The Top C# .NET UI Controls

When you're choosing UI controls for C# .NET development, there are many things you should consider. You're not just looking for a one-size-fits-all solution. You want a toolkit that's packed with features, versatile enough to handle any project you throw at it, and one that will hold up over time as technologies evolve.

\ Let’s take a close look at ComponentOne, the oldest .NET UI control toolkit, and see how it stacks up against other big names like DevExpress, Telerik, Infragistics, and SyncFusion. We'll cover key UI controls, platform compatibility, support, and pricing to see where each toolkit provider stands.

ComponentOne

\ ComponentOne (sold by MESCIUS) supports the latest .NET technologies in addition to supporting older platforms. The most comprehensive plan, ComponentOne Studio Enterprise, is priced at $1495 per developer per year. Priority Support can be added on for $400 per license if needed.

\ This plan includes full access to all current .NET platforms, data service components, JavaScript components, and high-priority support. It’s the best choice if you plan to work across multiple .NET platforms.

\ In addition to the latest version of .NET, ComponentOne goes back pretty far to support older versions of .NET as you can still access .NET 4.0. Plus, they offer hundreds of C# samples to help you quickly learn and implement features. Modeled after standard .NET controls, you can easily customize the ComponentOne controls, add themes for your entire application, and update the libraries with NuGet, which makes development straightforward and hassle-free.

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\ ComponentOne covers all your bases with support for a wide range of .NET platforms so that you can build apps for just about any environment. It's the only competitor still supporting legacy applications with ActiveX, though they only offer the existing controls without updates. They also provide a unique suite of data service libraries, making it easier to handle large data sets and connect to cloud data sources and CRMs.  Below is a look at the platforms you can work with:

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• WinForms
• WPF
• WinUI
• UWP
• ActiveX
• ASP.NET MVC
• ASP.NET Core MVC
• ASP.NET Web Forms
• Blazor
• Web API
• .NET MAUI
• Xamarin
• .NET Data Services

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Major C# .NET Controls

No matter the .NET platform you're working on, ComponentOne's comprehensive and versatile UI controls are ready to help you build anything you need with ease. Their well-known FLEX controls work for WinForms, WPF, UWP, WinUI, ASP.NET Core, and Blazor platforms.

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• Datagrids— Packed with features like sorting, filtering, transposed views, detail rows, validation, and real-time updates, FlexGrid and FlexPivot easily handle all your data presentation needs.

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• Data Filters— Implement boolean, range, date range, checklist, and calendar filters across grids, lists, and charts. This allows your users to quickly find the exact data they need.

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• Charts— Choose from 80+ chart types to offer dynamic visualization within your data-driven applications.

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• Reports— FlexReport and FlexViewer simplify generating detailed reports with data visualizations, supporting both standard and custom report designs.

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• Scheduling— Perfect for enterprise and project management applications, integrate calendars and Gantt charts to efficiently manage events, appointments, and project timelines.

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• Input & Editors— Improve the data entry experience with InputPanel for automatic form generation, DateEdit for intuitive date selection, and comprehensive text editing.

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• Documents— Add PDF, Word, and Excel support for document creation, viewing, and management within your apps.

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• Navigation & Layout— Craft intuitive UIs using ribbons, accordions, docking tabs, and more, all enhanced by customizable themes.

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DevExpress

DevExpress offers a Universal subscription for $2199 per developer per year, covering all UI controls for C# .NET. This comes with Priority Support from expert reps and access to all source code. The DXperience subscription is priced at $1499. It’s very similar to the Universal subscription but excludes Priority Support.

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\ DevExpress provides demos for various .NET platform controls, allowing you to explore and test the capabilities of their components firsthand. For deploying your applications, DevExpress offers an Assembly Deployment Tool.

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\ DevExpress supports most of the same platforms as ComponentOne, though they are mostly well known for their Windows Forms controls:

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• WinForms
• WPF
• WinUI
• UWP
• ASP.NET-MVC
• ASP.NET-Core MVC
• ASP.NET-Web Forms
• Bootstrap Web Forms
• Blazor
• Web API
• .NET MAUI
• Xamarin

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Major C# .NET Controls

DevExpress provides you with a well-rounded collection of reliable C# .NET controls built with a focus on application speed and performance. Overall, the suite is similar to ComponentOne but lacks some higher-level customizations:

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• Datagrids— Offers high-performance data handling with multi-column sorting, grouping, filtering, and master-detail layouts but lacks transposing capabilities.

