IIS vs Microsoft .NET Framework comparison

IIS and Microsoft .NET Framework are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. IIS is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3, while Microsoft .NET Framework is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.4. IIS holds a 12.5% mindshare in AIS, compared to Microsoft .NET Framework’s 5.8% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of IIS users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Microsoft .NET Framework users who would recommend it.

IIS

Read 56 IIS reviews

2,756 Views
2,058 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

Microsoft .NET Framework

Read 53 Microsoft .NET Framework reviews

1,775 Views
1,048 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

IIS

Microsoft .NET Framework

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

IIS and Microsoft .NET Framework are prominent tools in the software and application hosting category. Microsoft .NET Framework holds an advantage due to its extensive library support and capabilities for building robust, cross-platform applications.

Features: IIS is known for its seamless integration with Windows services, ease of use, high stability, and lightweight nature, offering application isolation and management through its interface. Microsoft .NET Framework benefits from extensive libraries and development tools, providing a mature environment for cross-platform application development with enhanced functionalities.

Room for Improvement: IIS can improve its compatibility with non-Microsoft environments and ease scalability, while addressing existing security concerns. Microsoft .NET Framework could enhance its cross-platform support, better integrate with AI and cloud technologies, and improve training resources for developers.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IIS often sees deployment within local Windows environments, benefiting from straightforward setup and integration with Windows Server, yet with varied user support experiences. Microsoft .NET Framework facilitates on-premises and cloud integration, supported by a flexible deployment environment and a strong user community.

Pricing and ROI: IIS, bundled with Windows Server, is cost-effective for existing Windows users, though it can appear expensive for new users due to additional licensing. Microsoft .NET Framework, especially with its open-source .NET Core, offers reduced initial costs and high ROI by boosting development efficiency and decreasing operational expenses within the Microsoft ecosystem.

To learn more, read our detailed IIS vs. Microsoft .NET Framework Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IIS vs. Microsoft .NET Framework

March 2025

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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

IIS

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Server (4th)

Microsoft .NET Framework

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

4th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of IIS is 12.5%, down from 13.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft .NET Framework is 5.8%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

VikramSingh6

Operations Executive at Quess

A simple and easy-to-use solution but not recommended for public apps

I would rate the overall solution a six out of ten. We have around five to six developers and engineers for the solution’s deployment and maintenance. You can use the solution if your website is not too big or complicated. However, if it is big and complicated, then you need to use Apache or Red Hat. This tool can be used for internal purposes. But if you plan to host a public app, then I wouldn’t recommend the tool.

Read full review

Pavan Kodur

Application Architect at The Manitowoc Company, Inc.

Intuitive, easier to develop, maintain, and migrate from the old framework to newer versions

There are a few areas where they could compete better with products like React or Angular – the popular SPA (Single Page Application) frameworks. Microsoft has its own product called Blazor, but I don't think it's quite as powerful yet as React or Angular. I think that's an area for improvement. For example, HR asked me to build something that worked offline and online. Microsoft products don't really support that well, as I'd have to rely on browser databases. React and Angular are better for that. If I need something faster, I'd definitely use React. So, I see Microsoft lagging a bit in that area.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"IIS is stable."

"The tool is very easy to use and efficient."

"It is an easy-to-use and secure program."

"Microsoft's technical support has always been very good."

"All the features of Microsoft IIS are valuable."

"IIS's best features are its management console and stability."

"The product's most valuable features are performance and security."

"The most valuable feature of IIS is that it's free, and it works."

More IIS pros

"The addition of generics to handle common functionality across types, and the more recent upgrade of the dataset to the Entity Framework, has cut development time drastically, while increasing quality and confidence between builds."

"The most valuable features are the Domain Controller and the WBFS Manager."

"The .NET Framework is easier to use because it provides a wide range of libraries."

"In my opinion, the best thing about Microsoft .NET is the fully featured framework. It provides most of the things which a normal developer requires of any application out of the box."

