Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Microsoft Visual Studio VS Microsoft .NET Framework

Compare Microsoft Visual Studio VS Microsoft .NET Framework and see what are their differences

Microsoft Visual Studio logo Microsoft Visual Studio

Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.

Microsoft .NET Framework logo Microsoft .NET Framework

Microsoft.
  • Microsoft Visual Studio Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-18
  • Microsoft .NET Framework Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-14

Microsoft Visual Studio features and specs

  • Comprehensive Development Environment
    Microsoft Visual Studio offers a robust and comprehensive integrated development environment (IDE) that supports multiple programming languages, including C#, VB.NET, F#, C++, and Python. This makes it versatile for a wide variety of development needs.
  • Rich Feature Set
    The platform provides an extensive set of built-in tools and features, such as code analysis, debugging, and version control. These tools improve productivity and help maintain code quality.
  • IntelliSense
    Visual Studio’s IntelliSense offers powerful code completion, highlighting, and suggestion features that enhance the coding experience and reduce the likelihood of errors.
  • Integration with Azure and Other Microsoft Services
    The IDE integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Azure and other Microsoft services, making it easier to develop, deploy, and manage applications in the cloud.
  • Large Community and Support
    As a popular IDE, Visual Studio has a large user base and an active community. This results in a wealth of resources, including tutorials, forums, and extensions.
  • Customizability
    Visual Studio allows extensive customization through extensions and plugins, enabling developers to tailor the IDE to meet their specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft Visual Studio

  • Resource Intensive
    Visual Studio is known to be resource-heavy, requiring significant system memory and processing power. This can slow down development, especially on less powerful machines.
  • Complexity
    The abundance of features and tools in Visual Studio can make it overwhelming for beginners or those new to the IDE. Navigating through its numerous menus and options can be challenging initially.
  • Cost
    While Visual Studio Express is free, many advanced features and professional tools are only available in the paid versions (Professional and Enterprise). This can be a drawback for individual developers and small businesses with restricted budgets.
  • Frequent Updates
    Although frequent updates can bring new features and improvements, they can also introduce bugs and require ongoing time investment to manage transitions and adapt to changes.
  • Windows-Centric
    While Visual Studio now supports macOS, it is traditionally Windows-centric and may not provide the same level of performance or features on other operating systems compared to its Windows counterpart.
  • Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive feature set and capabilities, there is a steep learning curve associated with Visual Studio. It may take considerable time for new users to become proficient.

Microsoft .NET Framework features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Development
    .NET supports cross-platform development, allowing developers to build applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
  • Performance
    .NET offers high performance with optimizations and compiled code that run efficiently on the .NET runtime.
  • Large Ecosystem
    The .NET ecosystem includes a vast range of libraries, frameworks, and tools that can accelerate development.
  • Strong Community Support
    There is a strong, active community and extensive documentation available, which makes troubleshooting and learning easier.
  • Rich Base Class Library
    .NET provides a rich base class library with extensive functionalities for tasks such as database interaction, XML handling, data manipulation, and more.
  • Security
    .NET provides robust security features, including code access security, role-based security, and cryptographic services.
  • Asynchronous Programming
    .NET has built-in support for asynchronous programming, which can improve application performance, especially in I/O operations.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft .NET Framework

  • Memory Consumption
    .NET applications can be memory-intensive, which might be a concern for applications where resources are constrained.
  • Windows-Centric History
    .NET has historically been Windows-centric, and although now cross-platform, some older components and libraries may not be fully portable.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    For beginners, the depth and breadth of .NET can be overwhelming, making the learning curve steep.
  • Installation and Setup
    The .NET runtime and associated tools can require significant setup and configuration, especially in environments with stringent policies.
  • Versioning Issues
    Multiple versions of the .NET Framework can coexist, potentially leading to compatibility issues.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft .NET Framework)
IDE
94 94%
6% 6
Developer Tools
73 73%
27% 27
Text Editors
92 92%
8% 8
Software Development
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft .NET Framework. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft .NET Framework

