5 Best Frameworks for WPF Modernization in 2026
WPF Migration Series
The Short Version

WPF is stable, not growing. Microsoft ships it with every .NET release, but investment is maintenance-grade. The pressure to reach new platforms, simplify deployment, and integrate with AI workflows is mounting.

Five frameworks offer a path forward: Uno Platform (6 platforms, closest XAML), .NET MAUI (mobile-first), Blazor Hybrid (web-first), WinUI 3 (Windows-only), and Electron (web-technology desktop).

The single largest factor in migration effort is not the number of XAML pages — it is the depth of Win32/COM interop.

Evaluation Criteria

Before diving into each framework, here are the criteria that matter most when a WPF team evaluates modernization targets:

XAML Compatibility

How closely does the target XAML dialect match WPF? Can existing controls, styles, and templates transfer? Do MVVM patterns carry over?

Platform Reach

Which OSes and form factors are supported? Is WebAssembly available? Is Linux desktop supported for enterprise workstations?

Migration Effort

What percentage of business logic can be reused? How much UI requires rewriting? Are incremental paths available?

AI Integration

Does it support MCP for AI agent workflows? Can agents inspect a running app's visual tree? How does it integrate with Claude Code, Copilot, or Cursor?

Ecosystem & Tooling

Visual designer support? Third-party control libraries? Long-term support and funding outlook?

The Frameworks
Framework 01

Uno Platform

The cross-platform, 6-platform solution with full AI tooling

Uno Platform implements the WinUI 3 / Windows App SDK API surface and extends it to six platforms from a single codebase. For WPF teams, this means the XAML dialect you migrate to is the closest available match — but it runs everywhere. The framework uses a Skia-based rendering engine for pixel-perfect consistency and provides AI-assisted development tools that no other framework in this list offers.

Platform Support

Platform Target Framework Minimum Version
Windowsnet10.0-desktop or net10.0-windows10.0.19041Windows 7+ (Skia) or Windows 10 (WinAppSDK)
macOSnet10.0-desktopmacOS 10.15+
Linuxnet10.0-desktopX11 and Framebuffer
iOSnet10.0-iosiOS 11+
Androidnet10.0-androidAndroid 5 (API 21)+
WebAssemblynet10.0-browserwasmChrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari

Key Strengths

Closest XAML Compatibility for WPF Teams
Uno Platform implements the WinUI API surface, which is the nearest XAML dialect to WPF. Common WPF patterns map to Uno Platform with namespace changes rather than structural rewrites: System.Windows.Controls becomes Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls, core layout panels (Grid, StackPanel, Border) work the same way, and MVVM patterns carry over directly. Teams report that final application codebases share up to 99% of the same code as the original.
Production-Ready WebAssembly
Unlike .NET MAUI (no WebAssembly), Uno Platform offers production-ready WebAssembly deployment that works across all major browsers. For WPF teams dealing with MSIX deployment headaches, browser-based delivery with zero installation is a compelling alternative.
Hot Design — Runtime Visual Designer
Hot Design transforms your running application into a live design surface. Toggle it on, edit controls, layouts, and styles, and every change writes back to your XAML source files in real time. No other cross-platform framework offers a runtime visual designer.
Uno Islands (Incremental Path)
Uno Islands let you embed Uno Platform controls inside your existing WPF application, migrating screen by screen without disrupting your current deployment.
Single Project for Six Platforms
One .csproj file builds for all six target platforms. One solution, one build pipeline, one set of NuGet references.

AI Integration

This is where Uno Platform separates from every other framework on this list. The AI story is not a single feature but a full-stack agentic development workflow built from three interlocking components:

Two Official MCP Servers
The Uno Platform MCP is a remotely hosted knowledge layer that gives AI agents access to up-to-date documentation, API references, control compatibility, and migration patterns. The App MCP is a locally running runtime service that connects to your actual running application and exposes the visual tree, control properties, screenshots, and input simulation. The first tells the agent what is possible. The second lets the agent verify what actually happened.
Hot Design Agent
Introduced in Uno Platform Studio 2.0, the Hot Design Agent is an AI assistant embedded directly in the Hot Design visual designer workspace. It can read layout hierarchies, detect controls and bindings, and — on prompt — suggest UI updates, reorganize components, or apply styles, all within the running app. Unlike IDE-based AI agents that modify source code and trigger Hot Reload blindly, Hot Design Agent lets developers preview proposed changes before they hit the codebase.
The Agentic Dev Loop
Uno Platform documents a six-step repeatable workflow for AI-assisted development: define requirements, plan with the agent, generate code, build and deploy, verify with the App MCP against the running app, and iterate. The key principle is that code that compiles is not code that works — the App MCP closes the loop by letting agents validate their own output at runtime.

