Microsoft .NET Framework is a development platform.
IT Development Manager, Architect, Developer at Miltel Communications LTD
Quick deployment, no maintenance required, and high availability
Pros and Cons
- "The web development and Microsoft Windows service development capabilities are among the most valuable features offered by the Microsoft .NET Framework. This language platform is highly user-friendly, with plenty of online examples and information available, as well as a robust development environment."
- "The integration could improve in Microsoft .NET Framework."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The web development and Microsoft Windows service development capabilities are among the most valuable features offered by the Microsoft .NET Framework. This language platform is highly user-friendly, with plenty of online examples and information available, as well as a robust development environment.
What needs improvement?
The integration could improve in Microsoft .NET Framework.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft .NET Framework for 13 years.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft .NET Framework
May 2025

Learn what your peers think about Microsoft .NET Framework. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
I rate the stability of Microsoft .NET Framework a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable if it is set up correctly.
We have one person who uses this solution.
I rate the scalability of Microsoft .NET Framework an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used the support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used a Java development environment.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Microsoft .NET Framework is straightforward. The process can take 10 to 30 minutes depending on the components installed.
What about the implementation team?
The solution can be implemented by one person. We did the deployment.
What was our ROI?
The solution is worth the money. We have received a return on investment. Approximately 30 percent annually.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The support is an extra cost when purchasing the license. The price of the solution is overall reasonable and paid annually or every three years. Additionally, they have a monthly license. The cost is approximately $1,000 per user.
There are other licenses that can be purchased and add-ons, such as enterprise licenses and third-party add-ons.
I rate the price of Microsoft .NET Framework a six out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
The solution does not require maintenance.
I would advise others to use the newest version of the solution. It is a good solution overall.
I rate Microsoft .NET Framework a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Solution Architect at Komatsu
Easy modular development with good technical support, but the features could be enhanced
Pros and Cons
- "As we are a software company, we find that accessing resources using this technology is easier compared to the others."
- "In the next release, I am looking for more advanced technologies such as socket communication and enhanced features like realtime chat with the clients."
What is our primary use case?
We are a software company, and we build software. This is one of the solutions that we use in our development environment.
I have a profound handle on Microsoft. Net Framework.
What is most valuable?
As we are a software company, we find that accessing resources using this technology is easier compared to the others.
What needs improvement?
The main obstacle in this technology is that it is currently paid. If you want to develop an enterprise-level application, you have to purchase the enterprise-level development license. I think that this is a hurdle. If it is made free then more people will learn and the industry will have more proficient people with better performance.
In the next release, I am looking for more advanced technologies such as socket communication and enhanced features like realtime chat with the clients. This is what I have been looking at adopting into my existing application.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have approximately six years of experience with Microsoft .NET Framework.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable if the logic is handled sufficiently. It all depends on what kind of coding you are doing while you are developing the application.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable. The modular development plus expansion is quite easy.
We have 2000 users who are actively using this solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
When we contact technical support, we open a ticket with the vendor, who then assigns us to a person. We meet to discuss the technical challenges we are facing and they come up with a solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we were using the IBM integration bus.
We were using Microsoft, Mobility Android, and iOS applications.
Most of my experience is with Microsoft solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was quite easy. The installation itself is easy. The prerequisites are already available on the internet.
It is a two-step deployment, the first being the development environment. The installation of that took between one hour and an hour and a half. For the processing, the deployment was a little bit different. I needed the information server hosting the Microsoft application.
While it's on a public cloud, some are on-premises that are accessed by the application.
We have a team of ten to maintain this solution. There are several internal connections to the system. For example, an interface with the other system which included SAP, Oracle, and IAD. The team looks for support queries that include any issues found or for any troubleshooting that needs assistance.
What other advice do I have?
There are proper resources. Stability and scalability are quite good. We handle 3000 to 4000 users at any time and they are users from all over the world, including North America, Australia, and the Middle East. This is a good option for the level of the audience.
We are using version 4.5 but we are gathering a few more projects that are running on version 4.7 and 4.8.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft .NET Framework
May 2025

Learn what your peers think about Microsoft .NET Framework. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Engineering Manager at Emids
API creation has been simplified and they have good customer service
Pros and Cons
- "The APIs are completely effective."
- "Their system is very vast. I have spent 12 years here, and I can definitely say there is still a lot of scope for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
Whenever I need a back-end system, I create all the applications or all the products. For example, flights, hotels, and car engines have been created. .NET and Chase use my system, and I have developed flights, hotels, and car engines completely; the entire back-end system in .NET for them.
What is most valuable?
The APIs are completely effective. I can create .NET APIs very easily through .NET. For example, if I need to design any system, I can use C# and .NET.