Microsoft Visual Studio Reviews

9 Of The Best Android Studio Alternatives To Try Out
Microsoft Visual Studio (Download Here) is an Android studio alternative developed by Microsoft. You can build computer programs, websites, web services, and web applications and use platforms like windows forms, windows stores, Microsoft Silverlight, and Windows API.
What's The Best C++ IDE? Our Top C++ IDEs & Editors In 2024
As you'd expect, this IDE supports a vast array of C++ standards, libraries, and frameworks, catering to legacy applications and modern, cutting-edge projects. So whether you're building a simple console application or a high-performance game using Unreal Engine, Visual Studio is up to the job.
Source: hackr.io
Android Studio Alternative
Visual Studio is the best alternative for android studio. It is an IDE platform developed by Microsoft. It is used to build computer programs, website, web apps, mobile apps and web services. It uses various Microsoft software development platforms such as windows forms, windows API, windows store, windows presentation foundation and microsoft silverlight. Visual studio has...
Source: www.educba.com
Top 10 Visual Studio Alternatives
Visual studio has been in the game for 20 years or more. The first version of the visual studio was established in 1997. However, since the establishment years of the Visual Studio, there have been many changes. Microsoft visual studio is an integrated development environment that Microsoft programs.
Best Eclipse Alternatives to Use
Visual Studio is the most used IDE for .Net developers. It is an IDE that can be used to create almost all types of applications. It is used by many developers across the world to create many types of applications, both desktop and web-based.
Source: eclipsewin.com

Microsoft .NET Framework Reviews

We have no reviews of Microsoft .NET Framework yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Microsoft .NET Framework seems to be a lot more popular than Microsoft Visual Studio. While we know about 88 links to Microsoft .NET Framework, we've tracked only 1 mention of Microsoft Visual Studio. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Microsoft Visual Studio mentions (1)

  • Why don't schools teach the modern c++?
    While the editor seems to old fashioned there isn't anything particularly wrong in using it for learning. Alternatively you can propose to your teacher about https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/express/ . IMO editor is not a big factor when we are talking about high school learning. Source: almost 4 years ago

Microsoft .NET Framework mentions (88)

  • Using Pulumi for Rapid Deployment
    From a Powershell will verify that the installation was successful. I already had .NET8 installed but the guide has a link if you need to install it. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Supercharge Your Productivity with the .NET CLI
    If not, you'll have to download the SDK of your choice from Microsoft. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Setting up a .NET Core Web API project on a Mac using Terminal
    Download and Install .NET SDK: Visit the .NET SDK Download Page and download the latest stable version for macOS. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • The Dotnet, Nx, AnalogJs (Angular) Stack is here - Part 1
    Note: A couple of assumptions before we start: you should have the .NET SDK installed already (I used version 8) and dotnet-ef. If you don't have these tools, please install them first: dotnet SDK and dotnet-ef. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • Detecting Anomalies with .NET and ML.NET: A Practical Guide
    Step 1: Install the .NET SDK Make sure you have the .NET SDK installed. If you don’t have it yet, download it here. Trust us, it’s easier than assembling IKEA furniture. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft .NET Framework, you can also consider the following products

Xcode - Xcode is Apple’s powerful integrated development environment for creating great apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Xcode 4 includes the Xcode IDE, instruments, iOS Simulator, and the latest Mac OS X and iOS SDKs.

Oracle Mobile Application - Oracle Mobile Application framework or Oracle Mobile Application development platform is a hybrid mobile framework for rapidly developing single source applications for many platforms and devices.

IntelliJ IDEA - Capable and Ergonomic IDE for JVM

WompMobile - WompMobile offers tow kind of functions – first creating new mobile apps and secondly converting the websites into mobile applications.

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

OutSystems - Build Enterprise-Grade Apps Fast.