For WPF migration specifically, this means an AI agent can scan your WPF codebase for migration issues, check API compatibility against the Uno Platform MCP, generate migrated code, and then verify the result against the running application — all within a single workflow.

Honest Limitations

Smaller community compared to the broader .NET ecosystem, with fewer third-party packages, though enterprise adoption is growing steadily.
C#/.NET required — teams without .NET experience face a learning curve, though this is not an issue for WPF teams.
Less mainstream awareness than some Microsoft-backed alternatives, despite strong enterprise adoption.
While the XAML is familiar, some Uno Platform-specific features (MVUX, Navigation extensions) have their own learning curve.
Best For

Choose Uno Platform when you need maximum platform coverage including production WebAssembly and Linux desktop, want the closest XAML compatibility path from WPF, or need AI-assisted development tooling. Ideal for .NET teams wanting a single codebase across all six major platforms with the least XAML rework.

Notable Apps: NPE, TradeZero, Kahua, Hug, Sentry

Framework 02

.NET MAUI

Microsoft's cross-platform mobile and desktop framework

.NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) is Microsoft's evolution of Xamarin.Forms and the official cross-platform framework in the .NET ecosystem. While it was not designed as a WPF migration target, teams already invested in .NET may consider it for new cross-platform projects or as a modernization destination.

Platform Support

Platform Supported Versions Notes
WindowsWindows 10, 11Via WinUI 3
macOSmacOS 10.15+Via Mac Catalyst (iOS-based)
iOSiOS 13+Full support
AndroidAPI 24+Full support
LinuxNot supportedNo native support; no GA timeline
WebAssemblyNot supportedNot available

Key Strengths

Microsoft Official
Direct Microsoft support, deep Visual Studio integration, and backing by the same team that builds .NET. Long-term viability is tied to Microsoft's platform strategy.
Mobile-First Design
MAUI excels at mobile scenarios. If your WPF modernization includes reaching iOS and Android tablets and phones, MAUI's mobile capabilities are mature.
Xamarin Migration Path
For organizations that also have Xamarin.Forms applications, MAUI provides a clear upgrade path with established tooling and documentation.
Third-Party Control Ecosystem
Major control vendors (Syncfusion, Telerik, DevExpress) offer MAUI-specific control libraries with enterprise support.

AI Integration

.NET MAUI's AI story is emerging but community-driven rather than first-party. The most notable tool is MauiDevFlow, an open-source project that enables agentic development workflows by embedding an agent inside a running MAUI app. It has been used as an AI skill for GitHub Copilot CLI, giving Copilot the ability to validate its own output against the running application.

However, MauiDevFlow is a community project, not an official Microsoft offering. There is no first-party MAUI MCP server that gives AI agents structured knowledge of MAUI's control set, migration patterns, or API surface. The gap between community tooling and a cohesive, framework-integrated AI workflow is real.

Honest Limitations

No Linux support — not natively supported, with no general availability timeline announced.
No WebAssembly — browser-based delivery is not available.
Different XAML dialect — MAUI XAML diverges significantly from WPF XAML. The control set, layout system, and binding model require rethinking your UI layer, not just adjusting it.
macOS via Catalyst — macOS support runs iOS apps through Mac Catalyst, not a native macOS desktop experience. Multi-window support and desktop-native behaviors are limited.
Missing basic controls — MAUI's control set lacks some basic desktop controls (tab control, menu) that WPF teams take for granted.
AI tooling is community-driven — no first-party MCP server or agentic workflow from Microsoft.
Best For

Choose .NET MAUI if your modernization is primarily about reaching iOS and Android mobile platforms, you are already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, and you do not need Linux or browser-based deployment. Be prepared for a significant UI rewrite from WPF XAML.

Framework 03

Blazor Hybrid

The web-first modernization path

Blazor Hybrid takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of migrating your XAML to another XAML framework, you rebuild your UI using web technologies (HTML, CSS, Razor components) while keeping your .NET business logic. Microsoft provides a BlazorWebView control that can be hosted directly inside an existing WPF application, enabling an incremental migration from XAML to web-rendered UI.