What needs improvement?
Their system is very vast. I have spent 12 years here, and I can definitely say there is still a lot of scope for improvement. They have done a lot, however, .NET still has room to improve.
For how long have I used the solution?
I think I have used the solution for almost 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good right now. With the newer version, the solution is performing very well.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is good. The system has managed the scalability very well. The compatibility with Azure cloud system is very good from the scalability side, and I am deploying a lot of applications on Azure. I didn't see any scalability issues there.
How are customer service and support?
Customer service is very helpful.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What other advice do I have?
Whenever someone needs a very good back-end system or a strong system, they should go with C# .NET technologies.
Overall, I would give it a rating of nine for .NET. This is definitely the way to go.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Last updated: Jan 26, 2025
Flag as inappropriateSenior System Integrations Architect at a pharma/biotech company with 5,001-10,000 employees
A reliable and scalable solution that comes standard on most servers
Pros and Cons
- "The Windows Communication Foundation is the biggest advantage we get from the .NET Framework."
- "The product is nearing its sunset, and we think that by 2028, we won't get support anymore"
What is our primary use case?
I use the solution to create websites and web services. Different departments in the whole organization use the solution. Networking, production lines, and payment departments use it.
What is most valuable?
The Windows Communication Foundation is the biggest advantage we get from the .NET Framework.
What needs improvement?
We use P storage on-premises, the middleware from Microsoft, and sadly, Microsoft is no longer improving that product. That's why we are transitioning to SAP and the cloud platform integration from SAP. It's been evolving for a few years, and they've been going to Azure for reports, which is a bit of a shame, and instead of migrating to Azure, we are migrating to a different solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with the solution for around ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. It is more stable than SAP.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is very scalable. It is a backend solution, so there are no direct users. Our organization is enterprise-level.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service is very good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The solution is really easy to install. It's out of the box. When you install a new server, the .NET Framework is there. A big advantage of the solution is that everything updates automatically every month, such as security updates with the Windows server updates. This is in contrast to SAP.
It takes about ten minutes to one hour to install, depending on the configuration.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For .NET Framework is doing, it is the right price. It's far less expensive than SAP when looking at the numbers. We have an annual license, and we pay extra for extended support. The product is nearing the end of its life so we have to pay extra.
What other advice do I have?
I keep seeing new things coming with the .NET Framework, and Microsoft is improving a lot. In terms of functionality, .NET Framework is better than SAP. I recommend the solution.
I rate the .NET Framework a nine out of ten.
However, the product is nearing its sunset, and we think that by 2028, we won't get support anymore, so we have to decide to migrate the platform.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Student at Disney+ Hotstar
An easy-to-deploy solution that provides various in-built features and good support
Pros and Cons
- "In-built refactoring and .Net profilers are the most valuable features of the solution."
- "The cloud features must be improved."
What is our primary use case?
I have been using the tool mostly for building web applications. Azure’s cloud integrations are pretty good.
How has it helped my organization?
The project that I worked on was a legacy application. It was pretty easy to use once we learned about the stack and understood the MDC architecture well. The product incorporates ML features and is continuously improving its features. The learning scale is good. We need a scalable website if we want dynamic web content for more than 5000 users.
What is most valuable?
In-built refactoring and .Net profilers are the most valuable features of the solution. We can use any language. We can use the product’s compiler to generate an intermediate language. Currently, the solution is becoming platform-independent. MAUI is not a specific platform or environment.
Since the product belongs to Microsoft, users trust it. The scalability of the applications built into the solution is pretty good. It can handle much workload. Microsoft keeps improving its tool stack based on market updates. It incorporates artificial intelligence and machine learning features. The solution also provides content embedding and multi-factor authentication.
What needs improvement?
It is not a pretty compact product because of the assemblies that are being loaded. The cloud features must be improved. The deployment must also be improved.
Automatic code completion and natural language processing would be a good addition to the tool. I'm not sure whether these features are already present.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for the last five years. From 2018 to 2020, I have been using versions 4.5 and 4.6.2. After 2020, I moved to .NET Core 3.1.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool’s stability is good. I rate the stability a seven and a half out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the tool’s scalability a seven or seven and a half out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The support is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. Large-scale deployments are done on Azure’s cloud, and it's easy.
What was our ROI?
I definitely see a return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product’s pricing is a bit high. It's not an open-source tool. Organizations prefer the enterprise edition. Though there are some restrictions, developer versions are useful for learning purposes.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The product has to compete with Spring Boot.
What other advice do I have?
People wanting to use the solution must learn the basics as much as possible and explore and utilize the features. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Useful debugging, highly scalable, and priced well
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft .NET Framework is debugging."
