Price Comparison of .NET Code Generators

Here is a  of . In order to compare these .net code generators, I installed all of the windows based applications on my machine to see how each one worked.

.net code generators, price comparison, vb.net, asp.netIn my opinion, the “hands-down” winner is Agile Platform, but it is expensive. There is a free trial version that is a must-see if you want to know what the best looks like.

It seems like all of the .net code generators I reviewed are lacking in one thing or another, but by taking a combined approach you may be able to get almost everything you need.

Code Generators typically take one of three approaches:

  1. Bottoms-Up Approach – Allows one to define the fields involved in the application by starting with the database
  2. Top-Down Approach – Allows one to define the fields involved in the application by defining them in the user interface
  3. Template Approach – is where you just start with some static code and add variables and directives to the static code to generate output source code.

Most code generators create an editable gridview for each table involved. The more sophisticated ones add other features like membership authentication,charting, e-mail, web services, various deployment platforms, and so on.

Some code generators require that you use their proprietary software to make customizations to the application while others allow you to use the code generator to jump start a project. This latter approach allows you to customize the generated VB.NET or C# code directly in Visual Studio.

Most code generators require a learning curve to get started and some are a lot more intuitive than others.

If you know of any good .NET Code Generators that I missed, please let me know so I can add them to the list.

.NET Code Generators Cost Comparison Chart

Application Description Overview Video More Videos Tour Free Version Price
Agile Platform
  • Best user interface;
  • Very intuitive
  • Allows you to deploy right to the cloud
Overview Video More Videos Tour Run applications in Data Center:

  • Free – one person
  • Small IT – starts at $200/month ($2,400 to $43,800 annually)
  • Enterprise – call for rates

In the cloud:

  • $200 – month for one person;
  • starts at $400 per month for small IT shops ($4,800 to $57,000 annually)
  • Enterprise – call for rates

ASPRunner.net
  • Select Tables
  • Creates Editable Gridviews
Overview Video More Videos Tour 21-Day Free Trial $399
CodeGenerator360
  • Tool extracts schema of DB
  • generates C# DAL and stored procedures
  • Web-based
N/A N/A Tour Totally Free Totally Free
CodeOnTime
  • very nice
  • Similar to Iron Speed
Overview Video More Videos Tour Free with limited features Starts at $349/year
CodeSmith Generator
  • Template Approach
  • Text Templates with Variables and Directives
  • Net Tiers creates Editable Gridviews
  • Can be used with any programming language where templates make sense
  • Creates sql stored procedures
Overview Video N/A Tour 30-Day Free Trial Starts at $299
IdealAutomate
  • Good at creating input forms for  HTML E-mail Templates, surveys, quizes
  • Free Application Launcher
  • Suite of coding, debugging, and testing tools
Overview Video More Videos Tour Free with limited features

  • Free version
  • $10/month
  • $100/Lifetime

Iron Speed Designer
  • Select Page Style
  • Select Tables
  • Creates Editable Gridviews
Overview Video More Videos Tour Free with limited features

  • Free version
  • $195/month
  • $1,995 and up/Perpetual License

Microsoft LightSwitch
  • Build Lightswitch Apps
  • Select Tables
  • Creates Editable Gridviews
Overview Video More Videos Tour 90-Day Free Trial $299 on sale for $199