Platform Support

Platform Status Notes
Windows (WPF host)SupportedBlazorWebView in WPF
Windows (MAUI host)SupportedBlazorWebView in MAUI
macOSSupportedVia MAUI Blazor Hybrid
iOSSupportedVia MAUI Blazor Hybrid
AndroidSupportedVia MAUI Blazor Hybrid
BrowserSupportedPure web deployment
LinuxLimitedVia Electron or Photino wrappers

Key Strengths

Incremental WPF Migration
The BlazorWebView control can be embedded inside an existing WPF application. You can migrate one page at a time from XAML to Razor, running old and new UI side by side. This is the most gradual migration path available.
Web + Desktop from One Codebase
Razor components built for Blazor Hybrid can also run as a Blazor WebAssembly or Blazor Server application with minimal changes. If browser delivery is your primary modernization goal, Blazor lets you build once and deploy to both desktop and web.
Leverage Web Ecosystem
Access to the massive ecosystem of CSS frameworks, JavaScript interop, and web component libraries. Teams with existing web development skills can contribute immediately.
Business Logic Reuse
Your C# business logic, services, and data access code carry over directly. Only the UI layer changes from XAML to Razor/HTML/CSS.

AI Integration

Blazor's AI tooling story is primarily third-party and component-vendor-driven. Telerik provides a Blazor MCP Server for their component library, and Syncfusion offers similar MCP Servers powering an "Agentic UI Builder" for Blazor.

These are valuable for teams using those specific component libraries, but they are vendor-specific, not framework-level. There is no official Blazor MCP server from Microsoft. Practitioners note that agent mode is not yet ready for production-level full-stack Blazor work — it works for component scaffolding but struggles with multi-layered complexity. There is no runtime inspection protocol.

Honest Limitations

Complete UI rewrite — every XAML page must be rebuilt in Razor/HTML/CSS. None of your existing styles or templates carry over. Highest UI migration effort of any option.
Not native — UI renders inside a WebView2 control, not as native platform controls.
XAML skills do not transfer — your team's XAML expertise has no value in Blazor. You are learning HTML, CSS, and Razor from scratch.
Linux requires third-party wrappers — Electron or Photino can bridge the gap, but add complexity.
No visual designer — development relies on browser DevTools and code-only workflows.
AI tooling is vendor-specific — MCP servers exist for Telerik and Syncfusion only, not the full framework.
Best For

Choose Blazor Hybrid if browser-based delivery is your primary goal, your team has existing web development skills, or you want the most gradual migration path (page by page inside your existing WPF shell). Best suited for organizations willing to invest in a complete UI rewrite in exchange for web-native deployment.

Framework 04

WinUI 3

Microsoft's Windows-only desktop modernization

WinUI 3 is Microsoft's modern native UI framework for Windows, shipped as part of the Windows App SDK. It uses XAML that is conceptually close to WPF, making it a natural upgrade for teams that plan to stay on Windows and do not need cross-platform delivery.

Platform Support

Platform Status Notes
Windows 10SupportedVersion 1809+ required
Windows 11SupportedFull Fluent Design integration
macOSNot supported—
LinuxNot supported—
iOS/AndroidNot supported—
WebAssemblyNot supported—

Key Strengths

Familiar XAML for WPF Developers
WinUI 3 uses XAML with the same core concepts WPF developers know — dependency properties, data binding, styles, templates, and layout panels. The namespace changes from System.Windows to Microsoft.UI.Xaml, but the programming model is familiar.
Fluent Design System
Full access to Microsoft's modern design language, including Mica materials, rounded corners, and the latest Windows visual conventions.
Windows App SDK Integration
Access to modern Windows APIs for app lifecycle management, windowing, notifications, and resource management outside the UWP sandbox model.
XAML Islands (Incremental Path)
You can host WinUI 3 controls inside an existing WPF application using XAML Islands, allowing a gradual, screen-by-screen migration rather than a full rewrite.

AI Integration

WinUI 3 benefits from Microsoft's broader Windows AI investments rather than framework-specific tooling. Windows 11 is introducing native Model Context Protocol (MCP) support through the On-Device Agent Registry (ODR), which lets any Windows application register as an MCP server.

However, this is an OS-level capability, not a WinUI framework feature. There is no WinUI-specific MCP server. AI-assisted development relies on general-purpose tools: Visual Studio 2026's Copilot integration, XAML Hot Reload, and the Azure MCP Server for cloud workflows. An AI agent cannot inspect a running application's visual tree or validate UI behavior at runtime without custom instrumentation.