"The .NET Framework is a very good framework. It does what I need it to do."

"The solution is not limited in storage, is customizable and simple to use."

"The Windows Communication Foundation is the biggest advantage we get from the .NET Framework."

"The product has a good interface and easy-to-use programming language."

More Microsoft .NET Framework pros

Cons

"The scalability depends on how you have set it up. If you're running IIS on a single server, it might not be as capable as if you are on many in a cluster or with load balancing and so on."

"IIS could improve the error logging. There are times we are not able to see the errors. More details would be helpful. Additionally, the configuring of the IIS should be allowed through coding instead of the classic view."

"Scalability issues and security concerns need attention from Microsoft."

"There is an issue with the network. The tool's price is also high."

"The solution's pricing and stability need improvement."

"If Microsoft IIS could work well with AppOptics or things like PHP, Python, and other custom languages that run on the webserver, it would be ideal. I think there are cases where people need to use Apache instead of IIS when IIS doesn't work well with other web languages."

"IIS needs to improve its security. Its support needs to be faster and clear. The tool's licensing could be cheaper as well."

"In the next release, I would like to see better integration between the cloud environment and the on-premises environment."

More IIS cons

"There are performance constraints when multiple users are accessing the application and that consumes CPU resources."

"They could enhance support for Python within Visual Studio, as integrating Microsoft products with other frameworks can present a steep learning curve."

"The integration could improve in Microsoft .NET Framework."

"The solution could improve by optimizing the memory for better performance."

"The learning curve could be improved."

"The product is nearing its sunset, and we think that by 2028, we won't get support anymore"

"You need to have the technical expertise to use this product."

"Difficult to scale this product for large organizations."

More Microsoft .NET Framework cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution’s pricing is yearly. The pricing is affordable and not high."

"This solution comes included with Windows Server."

"The price of the cloud system is a bit high."

"There is a license needed for the solution."

"I think it's part of the Windows Server, so you won't have any other costs to add in order to use the IIS service."

"Users can get a subscription-based license or a perpetual license for IIS."

"We pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution."

"IIS comes along with an OS license from Microsoft. Others can opt for a perpetual-based licensing model to be able to use the system."

More IIS pricing and cost advice

"Microsoft .NET Framework is a free, open-source solution."

"It's an expensive solution"

"The Microsoft .NET Framework is free of charge, without licensing cost."

"The product is not expensive."

"The solution is a bit costly when compared to open source products or open gear licenses."

"Microsoft .NET Framework is licensed under the Windows License."

"Microsoft .NET Framework is very cost-effective for corporate users."

"There is a Community Edition that can be used free of charge, but the licensing cost for the Enterprise version is quite high."

More Microsoft .NET Framework pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Real Estate/Law Firm

11%

Construction Company

11%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Which is better - IIS or NGINX Plus?

IIS is a flexible, secure, and manageable web server to host anything on the web. IIS’s scalable and open architecture can handle the most demanding tasks. From media streaming to web applications,...

See all answers

What do you like most about IIS?

The product is flexible.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IIS?

If you have a Windows license, there is no additional cost for IIS. However, you may need to pay for SSL publishing at times.

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft .NET Framework?

Microsoft .NET Framework continually innovates, particularly in Visual Studio, which focuses on improving languages, debugging, and .NET functionality.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft .NET Framework?

The company is not paying anything for the license. I am not familiar with this area. For us, it's free.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft .NET Framework?

There may be some topics regarding connectivity and management of certificates that require attention. We are currently facing some issues.

