Avalonia 12 with Mike James & Matt Lacey - .NET Rocks! Recap

Podcast: .NET Rocks!

Published: 2026-03-12

Duration: 1 hr 0 min

Guests: Mike James, Matt Lacey

Summary

Avalonia UI, an open-source cross-platform .NET framework, is growing rapidly, especially in desktop and embedded applications. Mike James and Matt Lacey discuss Avalonia 12's improved performance, partnerships with Google and Maui, and their innovative funding approach to sustain the project long-term.

What Happened

Avalonia UI, a framework for building cross-platform .NET applications, has seen remarkable growth and adoption, with 122 million builds last year alone. CEO Mike James and developer Matt Lacey discussed how Avalonia excels in desktop and embedded applications by providing a consistent UI framework across platforms. They acknowledged that while Avalonia supports mobile, its primary strength remains in desktop and embedded solutions, where performance and stability are critical.

The episode explored Avalonia's collaboration with Google on Impeller, a next-generation 2D graphics rendering library optimized for modern GPUs. Transitioning from SkiaSharp to Impeller aims to improve performance on hardware like mobile GPUs and Raspberry Pi devices. The team is also experimenting with alternative rendering backends to ensure Avalonia remains cutting-edge.

A major milestone for Avalonia has been its partnership with Maui. By integrating with Maui's backend, Avalonia can enhance its mobile capabilities while simultaneously filling gaps in Maui's cross-platform offerings, such as Linux and web support. This collaboration reflects Avalonia's focus on complementing existing .NET tools rather than competing with them.

Another key topic was Avalonia's sustainable business model. The team has rejected traditional VC funding to maintain long-term stability and independence. Instead, they rely on innovative revenue streams like XPF (a cross-platform WPF solution), support agreements, and their Accelerate toolkit, which offers premium features like improved IDE tooling and additional components.

Mike and Matt emphasized that Avalonia's enterprise focus drives their commitment to long-term support, which is critical for customers building complex, mission-critical applications. For example, Avalonia is used in operating theaters for surgical guidance, highlighting the framework's reliability and precision.

The conversation also touched on the role of AI in software development. While Avalonia's enterprise users are cautious about adopting AI for mission-critical tasks, the team is exploring ways to integrate AI into their development tooling. They believe that AI could eventually simplify UI development but note that trust and testing remain significant barriers.

Finally, the guests highlighted Avalonia 12, now in preview, which brings major performance improvements, especially for mobile devices. The release sets the stage for Avalonia's continued evolution, with a focus on developer experience, tooling, and long-term viability. The team's dedication to open source and community-driven growth remains a core part of their mission.

Key Insights

• Avalonia UI processed 122 million builds last year, driven by its focus on desktop and embedded applications where performance and stability are non-negotiable. While it supports mobile, its strengths lie in consistent cross-platform UI for mission-critical environments like operating theaters.
• Avalonia is shifting from SkiaSharp to Google's Impeller rendering library to optimize 2D graphics performance for modern GPUs, including mobile and Raspberry Pi. The move reflects a broader push to future-proof visuals for hardware that demands efficiency.
• Avalonia's partnership with Maui fills critical gaps in Microsoft’s cross-platform tools, adding support for Linux and web applications. Rather than compete, Avalonia positions itself as the missing piece in Maui's ecosystem, extending its relevance.
• By rejecting VC funding, Avalonia relies on revenue streams like XPF (cross-platform WPF) and premium tools to sustain its growth. The focus on independence allows it to prioritize enterprise-grade reliability, a necessity for industries like surgical guidance.

Key Questions Answered

What is Avalonia UI, and how is it evolving?

Avalonia UI is an open-source .NET framework for building cross-platform applications, excelling in desktop and embedded environments. Recent advancements include Avalonia 12's performance improvements and partnerships with Google and Maui to expand its capabilities.

How does Avalonia UI collaborate with Maui?

Avalonia is building a backend for Maui to enhance its cross-platform capabilities. This partnership provides Maui with Linux and web support while helping Avalonia improve its mobile offerings.

What is the Accelerate toolkit for Avalonia?

Accelerate is a premium toolkit for Avalonia that includes IDE integrations, developer tools, and components like WebView and Markdown Editor. It supports Avalonia's sustainability by offering optional paid features.