Honest Limitations

Windows-only — no path to macOS, Linux, mobile, or web from WinUI 3 alone.
No visual designer — Visual Studio does not yet have a UI designer for WinUI 3. Work has started in Windows App SDK 1.7, but no release timeline.
Missing WPF controls — items like DockPanel, AdornerDecorator, and certain rich text features require alternatives or custom implementations.
Performance gaps — launch speeds, RAM usage, and installation size remain larger/slower than the older UWP model.
Styling differences — while both use XAML, styling syntax and property names often differ. WPF-specific triggers are not available.
No framework-level AI tooling — depends on OS-level Windows MCP (still in Insider Preview) and general Copilot features.
Best For

Choose WinUI 3 if your application will remain Windows-only, you want a Microsoft-supported path from WPF, and you do not need cross-platform delivery. Ideal for teams that want to modernize their Windows UI without changing their platform strategy.

Framework 05

Electron

The web-technology desktop framework

Electron takes the most radical departure from WPF. Built on Chromium and Node.js, it lets teams build desktop applications using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript or TypeScript. For WPF teams, this means abandoning .NET and XAML entirely — but gaining access to the largest developer ecosystem on the planet. Electron powers some of the most widely used desktop applications in the world, including VS Code, Slack, Discord, and Figma.

Platform Support

Platform Status Notes
WindowsSupportedFull native desktop
macOSSupportedFull native desktop
LinuxSupportedFull native desktop
iOS/AndroidNot supportedDesktop-only framework
WebAssemblyNot applicableWeb code can be deployed separately

Key Strengths

Proven at Scale
VS Code, Slack, Discord, Figma, Notion, and Claude's desktop app all run on Electron. Hundreds of production applications prove it handles enterprise-scale demands.
Largest Developer Ecosystem
JavaScript/TypeScript is the most widely used programming language. The NPM ecosystem provides thousands of packages. Finding developers with relevant skills is significantly easier than for any .NET framework.
True Cross-Platform Desktop
Windows, macOS, and Linux from one codebase with consistent behavior. Unlike frameworks that treat Linux as a secondary target, Electron's Linux support is first-class.
Electron.NET for .NET Teams
Electron.NET allows teams to build Electron apps using ASP.NET Core (Razor Pages, MVC, Blazor). WPF teams can keep their C# backend code while adopting Electron for the desktop shell.

AI Integration

Electron's AI story is shaped by its web foundation. A community-built Electron MCP Server exists for debugging and automation. On Windows 11, Electron apps can integrate with the On-Device Agent Registry.

Because Electron apps are fundamentally web applications, they benefit from the mature web AI ecosystem. GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and other assistants have extensive training data for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and TypeScript — arguably more than for any XAML-based framework. However, there is no Electron-specific MCP server providing framework knowledge, and runtime inspection relies on Chrome DevTools Protocol.

Honest Limitations

Complete technology shift — abandoning C#, .NET, and XAML. Your team's existing skills do not transfer to the UI layer (unless using Electron.NET).
Resource consumption — each app bundles its own Chromium instance. Minimum app size is typically 100–200 MB, with significantly higher RAM usage.
No mobile — desktop-only. If iOS and Android are on your roadmap, you need a separate solution.
No XAML compatibility — zero code reuse from your WPF UI layer.
Security surface — bundling Chromium means inheriting its security surface area.
No framework-level MCP — AI integration comes from the general web ecosystem and community projects.
Best For

Choose Electron if your team has JavaScript/TypeScript expertise, you want proven desktop cross-platform reach with the largest ecosystem, and you are willing to rebuild your UI from scratch. Consider Electron.NET if you want to keep C# on the backend.

