.NET 4.5 Reviews & Product Details

.NET Framework 4.5 is a comprehensive and consistent programming model developed by Microsoft for building applications with visually stunning user experiences, seamless and secure communication, and the ability to model a range of business processes. This version introduces significant enhancements that improve developer productivity and application performance. Key Features and Functionality: - Asynchronous Programming: Incorporates the `async` and `await` keywords, simplifying asynchronous code and enhancing application responsiveness. - Networking Enhancements: Adds support for WebSockets, enabling real-time, bidirectional communication between client and server. - ASP.NET Improvements: Introduces model binding for Web Forms, allowing for cleaner and more maintainable code. - Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) Enhancements: Includes the new Ribbon control for rich user interfaces and improved performance when displaying large data sets. - Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) Updates: Simplifies configuration and supports multiple authentication modes on a single endpoint. - Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) Enhancements: Adds support for state machine workflows and improved designer features. Primary Value and Solutions Provided: .NET Framework 4.5 addresses the need for developers to create high-performance, scalable, and responsive applications across various platforms. By introducing asynchronous programming patterns, it allows applications to remain responsive under heavy workloads. The support for WebSockets and improved networking capabilities enable the development of modern web applications with real-time communication features. Enhancements in ASP.NET, WPF, WCF, and WF provide developers with powerful tools to build rich user interfaces, efficient communication systems, and complex workflows, thereby reducing development time and improving application maintainability.

Seller

Microsoft

Discussions

.NET 4.5 Community

Solution Type

Best-of-Breed

Overview by

Mayank Kaushik

Value at a Glance

Averages based on real user reviews.

Time to Implement

1 month

Perceived Cost

$$$$$

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Top-Rated Alternatives

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User Insights

Average based on 82 real user reviews.

Implementation Time

1 month

Perceived Cost

$$$$$

.NET 4.5 Integrations

(3)

Integration information sourced from real user reviews.

.NET 4.5 Reviews FAQs

Generated using AI

Last updated: Nov 01, 2026

What is .NET 4.5, and what problem is it built to solve?

.NET 4.5 is a development framework used to build Windows desktop, web, and backend applications. It helps teams create and maintain business applications, including existing Windows-based systems.

What company sizes and industries is .NET 4.5 the best fit for?

The clearest fit is across small, mid-market, and enterprise teams, with strong representation in software and IT-related industries.

Company size: Small businesses, mid-market organizations, and enterprises.
Industry: Information technology and services, and computer software.
Other represented industries: Consulting and telecommunications.

What customer support options does .NET 4.5 provide, and how do users find the overall support experience?

Support experiences are mixed but useful for teams that can draw on documentation and community resources. Users value those resources, while setup, knowledge transfer, and troubleshooting can take effort.

What features or capabilities could make .NET 4.5 even more useful?

.NET 4.5 could be more useful with better portability and smoother compatibility when updating existing applications. Those improvements would help teams work across more environments and reduce migration friction.

Broader platform support: Improve cross-platform development and deployment beyond Windows.
More dependable upgrades: Reduce compatibility problems with older applications, APIs, and third-party libraries.

G2 reviews are authentic and verified.

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Ashfhaq S.

Senior Consultant

Consulting

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5/1/2026

"Handy Built-In Zip Compression, but Cross-Platform Support Falls Short"

3.5/5

What do you like best about .NET 4.5?

The built-in Zip compression in System.IO.Compression reduced dependence on external third-party libraries. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about .NET 4.5?

It lacks cross-platform capabilities, restricting use to Windows, in contrast to .NET Core's compatibility with Linux and macOS. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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Vanshul C.

Technology Head

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

1/25/2026

"Async Code Made Easy, with Better Performance and Garbage Collection"

4.5/5

What do you like best about .NET 4.5?

Best use case : Async code. Earlier it was very difficult to wite async and wait calls. There are various improvements in garbage collection too making it more performant. Websocket support is added making it a more holistiic language for APIs Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about .NET 4.5?

