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Web Development · head to head

.NET vs Git

.NET logo

.NET

Web Development

Free, cross-platform, open source developer platform

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Git logo

Git

Developer Tools

A free and open source distributed version control system

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: .NET .NET 8 and .NET 9 both reach end of support on 10 November 2026, per dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/platform/support/policy (Aug 2026), forcing an upgrade to .NET 10 by that date; Git licensed under GNU GPL version 2.0 as stated on git-scm.com/about; as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which .NET and Git actually diverge.

Attributes where .NET and Git differ
Attribute.NETGit
CategoryWeb DevelopmentDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (open-source), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

.NET

  • Web development with ASP.NET Core and Entity Frameworknot Git
  • Cloud-native application development for Azurenot Git
  • Mobile and desktop apps with .NET MAUI cross-platform frameworknot Git
  • AI and machine learning applications using C#not Git

Git

  • Maintaining complete code history for large projectsnot .NET
  • Coordinating open source development globallynot .NET
  • Enabling offline work with full repository historynot .NET
  • Integrating with CI/CD and hosting servicesnot .NET

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

.NET

  • .NET 8 and .NET 9 both reach end of support on 10 November 2026, per dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/platform/support/policy (Aug 2026), forcing an upgrade to .NET 10 by that date
  • Standard Term Support releases get only 2 years of patches versus 3 years for Long Term Support releases, per Microsoft's own support policy page, so teams on an STS release face a shorter upgrade cycle

Git

  • Licensed under GNU GPL version 2.0 as stated on git-scm.com/about; as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
  • Git is a command line tool by design; graphical workflows and hosted collaboration depend entirely on third party GUIs and hosting services layered on top, per git-scm.com/about

Pricing, plan by plan

.NET

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the .NET review.

Git

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Git review.

Which should you pick?

Choose .NET if

  • You want to start without paying.
.NET review

Choose Git if

  • You want to start without paying.
Git review

Questions people ask

Is .NET or Git better?
Neither clearly leads. .NET starts at Free and Git at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, .NET or Git?
.NET starts at Free and Git at Free.
Does .NET or Git run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use .NET for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is .NET best used for?
.NET is most often used for web development with asp.net core and entity framework, cloud-native application development for azure, mobile and desktop apps with .net maui cross-platform framework, ai and machine learning applications using c#. Of those, web development with asp.net core and entity framework and cloud-native application development for azure are not what Git is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

.NET: Is .NET free to use?

Yes. .NET is completely free and open-source, available on GitHub.

Source
Git: How much does Git cost?

Git is completely free and open-source software released under the GNU General Public License version 2.0 (GPLv2). There are no licensing costs for the core Git project.

Source
.NET: What platforms does .NET support?

.NET supports Windows, Linux, macOS, and Docker. A single C# codebase can run across multiple platforms including iOS, Android, and cloud environments.

Source
Git: Can Git be used for commercial purposes?

Yes, Git can be freely used for commercial and non-commercial projects. The GPLv2 license guarantees freedom to use, modify, and distribute the software.

Source
.NET: How large is the .NET ecosystem?

NuGet provides 390,000+ unique packages with 50,000+ new packages added annually. .NET has 474K+ GitHub stars and active community support across multiple platforms.

Source
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