Notable Apps: VS Code, Slack, Discord, Figma, Notion, Claude Desktop

Comparison
Criteria Uno Platform .NET MAUI Blazor Hybrid WinUI 3 Electron
Language C# C# C# + HTML/CSS C# JS/TS (or C# via Electron.NET)
XAML Dialect WinUI XAML MAUI XAML Razor (no XAML) WinUI XAML HTML/CSS (no XAML)
Windows Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
macOS Yes Catalyst Via MAUI No Yes
Linux Yes No Third-party No Yes
iOS Yes Yes Via MAUI No No
Android Yes Yes Via MAUI No No
WebAssembly Yes (all browsers) No Yes No N/A
Total Platforms 6 4 5–6 (varies) 1 3 (desktop only)
XAML Compat with WPF High (namespace changes) Low (different dialect) None (full rewrite) High (namespace changes) None (full rewrite)
Business Logic Reuse 95–99% 90–95% 90–95% 95–99% Low (unless Electron.NET)
Migration Effort Moderate High (UI rewrite) High (full UI rewrite) Moderate Very High (full rewrite)
Incremental Path Uno Islands No BlazorWebView in WPF XAML Islands No
Visual Designer Hot Design VS XAML Hot Reload Browser DevTools None (planned) Browser DevTools
Framework MCP Server Yes (Uno MCP + App MCP) No (community) No (vendor-specific) No (OS-level) No (community)
Runtime AI Inspection Yes (App MCP) Community (MauiDevFlow) No No Chrome DevTools Protocol
AI Visual Designer Yes (Hot Design Agent) No No No No
Rendering Skia (pixel-perfect) Platform-native WebView2 Native Windows Chromium
Cost Free (Apache 2.0) Free Free Free Free (MIT)
When to Choose Each Framework
Choose Uno Platform when:
You need production-ready WebAssembly that works in all browsers
Linux desktop is a current or future requirement
You want the closest XAML compatibility with WPF
You want a runtime visual designer (Hot Design) and AI-assisted development with full MCP integration
You need a single .csproj targeting all six platforms
Choose .NET MAUI when:
Your modernization is primarily about reaching iOS and Android
You are heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem and Visual Studio
You do not need Linux or browser-based deployment
You are migrating from Xamarin.Forms alongside your WPF modernization
Desktop is secondary to your mobile strategy
Choose Blazor Hybrid when:
Browser-based delivery is your primary modernization goal
Your team has existing HTML/CSS/web development skills
You want the most gradual migration path (page by page inside WPF)
You plan to eventually move to a full web application
You are willing to invest in a complete UI rewrite
Choose WinUI 3 when:
Your application will remain Windows-only for the foreseeable future
You need Fluent Design and modern Windows integration
Multi-platform is not on your roadmap within the next 2–3 years
You are comfortable with code-only development (no visual designer yet)
Choose Electron when:
Your team has JavaScript/TypeScript expertise or is willing to adopt it
You need proven desktop cross-platform with the largest ecosystem
Mobile is not a requirement
You are willing to rebuild the entire UI in web technologies
Resource consumption (RAM, disk size) is acceptable for your deployment environment
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WPF being deprecated or going away?
No. Microsoft ships WPF with every .NET release, including .NET 10, and has stated no plans to remove it. However, investment is maintenance-grade: bug fixes, performance improvements, and compatibility updates. WPF is stable, not growing.
Can I try a framework without committing to a full migration?
Yes. Several frameworks offer incremental paths: Uno Platform provides Uno Islands for embedding cross-platform controls inside your existing WPF application, WinUI 3 supports XAML Islands for a similar approach on Windows, and Blazor Hybrid's BlazorWebView can be embedded inside your existing WPF application page by page. .NET MAUI and Electron do not offer incremental WPF integration.
How different is WinUI XAML from WPF XAML?
The core concepts are the same: dependency properties, data binding, styles, templates, and layout panels. The primary differences are namespace changes (System.Windows to Microsoft.UI.Xaml), some control API variations, and additions like x:Bind for compiled bindings. Controls that require more work are typically those relying on WPF-specific features like XPS documents, certain rich text capabilities, or deep Win32 hosting.
What about my existing MVVM framework?
Standard MVVM patterns (INotifyPropertyChanged, ICommand, RelayCommand) work in Uno Platform and WinUI 3. Popular MVVM libraries including MVVM Toolkit and Prism have been ported to work with both. If your ViewModels are cleanly separated from platform-specific code, they will port with minimal changes. MAUI uses its own binding model but supports the same MVVM patterns. Blazor and Electron require different architectural approaches.
Which framework has the best AI integration for development workflows?
Uno Platform has the most comprehensive AI story with two official MCP servers (knowledge layer + runtime inspection), Hot Design Agent for AI-assisted visual design, and a documented agentic development workflow. .NET MAUI has emerging community tooling (MauiDevFlow). Blazor has vendor-specific MCP servers from Telerik and Syncfusion. WinUI 3 benefits from OS-level Windows MCP support. Electron benefits from the large web AI ecosystem but has no framework-specific agentic tooling.
Which framework has the best performance?
On Windows desktop, WPF and WinUI 3 have the advantage of native rendering. Uno Platform uses Skia-based rendering with hardware acceleration, which delivers comparable performance for standard business applications. Blazor Hybrid and Electron both render through embedded web engines, which adds overhead. For most line-of-business applications, the performance differences between native XAML frameworks are negligible — benchmark your specific use cases if performance is critical.
What is the single largest factor in WPF migration effort?
It is not the number of XAML pages. It is the depth of Win32/COM interop. An application with 300 simple data-entry forms will migrate faster than an application with 30 screens that rely heavily on P/Invoke, COM interop, or native Windows APIs. Inventory your platform dependencies before estimating timelines.