- "If AI could be incorporated in Microsoft .NET Framework it would be helpful."
What is our primary use case?
We utilize the Microsoft .NET Framework to develop software applications, including those that are dot net based. Our work involves a wide range of tasks, such as content management systems (CMS), website creation, database management, and data analysis. Whether it's related to content organization, database reporting, or intranet and internet solutions, we cover it all. Our toolkit includes Microsoft SQL and SQL cluster servers, enabling us to leverage a comprehensive set of tools and technologies.
We have this solution deployed on public and private clouds.
How has it helped my organization?
We are actively involved in software development and one of the companies we are affiliated with is Ingeniux.com. It is a mid-market content management software provider based in the United States. Our focus lies in content management, where we enhance the platform with numerous application extensions and plugins. Our target user base primarily consists of mid-cap corporations and universities. Ingeniux.com serves as a well-managed alternative to WordPress, offering superior functionality. While we also have experience working with WordPress, our primary development framework for Ingeniux.com is Microsoft .NET Framework.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft .NET Framework is debugging.
What needs improvement?
If AI could be incorporated in Microsoft .NET Framework it would be helpful.
In the majority of networks and development companies, individuals are not solely limited to using the Microsoft .NET Framework. Microsoft has made significant strides in integrating various technologies, enabling seamless data flow. This integration is prominently seen in visual studio, where Microsoft emphasizes streamlining the development process. While not entirely platform-agnostic, visual studio exhibits a high degree of compatibility with different platforms, allowing for greater flexibility in development.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft .NET Framework for approximately 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
When utilizing Azure for hosting, the stability can be unreliable and inconsistent. It becomes a hit-or-miss situation. As a result, we prefer to host everything in our private cloud rather than relying on Microsoft's cloud services, as the stability is not optimal in the latter case.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have never had an issue with the scalability of the solution.
I rate the scalability of Microsoft .NET Framework a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The support provided by the Microsoft .NET Framework can be considered satisfactory to commendable. We have submitted numerous bug reports for Azure, and in some instances, their response indicated a lack of prior knowledge about the issues being already live.
How was the initial setup?
Starting from scratch can be a complex endeavor, but once you have prior experience, it becomes more predictable.
What was our ROI?
I have seen a return on investment using Microsoft .NET Framework.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Considering the bigger picture, opting for the Microsoft ecosystem can be beneficial and it is priced well. When relying on entirely open-source solutions, you may encounter challenges associated with dealing with multiple vendors and potentially compromised security measures. However, it is important to note that Microsoft could enhance its performance when it comes to addressing critical security concerns.
What other advice do I have?
When conducting high-level bug analysis and providing feedback, the process often involves navigating through a complex maze of procedures. Opening a ticket may require going through various steps, making it challenging to reach someone directly involved in software debugging or problem resolution. The help desk system at Microsoft may exhibit elements of hierarchy and bureaucracy, which can add to the difficulty of accessing the appropriate support channels for addressing software issues.
I rate Microsoft .NET Framework an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Digital Transformation Director at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The technology is very vast and the solution does not have limited storage
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is not limited in storage, is customizable and simple to use."
- "I would like to see a better response time from the technical support."
What is our primary use case?
I work on the C#, ASP.NET, SQL Server, and others. I am also developing some scripts for my RPA solutions when needed.
What is most valuable?
Microsoft .NET Framework has introduced many new features, making the technology very vast. In particular, they have a very good Visual Studio environment to do development.
The solution is not limited in storage, is customizable and simple to use.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see a better response time from the technical support.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft .NET is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
My experience with Microsoft technical support is that they can be difficult to reach. The support depends on the contract between the client and the company.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Microsoft .NET has both open source and licensing options. Microsoft Framework and Visual Studio are licensed however, they have introduced .NET Core which is open source. In .NET Core, you will find Angular which is open source.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Microsoft .NET Framework a nine out of 10 overall.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
CEO at Shiraz University
Has improved our efficiency in the time it takes to program a solution
Pros and Cons
- "A great solution for creating program solutions in a framework for Microsoft Windows quickly and easily."
- "It would be nice if the framework were able to work with additional environments and systems like Linux."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use is to be able to build solutions more quickly and easily that has good flexibility. When you want to build a product, you have to have faith in the nature of its functionality and know you can write your code to run on their core. Another solution is to write software code to run on top of the framework.
Microsoft .NET Framework is a very good infrastructure and we program over that. It handles many tasks for us and it helps us to write our programs very fast and very efficiently. Although it is like a virtual machine, it is still fast — or faster — and it is efficient. Compared to Java Virtual Machine (JVM), I prefer to use the Microsoft .NET Framework because it is built specifically to work with Microsoft Windows. I have grown to trust Microsoft over a long time and we can easily write programs in familiar languages to work with Windows over the Microsoft .NET Framework.