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• Data Filters— Includes versatile filtering tools, enabling users to quickly search and segment data with Instant Search and custom filter options via API.

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• Charts— Help users interpret information through a wide variety of data visualizations, including Cartesian, pie, and specialized charts like financial charts and heatmaps.

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• Reports— The Report Designer/Report Viewer provides a rich set of reporting controls, including Visual Studio integration and cross-platform support.

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• Scheduling— Includes calendar controls and some scheduling controls that can be customized with HTML and CSS.

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• Input & Editors— A diverse collection of tools, like date editors, combo box, and rich text editors, to facilitate accurate and efficient data entry.

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• Documents— Supports processing and exporting PDF, Word, and Excel documents, making it easy to handle various file types within your applications.

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• Navigation & Layout— Create user-friendly interfaces with navigation tools like menus, ribbons, and docking panels, and organize layouts using splitters and tabbed interfaces.

Telerik

\ Telerik's DevCraft UI subscription, priced at $1499 per developer per year, includes all .NET and Kendo (JavaScript) UI controls. To access integrated reporting features and Priority Support, you’ll need the DevCraft Complete subscription at $1699 per year.

\ In recent years, Telerik has made a significant move by offering full source code access to all license holders across all .NET platforms. Telerik boasts a massive library of resources designed to help you master their platform. With over 1200 demos, tutorials, and examples, a wealth of material is available. Telerik also offers convenient NuGet packages through their private NuGet feed, accessible via a Visual Studio extension.

\ Telerik is probably best known for its ASP.NET controls, and it offers strong solutions for many modern platforms plus older web technologies like ASP.NET AJAX:

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• WinForms
• WPF
• WinUI
• ASP.NET-MVC
• ASP.NET-Core MVC
• ASP.NET AJAX
• ASP.NET-Web Forms
• Blazor
• Web API
• .NET MAUI
• Xamarin

Major C# .NET Controls

• Datagrids— Grids with features like sorting, filtering, pagination, CRUD operations, data virtualization, and foreign-key binding make it easy to handle complex data for any app.
• Data Filters— Build complex filtering expressions, customize operators per field, and save filter states for easy reuse. This is great for refining data in a user-friendly way.
• Charts— With features like drill-down, data binding, animations, and built-in themes, your app's chart options can be interactive and visually appealing.
• Reports— Includes drag-and-drop features and CSS-like styling for easy report creation. Embed reports in your apps with OLAP data binding and export options.
• Scheduling— Calendar and Gantt chart controls facilitate time-based event management, ideal for project scheduling.
• Input & Editors— A diverse range of inputs and editors, including AutoComplete, Date & Time Pickers, Color Picker, and MultiSelect controls for intuitive data entry.
• Documents— Document processing controls include PDFs, spreadsheets, and Word documents. Plus, the unique ZipLibrary lets you create, edit, and secure ZIP files.
• Navigation & Layout— Versatile tools like Menu, TabStrip, and Drawer enhance user navigation, while layout controls offer responsive design options.

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Infragistics

\ Infragistics offers a solid suite of .NET controls, including those for desktop, mobile, and web applications. The Infragistics Professional subscription includes Ignite UI for building web apps and all their .NET UI controls (except ASP.NET Web Forms and App Builder) and is priced at $1275. You can add Priority Support for $300 per year. For ASP.NET Web Forms and App Builder, you’d need the Ultimate subscription for $1895.

\ All Infragistics controls come with source code and are available as NuGet packages, simplifying the installation and integration process for developing enterprise-grade applications. You can explore a huge list of sample applications created with Infragistics on its resources page.