See all answers

Comparisons

NGINX Plus vs IIS

Compared 29% of the time

Apache Web Server vs IIS

Compared 23% of the time

Oracle WebLogic Server vs IIS

Compared 16% of the time

Tomcat vs IIS

Compared 14% of the time

IBM WebSphere Application Server vs IIS

Compared 4% of the time

More IIS Competitors

Apache Web Server vs Microsoft .NET Framework

Compared 18% of the time

Magic xpa Application Platform vs Microsoft .NET Framework

Compared 17% of the time

JBoss Enterprise Application Platform vs Microsoft .NET Framework

Compared 17% of the time

Uniface vs Microsoft .NET Framework

Compared 10% of the time

Windows Process Activation Services vs Microsoft .NET Framework

Compared 9% of the time

More Microsoft .NET Framework Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IIS

March 2025

Download IIS product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft .NET Framework

March 2025

Download Microsoft .NET Framework product report

Also Known As

Windows Server IIS

MS .NET Framework

Overview

Internet Information Services (IIS) provides a secure, easy-to-manage, modular and extensible platform for reliably hosting websites, services and applications. With IIS, you get choice and control without giving up reliability or security.

Microsoft

Microsoft .NET Framework is a software development framework for building and running applications for Windows, Windows Phone, Windows servers, XML Web services, and Microsoft Azure. The software is made up of two major components: Common Language Runtime (CLR) and the .NET Framework Class Library. The CLR is the execution engine that handles running apps and the Class Library is a library of tested, reusable code that developers can call from their own apps.

Microsoft .NET Framework Features

Microsoft .NET Framework has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Memory management: With Microsoft .NET Framework apps, the CLR allocates and releases memory and handles object lifetimes in many programming languages, so programmers are not responsible to do it.

Multitargeting: Microsoft .NET Framework targets .NET Standard, allowing developers to create class libraries that work on multiple Microsoft .NET Framework platforms.

A common type system: When using Microsoft .NET Framework, basic types are defined by the .NET Framework type system and are common to all languages that target Microsoft .NET Framework as opposed to traditional programming languages where basic types are defined by the compiler.

Side-by-side execution: By allowing multiple versions of the common language runtime to exist on the same computer, Microsoft .NET Framework helps resolve version conflicts. In addition, an app can run on the version of Microsoft .NET Framework with which it was built and multiple versions of apps can coexist.

Development frameworks and technologies: Microsoft .NET Framework provides libraries for specific areas of app development, such as ASP.NET for web apps, ADO.NET for data access, Windows Communication Foundation for service-oriented apps, and Windows Presentation Foundation for Windows desktop apps.

Microsoft .NET Framework Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing Microsoft .NET Framework. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

Language interoperability: With this Microsoft .NET Framework feature, routines written in one language are accessible to other languages, enabling programmers to focus on creating apps in their preferred languages.

Version compatibility: Microsoft .NET Framework offers version compatibility for rare occasions when apps that are developed by using a particular version of Microsoft .NET Framework happen to run without modification on a later version.

Extensive class library: With Microsoft .NET Framework, programmers have the ability to use a readily accessible Microsoft .NET Framework class library instead of having to write vast amounts of code to handle common low-level programming operations.

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by PeerSpot users currently using the Microsoft .NET Framework solution.

PeerSpot user, Syed A., Principal System Developer at a government, says the solution is a “Great all in one framework with extensive stack for web applications, windows applications and mobile applications.”

A QA Supervisor at a manufacturing company mentions, “It comes with many features that you can interact with and has all of the libraries readily available, which is not available in the RPA platforms. You can create your own SSIS package. You can integrate with all of the Windows objects, which is not available in Automation Anywhere, and you need to rely on their Object Cloning technologies to interact with them.”

Brennan G., IS Technical Architect at Avara Foods Holdings Limited, comments, “It is easy to use, and it runs on a Windows platform. The .NET Framework is a very good framework. It does what I need it to do.”

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Erste Bank Group, NJVC, Samsung Electronics, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Tata Steel Europe, Urban Software Institute

Curtin University, Rockwell Automation, Aruba Networks, Insurity Inc., City of Barcelona, Pennsylvania DCNR, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, A1 Telekom Austria AG, Eastman Chemical Company

Buyer's Guide

IIS vs. Microsoft .NET Framework

March 2025

Free Report: IIS vs. Microsoft .NET Framework

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