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ASP.NET vs Microsoft Visual Studio comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

ASP.NET
Ranking in .NET Development Services
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
35
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Visual Studio
Ranking in .NET Development Services
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
101
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the .NET Development Services category, the mindshare of ASP.NET is 11.4%, up from 11.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Visual Studio is 11.8%, down from 19.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
.NET Development Services Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Visual Studio11.8%
ASP.NET11.4%
Other76.8%
.NET Development Services
 

Featured Reviews

SasidharParupudi - PeerSpot reviewer
Principle Consultant at a outsourcing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Building reliable web APIs and sites has become faster and development stays well supported
I think Microsoft can make ASP.NET better by catching up with other frameworks by adopting features that are very popular in those frameworks, such as minimal APIs and other innovations. They have introduced Blazor, which is their newer front-end development software framework, but unfortunately, Blazor is not well adopted in the market. However, I feel that they will catch up in the future as Blazor has a lot of potential. In my opinion, there is not anything extra needed immediately for ASP.NET; the framework is self-sufficient and very mature at this stage. The problem lies with wider adoption, as some people are anti-Microsoft and prefer open-source alternatives such as React. Microsoft could potentially do a better job at marketing these solutions, but other than that, the tool has the potential to be used in any enterprise-level applications. I would say the setup process for ASP.NET is relatively simple, but with the latest generation of user management or integration with OpenID, the documentation is not comprehensive in terms of what you can do with the latest libraries. They support many things and have decoupled themselves from their own identity servers, but still need to improve documentation considerably.
Eitan Gold - PeerSpot reviewer
SQA Manager at Elmo Motion Control Ltd.
Test code efficiency improves with integrated debugger and automation
The test explorer is really important for us as it aids in testing, along with the regular debugger. Even though I forgot the term for it at the moment, there is an overall debugger tool within the IDE that is very effective. This comprehensive debugger tool does the job efficiently, making our work easier.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It is seamless compared to Java or any other technology stack."
"The solution's framework supports storing all client-side and server-side code in one place."
"The main pro is that it's very easy and we have Microsoft helping to stabilize the product which is coming with the all new features every year."
"I have found the entity framework to be a valuable feature. The authentication layer is amazing as well. ASP.NET has a vibrant community, and as a result, we haven't had the need to contact technical support."
"I would say that we have seen a return on investment when it comes to this solution."
"One of the most valuable features in ASP.NET is thread management with asynchronous processing. I've been implementing this for a few years and it has proven to be extremely helpful, especially when using a tool that wouldn't have worked without it. It's definitely a fundamental aspect of the platform."
"The most valuable feature of ASP.NET is its visual side, which makes building Windows forms applications visually efficient."
"ASP.NET works well with Windows applications and more generally, the Windows platform."
"The installation of the solution is easy."
"One valuable feature of Microsoft Visual Studio is its powerful debugger, which is the only feature I primarily use."
"One of the most valuable features is its support. It's easy for me to get support even though I never use it. If there's a bug or a performance issue, Microsoft also provides quick updates, and this is another valuable feature of the program."
"I like it that I don't need any special software to run this program."
"The scalability of Microsoft Visual Studio is good."
"It's a very easy-to-use product."
"Microsoft Visual Studio helps my company improve efficiency in software development suites."
"The most valuable feature is that it is a complete package, with an IDE and everything that you need for software development."
 

Cons

"ASP.NET is a very slow tool, and it should be faster."
"It could use better reporting and documentation."
"The solution needs to support its framework on all devices used for mobile application development."
"I am sure there is something that has room for improvement but nothing specific comes to mind."
"You are required to have knowledge of C#."
"Performance is an area that can always be improved."
"There should be consistent customization related to security, features, and developers, making the solution more understandable and adaptable."
"Scripted languages like AngularJS and Node.js are much faster than using ASP on the client side."
"Technical support needs to be improved. Right now, it's not great."
"What I don't like about Microsoft Visual Studio is its user interface. It could be better. WebStorm is a better solution for me as it has a good user interface and is more user-friendly, though my friends like Microsoft Visual Studio. I worked with WebStorm for the web layer, and for the server layer, I worked with IBM Eclipse which is my favorite software. I also dealt with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS through Angular."
"In the next version I would like to see a better development tool."
"I would like to see Visual Studio improve reporting to give us more details on failures. When there are failures, it's difficult to debug. It would be helpful to have more error information to help us to identify the issue and resolve it. I want to know more about software failures and exceptions in the system."
"The interface could be more user friendly"
"I would not recommend it for complex tasks."
"The hot reload feature is good, but sometimes it doesn't work. It could be improved."
"The migration could improve in Microsoft Visual Studio. When I upgraded from 2017 and up to 2022 it was not smooth. There was a lot of manual hand-picking. Microsoft should put a higher budget for the database developers' section in Visual Studio."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is free to use."
"The pricing is somewhere in the middle. Not too expensive, but not the cheapest either."
"ASP.NET is open-source and free of charge."
"The solution is comparatively cheaper, and you don't have to pay anything for a developer license."
"The pricing is a bit high and I believe that it can be brought down."
"This is a free solution. However, we have some server licensing costs which are not directly a cost of using the solution."
"ASP.NET is an open-source solution."
"The solution requires a licensing fee but is worth the investment."
"The price of Microsoft Visual Studio is reasonable but could be better."
"While the enterprise version can be relatively expensive due to its comprehensive features, I find the license I currently possess to be reasonable, considering it includes the full suite without additional activations or charges."
"Licensing costs are reasonable."
"Microsoft Visual Studio is a free product."
"The price of Microsoft Visual Studio could be lowered. For a single developer, it is approximately $1,000."
"I'm using the platform's open-source version."
"I use Microsoft Visual Studio's free version."
"Visual Studio Team System is expensive, but it is worth the money."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Performing Arts
20%
Real Estate/Law Firm
14%
Logistics Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Performing Arts
15%
Computer Software Company
12%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise13
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business36
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise50
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ASP.NET?
Our solution is deployed in a hybrid setup; we have some on-site on a private cloud and some on Azure. Most of our costing comes from database licensing, as we use SQL Server, which has very costly...
What needs improvement with ASP.NET?
I think Microsoft can make ASP.NET better by catching up with other frameworks by adopting features that are very popular in those frameworks, such as minimal APIs and other innovations. They have ...
What is your primary use case for ASP.NET?
My current use case for ASP.NET mainly involves APIs and websites.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Visual Studio?
I wish Microsoft Visual Studio was available on the Mac for improvement. I just wish it worked on the Mac.
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Visual Studio?
My main use case for Microsoft Visual Studio is writing file processing code and backend APIs. A specific example of the kind of file processing or API work I do with Microsoft Visual Studio is pro...
 

Comparisons

No data available
No data available
 

Also Known As

No data available
MS Visual Studio
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Kienzle Automotive GmbH, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Vengo Labs, Oneview Healthcare, BookedOut, Ministry of Rural Development, Grupo WRR
Knab, Hamburg Port Authority, Kecioren Municipality, National Instruments, Hamburg Port Authority, Government of Odisha, Kongsberg Maritime AS
Find out what your peers are saying about ASP.NET vs. Microsoft Visual Studio and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.