Its still windows only language making it less appealing to users. Also with new featured coming in, the framework is heavy Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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Arshiya R.

Personal Assistant

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

1/29/2026

"Great for Networking: Faster Startup and Smoother Execution"

5/5

What do you like best about .NET 4.5?

It’s great for networking, with faster startup and smoother execution. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about .NET 4.5?

I really am not able to think of any flaws of the application. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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Arshiya A.

HR Manager

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

1/29/2026

"Best-in-Class Security with Advanced Web Capabilities"

5/5

What do you like best about .NET 4.5?

Security features are the best with advanced web capabilities. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about .NET 4.5?

Everything is just so perfect, like everything about it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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Melissa G.

sales consultant

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

1/21/2026

"Excellent Performance, Stable and Easy Coding with Strong Microsoft Support"

5/5

What do you like best about .NET 4.5?

Excellent performance, the ease of coding/debugging, stability, strong Microsoft support/direction Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about .NET 4.5?

Limited cross-platform compatibility, less intuitive Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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Rajesh D.

Staff Engineer

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

10/14/2025

".NET 4.5: SMOOTH ASYNC, , SOME BUMPS TOO"

4/5

What do you like best about .NET 4.5?

I really like the async and await features - they make writing asynchronous code much easier. The build -in zip compression is super handy for handling files. Also, the improved garbage collection helps apps run smoother and faster Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about .NET 4.5?

It still lacks full support for cross-platform development. Some older libraries and APIs are deprecated or limited. Also, debugging aync code can be tricky at times Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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Monalisha S.

Analyst

Information Technology and Services

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

1/21/2026

"Enhanced HTML Support and Stronger Security"

4/5

What do you like best about .NET 4.5?

It has enhanced features like better HTML support and better security. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about .NET 4.5?

So far, I haven’t noticed any major downsides. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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Mallika G.

Workforce Transformation

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

10/26/2025

"Async/Await Boosts Productivity, But Cross-Platform Support Still Lags"

4/5

What do you like best about .NET 4.5?

I like .NET 4.5 for its improved performance and the introduction of async/await, which made asynchronous programming much simpler and more efficient. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about .NET 4.5?

I dislike that .NET 4.5 still had limited cross-platform support and relied heavily on the Windows ecosystem, making deployment less flexible compared to newer .NET versions. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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Tomasz J.

Senior .NET Developer

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

12/19/2023

"Old, but still used in many projects"

0.5/5

What do you like best about .NET 4.5?

For years I had to maintain and develop solutions built in .NET 3.5. So when I was able to switch to .NET 4 and .NET 4.5 I did it for almost every project. Now I still use .NET 4.5 in legacy projects, but as it is end of its life for many years Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about .NET 4.5?

The worst part is that it is end of life from 2016. Now the preferred framework is .NET 8 or at least .NET Framework 4.8 Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is .NET 4.5 solving and how is that benefiting you?

It all depends on the client's requirements. The biggest problem I was able to solve with .NET 4.5 was multi-system authentication. I had to build an application (proxy) that transferred files between multiple systems. Each system had a custom security policy, one based on Linux, one on Active Directory. Each user had read/write or only read or only write permissions. The entire solution was based on streams so it was very efficient. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite

Charita M.

Data Engineer

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

1/25/2024

"Review of .Net 4.5"

5/5

What do you like best about .NET 4.5?

.NET 4.5 introduced several improvements and features, such as asynchronous programming with the `async` and `await` keywords, enhancements in ASP.NET, and improvements in the Entity Framework. These additions aimed to make development more efficient and improve performance. Keep in mind that newer versions of .NET may have been released since then, so it's advisable to check the latest documentation for the most up-to-date information. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about .NET 4.5?

.NET 4.5 is a robust framework, but some developers found the learning curve for asynchronous programming challenging. Additionally, the initial lack of support for some modern language features led to certain limitations. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.