Softwr

Web Development · head to head

.NET vs Spring Boot

.NET logo

.NET

Web Development

Free, cross-platform, open source developer platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spring Boot logo

Spring Boot

Web Development

Stand-alone, production-grade Spring based applications that you can just run

From
Free
Rated
-
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; Spring Boot requires Java 17 as the minimum version for Spring Boot 4.1.0, per docs.spring.io/spring-boot/system-requirements.html (Aug 2026); older Java runtimes are not supported
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which .NET and Spring Boot actually diverge.

Attributes where .NET and Spring Boot differ
Attribute.NETSpring Boot

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

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

Spring Boot

  • Building microservices and standalone Java applicationsnot .NET
  • Rapid application development with embedded servers and production-ready configurationsnot .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

Spring Boot

  • Requires Java 17 as the minimum version for Spring Boot 4.1.0, per docs.spring.io/spring-boot/system-requirements.html (Aug 2026); older Java runtimes are not supported
  • Requires Spring Framework 7.0.8 or above and Gradle 8.14+ or Maven 3.6.3+, per Spring's own system requirements page, so older toolchains must be upgraded first

Pricing, plan by plan

.NET

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the .NET review.

Spring Boot

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Spring Boot review.

Which should you pick?

Choose .NET if

  • You want to start without paying.
.NET review

Choose Spring Boot if

  • You want to start without paying.
Spring Boot review

Questions people ask

Is .NET or Spring Boot better?
Neither clearly leads. .NET starts at Free and Spring Boot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, .NET or Spring Boot?
.NET starts at Free and Spring Boot at Free.
Does .NET or Spring Boot 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 Spring Boot 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
Spring Boot: Is Spring Boot free?

Yes, Spring Boot is free and open-source software. The core framework is available without cost, and users can download and use it immediately.

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
Spring Boot: What commercial support is available for Spring Boot?

While Spring Boot itself is free, VMware offers optional commercial support, training, and certification through Spring Academy. Tanzu Spring provides support and binaries for OpenJDK, Spring, and Apache Tomcat through a subscription model for enterprises requiring guaranteed support.

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
Share

Related pages

More on .NET

More on Spring Boot

Keep looking

Other head to heads