29,500 / app Full commercial license with enhanced cross-platform capabilities; 5-working-day SLA; optional Mix & Match controls +€21,250; free 30-day trial mentioned.
Enterprise From €124,500 / app Premium solution with complete platform coverage (Embedded Linux, iOS & Android, WebAssembly); 3-working-day SLA; contact sales for Pro options.

Other paid offerings: Enhanced Support and Dev Services — vendor site indicates these are commercial and typically require contacting sales.

Seller details

AvaloniaUI OÜ
Tallinn, Estonia
2013
Private
https://avaloniaui.net/
https://x.com/AvaloniaUI
https://www.linkedin.com/company/avaloniaui

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Avalonia

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