\ Infragistics focuses on its Angular controls, but it also supports desktop and mobile .NET applications through similar platforms:

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• WinForms
• WPF
• WinUI
• UWP
• ASP.NET-MVC
• ASP.NET-Core MVC
• ASP.NET-Web Forms
• ASP.NET AJAX
• Blazor
• Web API
• .NET MAUI
• Xamarin

Major C# .NET Controls

• Datagrids— Multiple grid options (Tree, Pivot, etc.) with features like hierarchical structures, asynchronous data loading, and Excel-like sorting, grouping, and filtering.
• Data Filters— While offering a simpler set of options, the suite provides all the basic filtering functions, like “contains” and regular expressions, to sift through data.
• Charts— Use a variety of chart types, including Data Chart, Geographic Map, Gantt View, and 3D Surface Chart, to provide innovative and interactive visualizations.
• Reports— The Document Engine lets you create detailed PDF and XPS reports with a simple DOM, offering tools for layout control, content addition, and navigation aids.
• Scheduling— Offers calendar and schedule tools for Outlook-style resource management and WPF Timelines for visualizing event sequences and milestones.
• Input & Editors— Includes versatile controls like the Color Picker, Combo Box Editor, and Multi-Column Combo Editor, along with tools like the Rich Text Editor and Syntax Editor.
• Documents— Create, modify, and manage various document types, including PDF and XPS. Includes capabilities like content editing and format conversion.
• Navigation & Layout—  A focused set of tools, like Carousel, Dock Manager, Tab, Tile Manager, Menu, and Ribbon, with extensive customization via the Theme Manager.

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SyncFusion

\ Syncfusion takes a different approach to licensing by offering team licenses to help reduce costs for small teams of developers. For a team of 5 developers, the cost is $395 per month per developer. For a team of 6 to 10 developers, the cost is $695 per month. The cost savings are highest when you have exactly 5 or 10 developers, making this the most affordable option for teams.

\ Like DevExpress, Telerik, and Infragistics, Synfusion does not support older ActiveX applications but does support the following C# .NET platforms with the most UI controls:

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• WinForms
• WPF
• WinUI
• UWP
• ASP.NET-MVC
• ASP.NET-Core MVC
• ASP.NET-Web Forms
• Blazor
• Web API
• .NET MAUI
• Xamarin

Major C# .NET Controls

• Datagrids—  Efficient data management with features like sorting, filtering, grouping, customizable columns, and master-detail views.
• Data Filters— Various filtering options, including "starts with," "contains," and case-sensitive filters, allow precise data narrowing.
• Charts— Offers dozens of chart types with fluid animations and vector-based SVG rendering for crisp visuals. Features include trendlines and data editing with drag-and-drop.
• Reports— Seamlessly embed SSRS, RDL, and RDLC reports with support for SQL and NoSQL data sources.
• Scheduling— The Calendar, DateTimePicker, and Scheduler controls provide robust features for time management and event scheduling.
• Input & Editors— Extensive library of input controls and editors, such as RadioButton, RangeBox, Autocomplete, TextBox, and more.
• Documents— Document processing is available for Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and PDF, making it easy to handle and manipulate these formats in your enterprise apps.
• Navigation & Layout— Design intuitive user interfaces with navigation controls like toolbars, navigation drawers, menus, and ribbons. Enhance your layouts with options like docking, cards, carousels, grids, tiles, and more.

\ Syncfusion provides source code access through its Source Code Add-on installer and offers numerous product demos, helping you see what you can implement and how to implement it across various device types. It also uses NuGet packages for easy download and installation of its tools.

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Conclusion

ComponentOne by MESCIUS still holds up with its combination of features, platform flexibility, and reasonable pricing. The ComponentOne Studio Enterprise plan costs $1495 per developer per year, giving you full access to all .NET platforms and Data Service components.

\ If you're dealing with older applications, ComponentOne is pretty good at supporting versions of .NET longer than Microsoft and other competitors. This means you can keep your older apps running smoothly while still making modern improvements. While their source code is not included, it can be purchased separately.

\ The suite’s Data Services components simplify working with large datasets and connecting to cloud data sources and CRMs, making it a strong contender for big data projects. Component one excels in data visualization with advanced grids, over 80 chart types, and robust reporting tools, perfect for delivering in-depth insights.

\ For project management, ComponentOne includes tools like calendars and Gantt charts, which help your users keep their tasks and projects on track. With full source code access and easy deployment via NuGet, customizing and integrating ComponentOne into your projects is straightforward. Plus, a wide variety of themes lets you create a consistent and polished look across your applications.

\ At nearly 25 years old, ComponentOne’s .NET controls have been around the longest and will most likely be here for the next 25 years.

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