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ASP.NET vs Microsoft Visual Studio comparison

ASP.NET and Microsoft Visual Studio are both solutions in the .NET Development Services category. ASP.NET is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2, while Microsoft Visual Studio is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.6. ASP.NET holds a 12.5% mindshare in NDS, compared to Microsoft Visual Studio’s 15.1% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of ASP.NET users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Microsoft Visual Studio users who would recommend it.
ASP.NET
Read 30 ASP.NET reviews
  • 435 Views
  • 409 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
Microsoft Visual Studio
Read 92 Microsoft Visual Studio reviews
  • 654 Views
  • 654 Comparison Views
95% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between ASP.NET and Microsoft Visual Studio based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two .NET Development Services solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

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To learn more, read our detailed ASP.NET vs. Microsoft Visual Studio Report (Updated: July 2025).
Buyer's Guide
ASP.NET vs. Microsoft Visual Studio
July 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

ASP.NET
Ranking in .NET Development Services
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
30
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
92
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the .NET Development Services category, the mindshare of ASP.NET is 12.5%, up from 9.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Visual Studio is 15.1%, down from 23.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
.NET Development Services
 

Featured Reviews

Abhilash Cr - PeerSpot reviewer
Very user-friendly and comes with in-built mechanisms for security and performance
With the technical stacks, what happened is that Microsoft evolved in such a way that the features that are available in other technologies were gradually incorporated into .NET or C# for any Microsoft technical areas, whether it is Azure or any other tech stack. So it's gradually happening. We already have some Power Apps and so on. At this moment, Power Apps is restricted within Azure or any kind of Microsoft environment. Such things in the future should be .NET Core. It should be open source or deployable to any operating system so that the dependency can be removed. And with a click, we can get a solution ready for deployment.
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Eitan Gold - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"The most valuable feature of ASP.NET is its visual side, which makes building Windows forms applications visually efficient."
"While using ASP.net, we can create interactive websites."
"It's a pretty stable solution."
"The solution's framework supports storing all client-side and server-side code in one place."
"The most valuable feature is that it's easy to use."
"The solution is easy to learn, understand and develop."
"The most valuable feature of ASP.NET is the support of multiple platforms with ASP.NET Core. Additionally, Azure integrates well with ASP.NET and Visual Studio."
More ASP.NET pros
"What we like about Microsoft Visual Studio is that it's a comprehensive tool. It has features that work for different plans and it has a wide variety of use cases. It's also a powerful tool and it's quite efficient."
"The most valuable feature is the integration with different databases."
"I was testing how to publish in a cloud using Azure and it was very easy."
"I have found that it is scalable."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Visual Studio are debugging and IntelliSense."
"Notably, the Enterprise version facilitates seamless integration with Microsoft products, leveraging the ease of connectivity within the Microsoft ecosystem."
"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."
"It is great for integration with Excel."
More Microsoft Visual Studio pros
 

Cons

"It could use better reporting and documentation."
"It would be beneficial if Microsoft provided more support for certain technologies, such as Blazor, in the form of basic components. As it stands, some reliance on third-party tools may be necessary. Having more support from Microsoft for these technologies would make it easier for users to build and maintain applications. For example, the grids, date pickers, and dropdown lists would be components to add."
"I'd like to be able to run any application from a specific point instead of compiling all the code. For example, if I want to test function A, I should be able to test it even if my other functions aren't working. Like in SQL, you provide parameters to the function, and it executes. I'd like to see something similar in ASP.NET."
"The capability related to Python needs to be improved."
"The caching could improve in ASP.NET. I don't often run into limitations with ASP.NET. More often, it's the other tools we use that slow us down."
"It should be open source or deployable to any operating system so that the dependency can be removed."
"In my opinion, this solution should improve their web toolkit."
"There used to be IAF, which you could spin on a Windows machine. However, that sort of setup does not exist for Linux machines. Because customers still prefer a Windows underlying infrastructure, it can get expensive."
More ASP.NET cons
"The UI could be better, and development could be easier on Microsoft Visual Studio if there were more features like drag and drop and more frameworks, etc."
"Additional components such as add-ons could be included in the installation packages."
"Visual Studio Team System needs to improve documentation."
"You do need to do some training in order to really take advantage of the solution."
"There have been some issues but not very often."
"The best advice I can give to others is to take training because it's so easy to use out of the box. However, you might tend to install it and maybe configure it improperly. You need to have some training."
"Microsoft Visual Studio needs to improve integration."
"The reporting services are quite limited in terms of features and need to be improved."
More Microsoft Visual Studio cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution requires a licensing fee but is worth the investment."
"On a scale from one to ten, with one being cost efficient and 10 being the most expensive, I would rate ASP.NET's pricing at six. There used to be IAF, which you could spin on a Windows machine. However, that sort of setup does not exist for Linux machines. Because customers still prefer a Windows underlying infrastructure, it can get expensive."
"ASP.NET is an open-source solution."
"ASP.NET is open-source and free of charge."
"ASP.NET is not an expensive solution."
"The price of ASP.NET is reasonable. I rate the pricing a five out of ten."
"I think ASP.NET, in deployment, is something that's quite costly when you're on a cloud provider such as Azure, and you have to pay the server cost. On average, it can cost approximately $1,000 per month to host a good site with a few databases."
"The solution is free to use."
More ASP.NET pricing and cost advice
"There's a community edition that is absolutely free to use. It's pretty good."
"I use the open-source version of Microsoft Visual Studio."
"The introduction of the Community Version allows some people to use it free of charge."
"I use Microsoft Visual Studio's free version."
"Microsoft Visual Studio is free. It's freeware, so you don't have to pay for its license."
"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."
"Our purchasing department pays a fair price for it."
"We have an enterprise-level license. The cost is expensive for small to medium-sized organizations."
More Microsoft Visual Studio pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
16%
Performing Arts
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about ASP.NET?
It is easy to install ASP.NET on your laptop.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ASP.NET?
ASP.NET is not an expensive solution.
See all answers
What needs improvement with ASP.NET?
ASP.NET is a very slow tool, and it should be faster.
See all answers
What do you like most about Microsoft Visual Studio?
We can use different .NET features.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Visual Studio?
The pricing for Microsoft Visual Studio is favorable. While many open-source solutions are available, none offer the robustness of Visual Studio, which includes a Marketplace for creating different...
See all answers
What needs improvement with Microsoft Visual Studio?
Based on my experience and my colleagues' feedback, I believe a potential area of improvement for Microsoft Visual Studio could be incorporating more AI, as it makes things easier for us, and havin...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

No data available
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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
ASP.NET
August 2025
ASP.NET reportDownload ASP.NET product report
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Visual Studio
August 2025
Microsoft Visual Studio reportDownload Microsoft Visual Studio product report
 

Also Known As

No data available
MS Visual Studio
 

Overview

ASP.NET is a free web framework for building web sites, apps and services with HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
Microsoft
Visual Studio.NET is the umbrella that represents the key pieces of the .NET platform delivered from Microsoft, including the .NET Framework, the recently announced .NET Core, and a shared common layer of packages, compilers and runtime. Read this .NET blog post about the evolution of the platform and the different pieces that make .NET 2015.
Microsoft
 

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
Buyer's Guide
ASP.NET vs. Microsoft Visual Studio
July 2025
Free Report: ASP.NET vs. Microsoft Visual Studio
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