Differences between .NET Framework, .NET Core, and .NET 5+ versions

Feature	.NET Framework	.NET Core	.NET 5+ / .NET 6+
Platform Support	Windows only	Cross-platform	Cross-platform
Latest Stable Version	4.8.1 (2022)	3.1 (LTS, EOL Dec 2022)	.NET 8 (LTS)
Open Source	Partially	Yes	Yes
Performance	Slower	Faster	Fastest (runtime improvements)
Deployment Model	System-wide only	Self-contained / Portable	Self-contained / Portable
API and Libraries	Full .NET Framework	Smaller base class libs	Unified and expanded APIs
App Models	WinForms, WPF, ASP.NET	ASP.NET Core, Console	ASP.NET Core, MAUI, Blazor, etc.
Mobile/Desktop	Windows desktop only	No	Yes (.NET MAUI)
Support for WebAssembly	No	No	Yes (via Blazor WebAssembly)
Long-term Support (LTS)	4.8.1 (maintained)	3.1 (EOL)	.NET 6, .NET 8 (LTS)

1. .NET Framework

Released in 2002, Windows-only.
Includes WinForms, WPF, ASP.NET, WCF, etc.
Tightly integrated with Windows (COM, Windows API).
Still supported, but no major new features planned.
Ideal for legacy enterprise apps running on Windows servers.

2. .NET Core

Released in 2016, designed to be:
- Cross-platform (Windows, Linux, macOS)
- Modular and lightweight
- High performance
Modern web apps using ASP.NET Core and Entity Framework Core.
Last version: .NET Core 3.1 (LTS, EOL in Dec 2022).

3. .NET 5 and Later (a.k.a. .NET 5, .NET 6, .NET 7, .NET 8, etc.)

Unified platform: replaces both .NET Framework and .NET Core.
.NET 5 is the first version of this "unified .NET".
Supports:
- Web apps (ASP.NET Core)
- Desktop apps (WinForms, WPF)
- Cloud, Mobile, IoT, Games (via MAUI, Blazor, Unity, etc.)
.NET 6 and .NET 8 are LTS (Long-Term Support).
Performance improvements every release.

From	Recommended To	Notes
.NET Framework	.NET 6/8+	May require code changes, especially WCF/WF
.NET Core 3.1	.NET 6 or .NET 8	Mostly smooth migration
.NET 5	.NET 6/8	.NET 5 is not LTS

When to Use What?

Use Case	Recommended Version
New cross-platform web app	.NET 8
Legacy enterprise app (Windows)	.NET Framework 4.8.1
High-performance APIs	.NET 8
Desktop app for Windows only	.NET 8 (WinForms/WPF)
Mobile app	.NET MAUI (.NET 8+)
WebAssembly (in-browser C#)	Blazor (.NET 6+)

In Summary:

.NET Framework: Windows-only, legacy, still maintained.
.NET Core: Modern, modular, now replaced by .NET 5+.
.NET 5+: Unified platform going forward (use this for new projects).

.NET Framework

Used to Implement Desktop apps (Windows Forms, WPF)
Used to implement ASP.NET Web Forms and MVC apps on Windows

However, the limitations are that there is no cross-platform support, and development is mostly in Visual Studio on Windows.

.NET Core

Used to implement cross-platform web applications, console apps, microservices, and cloud and containerized apps.

Performance will be faster than .NET Framework, but .NET Core will not support Windows Forms and WPF.

.NET 5

It is also used to implement a Cross-platform desktop (via Windows Forms and WPF on Windows) and Mobile apps web, and more.

Advantages of using .NET 5 are one unified platform for all app types, Latest APIs, language features, and performance improvements, Long-Term Support releases like .NET 6 and .NET 8, and Support for new tech like MAUI (multi-platform UI)

3 Replies

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Sam Hobbs1y ago
Support for .Net Core ended in 2022 or before. .Net Framework only supports Windows and has more but probably the additional content is unique to Windows. .Net supports multipe operating systems. I think those are the important differences.
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Vishal Yelve1y ago

Feature	.NET Framework	.NET Core	.NET 5+ / .NET 6+
Platform Support	Windows only	Cross-platform	Cross-platform
Latest Stable Version	4.8.1 (2022)	3.1 (LTS, EOL Dec 2022)	.NET 8 (LTS)
Open Source	Partially	Yes	Yes
Performance	Slower	Faster	Fastest (runtime improvements)
Deployment Model	System-wide only	Self-contained / Portable	Self-contained / Portable
API and Libraries	Full .NET Framework	Smaller base class libs	Unified and expanded APIs
App Models	WinForms, WPF, ASP.NET	ASP.NET Core, Console	ASP.NET Core, MAUI, Blazor, etc.
Mobile/Desktop	Windows desktop only	No	Yes (.NET MAUI)
Support for WebAssembly	No	No	Yes (via Blazor WebAssembly)
Long-term Support (LTS)	4.8.1 (maintained)	3.1 (EOL)	.NET 6, .NET 8 (LTS)

From	Recommended To	Notes
.NET Framework	.NET 6/8+	May require code changes, especially WCF/WF
.NET Core 3.1	.NET 6 or .NET 8	Mostly smooth migration
.NET 5	.NET 6/8	.NET 5 is not LTS

Use Case	Recommended Version
New cross-platform web app	.NET 8
Legacy enterprise app (Windows)	.NET Framework 4.8.1
High-performance APIs	.NET 8
Desktop app for Windows only	.NET 8 (WinForms/WPF)
Mobile app	.NET MAUI (.NET 8+)
WebAssembly (in-browser C#)	Blazor (.NET 6+)

Priya Sathish1y ago
.NET Framework

Used to Implement Desktop apps (Windows Forms, WPF)
Used to implement ASP.NET Web Forms and MVC apps on Windows

However, the limitations are that there is no cross-platform support, and development is mostly in Visual Studio on Windows.

.NET Core

Used to implement cross-platform web applications, console apps, microservices, and cloud and containerized apps.

Performance will be faster than .NET Framework, but .NET Core will not support Windows Forms and WPF.

.NET 5

It is also used to implement a Cross-platform desktop (via Windows Forms and WPF on Windows) and Mobile apps web, and more.

Advantages of using .NET 5 are one unified platform for all app types, Latest APIs, language features, and performance improvements, Long-Term Support releases like .NET 6 and .NET 8, and Support for new tech like MAUI (multi-platform UI)
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