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Microsoft .NET Framework vs Zend PHP Engine comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft .NET Framework
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
50
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Zend PHP Engine
Ranking in Application Infrastructure
13th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of Microsoft .NET Framework is 5.9%, down from 7.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zend PHP Engine is 1.5%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Infrastructure
 

Featured Reviews

Pavan Kodur - PeerSpot reviewer
Intuitive, easier to develop, maintain, and migrate from the old framework to newer versions
There are a few areas where they could compete better with products like React or Angular – the popular SPA (Single Page Application) frameworks. Microsoft has its own product called Blazor, but I don't think it's quite as powerful yet as React or Angular. I think that's an area for improvement. For example, HR asked me to build something that worked offline and online. Microsoft products don't really support that well, as I'd have to rely on browser databases. React and Angular are better for that. If I need something faster, I'd definitely use React. So, I see Microsoft lagging a bit in that area.
SatyendraGupta - PeerSpot reviewer
The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature
The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature.  A general scripting language should be further developed and should be embedded into it. I have been Zend PHP Engine for nine years.  Multiple people are using the solution.  Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"As we are a software company, we find that accessing resources using this technology is easier compared to the others."
"The product has a good interface and easy-to-use programming language."
"When it comes to the user interface, the context is better than other tools because it is easier to use."
"Ease of use, the richness of the libraries and basically very good development tools."
"The .NET Framework is a very good framework. It does what I need it to do."
"When using Microsoft .NET Framework, you start writing the code internally."
"The Windows Communication Foundation is the biggest advantage we get from the .NET Framework."
"A great solution for creating program solutions in a framework for Microsoft Windows quickly and easily."
"The cache modules that Zend provides have been able to optimize and accelerate the loading of the pages when there was exponential growth in data volume and quantity of requests. At the same time, the monitoring console allowed us to have a real-time understanding of the resources and to make decisions when they were at the limit."
"It offers good support for various types of classes, along with many open source libraries that we can readily utilize in our application development process. This gives us a lot of options when it comes to custom development solutions, without having to worry about licensing or other programming-related issues."
"Zend PHP Engine is more secure than any other framework, and I usually prefer Zend PHP Engine for big applications."
"Scaling up is an important factor for large projects, and with PHP 7 and its performance improvements, this becomes even easier.​"
"The Zend Framework provides an easy, open source way to produce coding based on the needs of our customers.​"
"We have not encountered issues with scalability as long as we effectively use caching to optimize performance of our web applications as well as a proper use of database connectivity."
"This solution is really easy for me to use."
"Zend Engine gives the flexibility to use external modules to easily expand the functionalities you need for your web project."
 

Cons

"You need to have the technical expertise to use this product."
"If AI could be incorporated in Microsoft .NET Framework it would be helpful."
"The product's price is an area of concern, making it an area where improvements are required."
"There is room for Microsoft .NET Framework to improve cloud platform capabilities."
"It would be nice if the framework were able to work with additional environments and systems like Linux."
"The learning curve could be improved."
"Better integration with other tools to make the operation faster would be an improvement."
"The initial setup is complex."
"Integrating AI tools would make PHP more competitive, as other tools already have AI features."
"The process of installing and configuring the product is a bit complex and could be improved."
"Zend PHP Engine needs to improve the loading time of its libraries and make it faster."
"The solution can be quicker."
"The biggest problem with PHP is you have to write lot of conditions or have to use a framework."
"Its object oriented programming language needs improvement."
"A general scripting language should be further developed and should be embedded into it."
"Although it offers a complete environment to develop and deploy PHP applications, it has some limitations. For example, when the volume of data increased exponentially, I had problems scaling the system."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is not expensive."
"Microsoft .NET Framework is very cost-effective for corporate users."
"The Microsoft .NET Framework is free of charge, without licensing cost."
"It's an expensive solution"
"The support is an extra cost when purchasing the license. The price of the solution is overall reasonable and paid annually or every three years. Additionally, they have a monthly license. The cost is approximately $1,000 per user."
"The pricing could be cheaper."
"There is a Community Edition that can be used free of charge, but the licensing cost for the Enterprise version is quite high."
"The product and support for this solution are free for everyone."
"The solution is open source and you just pay for the server cost."
"The Zend PHP engine is open source technology, so there's no need for us to worry about licensing or other costs."
"Its pricing depends on the number of users."
"No problem with pricing and licensing, as tools are open source. You have to consider training cost, mindset setup cost, as part of the TCO."
"Zend PHP Engine is not an expensive solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
13%
Construction Company
10%
Government
10%
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
15%
Financial Services Firm
12%
University
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft .NET Framework?
Microsoft .NET Framework continually innovates, particularly in Visual Studio, which focuses on improving languages, debugging, and .NET functionality.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft .NET Framework?
The pricing is rated six out of ten. It provides value for the cost.
What needs improvement with Microsoft .NET Framework?
There is room for Microsoft .NET Framework to improve cloud platform capabilities. They have already made improvements in their new version by making it multi-platform and upgrading it for cloud pl...
What do you like most about Zend PHP Engine?
The fact that it is available open-source is the best feature.
What needs improvement with Zend PHP Engine?
Integrating AI tools would make PHP more competitive, as other tools already have AI features.
 

Also Known As

MS .NET Framework
PHP Engine
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Curtin University, Rockwell Automation, Aruba Networks, Insurity Inc., City of Barcelona, Pennsylvania DCNR, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, A1 Telekom Austria AG, Eastman Chemical Company
Cisco
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft .NET Framework vs. Zend PHP Engine and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.