How has it helped my organization?
It has improved our efficiency in the time it takes to program a solution.
What is most valuable?
For us, direct integration with Microsoft Windows is probably the most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
One thing that could improve Microsoft .NET Framework is to give it more flexibility. It is designed to work just on Windows. If it could run over Linux, over MAC, over mobile phone, etcetera, it would be a very good improvement. If it were the case, I would be able to write a program and I could be sure that my program would run on all those platforms and over other operating systems.
I know that Microsoft is currently working on solutions for this and the company makes .NET Core now. The .NET Core they propose is a framework like .NET Framework that will allow implementing programs across other operating systems like Linux. It is introduced in idea, but it has a lot of room for improvement.
If I were able to install Microsoft .NET Core over other operating systems, such as Linux, Unix, or mobile and it works as well as .NET Framework, then it solves other problems for me.
For how long have I used the solution?
I'm using Microsoft .NET framework over different versions from 2003 up to now. A total of about 16 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the current version of the product is very good. In the lower versions of the framework, sometimes I saw a crash but after version 4, I haven't seen any crashes. It is really, really stable and I like it. I wrote some services that have run for about a year without any crash at all. All issues with stability seem to be fixed.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft .NET Framework is a solution, where the scalability is dependent on the programmer. The programmer could write a very large scale project — a large scale enterprise solution — using .NET Framework. They can also work on much smaller projects. It is just a tool to use.
All of our company members and all of our customers currently use the .NET Framework. The programmers write based on that .NET Framework. We define the scope of our work based on the project. Some projects need four to five programmers, but on some projects need ten to twenty staff. It depends what has to be done.
We can scale at any time except with some limitations on operating systems. By making our applications based on .NET Framework, our applications run already on the .NET Framework for our clients. When we do the development for our programs based on .NET Framework, our customers who want to use this solution also have to use .NET Framework. This is why it is a little limiting.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is really, really good. Every time that I ask a question on the Microsoft Network, someone answers me and I never have felt ignored when I need some type of support. I am very satisfied with their work in supporting the .NET Framework.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, I used C++ for my development and it wasn't over any framework. It was the mentality at the time. When I saw the benefit of using a framework like .NET, I saw the simplicity of working over frameworks and the development advantages. That is when I decided to switch over to .NET Framework.
How was the initial setup?
Installation is very straightforward for the Microsoft .NET Framework. I never heard any complaints from any of my customers. Even those customers who still use a lower version of Windows like Windows XP or Windows 7 don't have problems. Because .NET Framework is not pre-installed on Windows 7 or on Windows XP or 7, the customers need to install it themselves. But on Windows 8 and 10, Microsoft .NET Framework is pre-installed.
I never heard any complaints from my customers who couldn't install the .NET Framework, and none have said they had difficulty with .NET Framework. They all have said they could install it very easily and get running with it without a problem.
How long will it take to make it do what you want depends on the things you want to accomplish. Some products take more or less time to deploy and some solutions take more to build. But the .NET Framework is very fast, not hard to learn, and even amateurs don't have a hard time with deployment and getting started.
What about the implementation team?
We deploy this solution by ourselves. We never have had to reach out for help from vendors or other consultancies for the product itself. The programming is a different thing and is not the fault of the product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
One advantage to Microsoft .NET Framework is that it is a free product and everyone can use it. It is a very good point about that product because it makes it friendly and easy to adopt over many users. The solutions and use of technical support are free as well.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did evaluate at least one other option before choosing Microsoft's .NET Framework. It was JAVA Bridge, but I prefer to use Microsoft .NET Framework because I only wanted to develop for Microsoft products and Microsoft Windows. The .NET Framework is, I think, more compatible with Windows than JAVA Bridge Virtual Machine.
What other advice do I have?
One piece of advice that I would give to people considering the use of this product is to use it because of several things: it is free of charge, it is fast, it is compatible with Microsoft Windows, and whenever a new version comes out, it supports the older version. These are all very good points. The development of the framework is really good and was approached intelligently.
If considering other options, when you want to use a framework, you have to look at its ability to work with different types of other products. With the.NET Framework, you are able to work with different environments like Microsoft SQL Server 7, MySQL, Oracle — any kind of database. You have to also know its limitations. It is my opinion that when you want to use the .NET Framework, it is a very good solution and you can have confidence in the functionality. The stability of the framework you choose is very important.
On a scale of one to ten with one being the worst and ten being the best, I would rate this product as a ten because my standard is Microsoft products.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

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