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IIS vs Microsoft .NET Framework comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.1
Organizations found IIS provided positive ROI, cost savings, and accessibility, particularly benefiting security and cloud-based pay-as-you-go models.
Sentiment score
7.8
Microsoft .NET Framework delivers significant ROI and efficiency, with companies saving 30%-40% annually by reducing outsourcing costs.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.5
Many users find IIS support satisfactory but face delays, relying on community resources and Microsoft documentation for help.
Sentiment score
6.4
Customer service excels, but technical support is inconsistent; users often use self-help resources due to inefficiencies.
Microsoft provides a lot of online documentation to consult before speaking to an expert.
There are typically no significant issues.
Microsoft is better in backward compatibility compared to others.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
IIS scalability depends on setup and configuration, supporting thousands but requires careful planning for large deployments.
Sentiment score
7.1
Microsoft .NET Framework excels in scalability, influenced by architecture and deployment, with improved capabilities in .NET Core for diverse projects.
It depends on the server environment and the presence of a UPS for power backup.
I would rate the scalability of IIS as a six, mainly due to integration issues since it cannot integrate with other environments.
I have not encountered any significant issues with scalability.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
IIS is stable and reliable, though compatibility with non-Microsoft technologies presents occasional performance issues and improvement suggestions exist.
Sentiment score
7.5
Microsoft .NET Framework is highly stable, with few bugs, reliable updates, stable private cloud, and high ratings for reliability.
I would give it a nine out of ten for stability.
I would rate IIS's stability as an eight out of ten.
When systems need updates, they require proper long-term support (LTS) versions.
It is stable overall.
 

Room For Improvement

IIS faces compatibility, setup, monitoring, and cost issues, needing enhancements in scalability, security, UI, and open-source support.
The .NET Framework needs enhanced cross-platform compatibility, integration, security, performance, user-friendliness, AI features, automation, and affordability.
It's influenced by the server's service performance.
If I compare IIS to other web servers such as Apache, which can be deployed in other environments like Linux, I find IIS is mostly used for simple things.
It's still possible with Microsoft .NET Framework, which isn't the case with many other products. That's a positive aspect.
Future improvements could include integration with solutions that help reduce license costs, such as working properly with Visual Studio Code without changing all components in Visual Studio community edition.
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers find IIS cost-effective with Windows Server, appreciating licensing flexibility despite some complaints about overall expense.
Microsoft .NET Framework offers free and paid options, with costs varying based on usage, additional tools, and deployment needs.
If you have a Windows license, there is no additional cost for IIS.
There is a free version available for the old version and also for the new version.
 

Valuable Features

IIS is valued for its integration, security, and reliability, offering seamless web hosting for Microsoft applications.
Microsoft .NET Framework is valued for integration, tools, libraries, enterprise capabilities, multi-language support, security, scalability, and performance.
It is easy to publish websites with SSL, and it integrates well within the local environment and cloud.
The configurations are simple, making it very easy to use and to set up everything.
The new Microsoft .NET Framework runs perfectly in the cloud without problems.
The structure that can be created is beneficial because once you have the structure, you can be more productive and faster to create and interact with different clouds and implementations.
 

Categories and Ranking

IIS
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
57
Ranking in other categories
Application Server (5th)
Microsoft .NET Framework
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of IIS is 11.3%, down from 12.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft .NET Framework is 6.0%, down from 6.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Infrastructure
 

Featured Reviews

DanielWildermuth - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides integration with Eggplant but problems with stability
We use Windows Server only for Eggplant Manager. Otherwise, I'm not using it   At the moment, we have big problems with stability, and I'm not very happy at the moment. So, the stability could be improved. I have been using it for a few years.  The initial setup is complex.  We have an…
David Shlingbaum - PeerSpot reviewer
Old version maintains functionality but lacks current cloud support
Since the version I'm using is many years old, they have been continuously improving. They are always adding features to the language and framework, but I cannot comment from a very old version on what needs to be improved as I'm not completely up to date. There is a challenge and complexity in supporting a very old version of a product that is no longer supported. It's still possible with Microsoft .NET Framework, which isn't the case with many other products. That's a positive aspect. It has limitations when trying to develop new things with Microsoft .NET Framework. But whatever works, continues to work. It always needs improvement, but again, it does not improve when discussing an old version of Microsoft .NET Framework. I think they're always improving, but it's a never-ending process.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Real Estate/Law Firm
12%
Construction Company
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
10%
 

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,...
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.
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.
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.
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.
 

Also Known As

Windows Server IIS
MS .NET Framework
 

Overview

 

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
Find out what your peers are saying about IIS vs. Microsoft .NET Framework and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.