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.NET vs JetBrains Rider

.NET logo

.NET

Web Development

Free, cross-platform, open source developer platform

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
JetBrains Rider logo

JetBrains Rider

Developer Tools

Cross-platform .NET IDE from JetBrains for C#, F#, VB.NET and Unity

From
$18.25/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only .NET has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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; JetBrains Rider requires a paid subscription with no permanently free commercial tier.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which .NET and JetBrains Rider actually diverge.

Attributes where .NET and JetBrains Rider differ
Attribute.NETJetBrains Rider
Starting priceFree$18.25/month
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebwindows, mac, linux
CategoryWeb DevelopmentDeveloper Tools
FoundedUnknown2000

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in .NET

Nothing recorded that JetBrains Rider does not also cover.

Only in JetBrains Rider

  • Cross-platform .NET Development
  • ReSharper-powered Code Analysis
  • Integrated Debugger and Profiler
  • Version Control Integration
  • Unity Support

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 JetBrains Rider
  • Cloud-native application development for Azurenot JetBrains Rider
  • Mobile and desktop apps with .NET MAUI cross-platform frameworknot JetBrains Rider
  • AI and machine learning applications using C#not JetBrains Rider

JetBrains Rider

  • Cross-platform .NET and ASP.NET Core developmentnot .NET
  • Unity game development and debuggingnot .NET
  • Large-scale C# refactoring with ReSharper-grade analysisnot .NET
  • Teams standardizing on JetBrains tooling across languagesnot .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

JetBrains Rider

  • Requires a paid subscription with no permanently free commercial tier.
  • Heavier resource usage than lightweight editors like VS Code for small projects.
  • Some advanced features overlap with a separate ReSharper Visual Studio plugin, causing licensing confusion.
  • First-year pricing increased in late 2025, raising the cost of entry versus prior years.

Pricing, plan by plan

.NET

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the .NET review.

JetBrains Rider

$18.25/month
  • Individual - Year 1$219/year
    • Full Rider IDE license
    • Free minor and major updates during subscription
  • Individual - Year 2$175/year
    • Continuity discount after first year
  • Individual - Year 3+$131/year
    • Further continuity discount from third year onward

Which should you pick?

Choose .NET if

  • You want to start without paying.
.NET review

Choose JetBrains Rider if

  • You need cross-platform .net development.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux.
  • You also want resharper-powered code analysis.
JetBrains Rider review

Questions people ask

Is .NET or JetBrains Rider better?
Neither clearly leads. .NET starts at Free and JetBrains Rider at $18.25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, .NET or JetBrains Rider?
.NET has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for .NET and $18.25/month for JetBrains Rider.
Does .NET or JetBrains Rider run on more platforms?
.NET runs on Web. JetBrains Rider runs on windows, mac, linux.
Can I use .NET for free?
Yes. .NET has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. JetBrains Rider starts at $18.25/month.
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 JetBrains Rider is typically brought in for.
What can .NET do that JetBrains Rider cannot?
JetBrains Rider covers Cross-platform .NET Development, ReSharper-powered Code Analysis, Integrated Debugger and Profiler, Version Control Integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

.NET: Is .NET free to use?

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

Source
JetBrains Rider: Does Rider have a free version?

JetBrains offers a free non-commercial license for Rider for personal, non-commercial use, alongside paid commercial subscriptions with continuity discounts after the first year.

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
JetBrains Rider: What counts as non-commercial use under the free license?

Learning, open-source contributions without commercial benefit, content creation like monetized tutorials, and hobby projects qualify; any paid work or commercial release does not.

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
JetBrains Rider: Does the free non-commercial license include all Rider features?

Yes, it is a full-featured IDE identical to the paid version, with one exception: Code With Me is limited to the Community tier instead of the premium tier.

Source
JetBrains Rider: How often does the non-commercial license renew?

It issues a one-year license that renews automatically each year, provided Rider was opened at least once during the preceding six months.

Source
JetBrains Rider: What support do non-commercial license holders get?

Non-commercial users get community forums and public bug trackers rather than private support tickets, which are reserved for paid subscribers.

Source
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