When you hear about desktop application development in 2025, you might think of modern frameworks like .NET MAUI, WPF, or cross-platform solutions like Electron and Flutter. But surprisingly, C# Windows Forms (WinForms) is still alive and kicking. In fact, for certain projects and scenarios, it remains a solid choice. Here’s why I believe WinForms continues to be relevant, even in 2025.
Advantages of C# WinForms
Mature and Stable Framework
WinForms has been around since .NET Framework 1.0, and over the years, it has become a tried-and-tested technology. Many businesses have legacy applications built with WinForms that require ongoing maintenance and updates. Its stability and reliability make it a safe bet for long-term projects.
Rapid Development
WinForms excels in rapid application development (RAD). Its drag-and-drop designer in Visual Studio allows developers to quickly create user interfaces with minimal effort. This can be especially useful for internal tools, prototypes, and small-to-medium-sized applications where time-to-market is critical.
Wide Range of Libraries and Components
Frameworks like Telerik UI for WinForms (160+ WinForms Controls in a Complete UI Toolbox – Telerik UI), DevExpress, and others provide robust, feature-rich components that enhance WinForms applications. These libraries are actively developed, ensuring modern features like theming, data visualization, and responsive design. They help WinForms keep pace with evolving user expectations.
Integration with the .NET Ecosystem
WinForms applications can easily integrate with modern .NET technologies, such as ASP.NET web services, Entity Framework, and even cloud platforms like Azure. With .NET 6 and .NET 8 providing long-term support, WinForms can benefit from ongoing performance improvements and language enhancements.
Low Learning Curve
For developers who are new to desktop application development, WinForms offers a gentle learning curve. Its simplicity and straightforward event-driven programming model make it easy to pick up, even for those without extensive experience in desktop programming.
Backward Compatibility
Businesses with existing WinForms applications often prefer to maintain and enhance those systems rather than rewriting them from scratch. WinForms’ backward compatibility ensures that older applications continue to function on modern versions of Windows and .NET.
Disadvantages of C# WinForms
Limited Cross-Platform Support
WinForms is designed specifically for Windows. Unlike frameworks like .NET MAUI or Electron, which support macOS, Linux, and Windows, WinForms applications are confined to the Windows ecosystem. This limitation makes it unsuitable for projects targeting multiple platforms.
Aging UI Technology
Despite improvements through component libraries, WinForms still lacks the advanced UI capabilities of newer frameworks like WPF or UWP. Developers may find it difficult to create highly modern, fluid, or animated user interfaces without relying heavily on third-party tools.
Outdated Design Paradigms
WinForms follows an older design paradigm focused on event-driven programming and tightly coupled UI logic. Modern application development often emphasizes patterns like MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel), which are easier to implement in WPF and other newer frameworks.
Performance Limitations for Complex UIs
WinForms can struggle with performance when handling highly complex or data-intensive user interfaces. For applications requiring advanced graphics, animations, or real-time data processing, other frameworks may provide better performance and scalability.
Telerik WinForms
Telerik UI for WinForms is a comprehensive suite of over 160 UI controls designed to enhance the development of Windows Forms applications. These controls facilitate the creation of modern, high-performance applications with rich user experiences.
Key Features:
- Extensive Control Library: The suite offers a wide range of controls, including GridView, Chart, Scheduler, and ListView, enabling developers to meet diverse application requirements.
- Modern Themes: Telerik UI for WinForms provides various themes, such as Fluent, Material, and Office-inspired designs, allowing applications to have a contemporary and professional appearance.
- High DPI Support: The controls are optimized for high-DPI settings, ensuring that applications render correctly on high-resolution displays without scaling issues.
- Document Processing: Built-in libraries enable processing of common text, spreadsheet, and PDF file formats without external dependencies, streamlining document management within applications.
- Accessibility Compliance: The suite adheres to accessibility standards, including MSAA and Section 508, ensuring that applications are usable by individuals with disabilities.
Advantages:
- Rapid Development: The extensive set of controls and design-time support in Visual Studio accelerates the development process, allowing for quicker time-to-market.
- Consistent API: A uniform and intuitive API across all controls simplifies learning and implementation, reducing the development effort.
- Active Community and Support: Developers benefit from comprehensive documentation, sample applications, and responsive technical support, facilitating problem-solving and knowledge sharing.
Considerations:
- Licensing Costs: While Telerik UI for WinForms offers robust features, it is a commercial product, and licensing costs may be a consideration for some projects.
- Learning Curve: For developers new to the Telerik ecosystem, there may be an initial learning curve to fully leverage the suite’s capabilities.
In summary, Telerik UI for WinForms remains a valuable tool in 2025 for developers aiming to create feature-rich, modern Windows Forms applications efficiently. Its comprehensive control set, modern theming options, and strong support infrastructure make it a compelling choice for enterprise-level development.
DevExpress
DevExpress offers a comprehensive suite of over 190 UI controls and libraries for Windows Forms application development. These controls are designed to enhance the functionality and appearance of applications, providing developers with tools to create feature-rich and visually appealing user interfaces.
Key Features:
- Data Management: The suite includes powerful data-centric controls such as the Data Grid, Pivot Grid, and Tree List, enabling efficient data display, analysis, and manipulation.
- Office-Inspired Components: Developers can integrate Office-like features into their applications using controls like the Ribbon, Rich Text Editor, and Spreadsheet, providing users with a familiar and intuitive experience.
- Data Visualization: A variety of visualization tools, including Charts, Gauges, and Maps, allow for the creation of interactive and informative dashboards.
- Performance Optimization: With DirectX hardware acceleration, these controls offer improved rendering performance and support for high-DPI settings, ensuring applications run smoothly on modern displays.
- Theming and Customization: Over 50 customizable themes are available, enabling developers to tailor the application’s look and feel to match specific branding or user preferences. citeturn0search0
Advantages:
- Comprehensive Control Set: The extensive range of controls reduces the need for third-party components, streamlining development and maintenance.
- Consistent API: A uniform API across controls simplifies the learning curve and enhances developer productivity.
- Active Development and Support: Regular updates and a responsive support team ensure that developers have access to the latest features and assistance when needed.
Considerations:
- Licensing Costs: As a commercial product, licensing fees may be a factor for some projects, especially smaller ones.
- Learning Curve: The breadth of features and customization options may require time for developers to fully master.
In summary, DevExpress’s WinForms suite remains a robust and versatile option for developers aiming to build modern, high-performance Windows Forms applications. Its rich set of controls and features can significantly enhance the development process and end-user experience.
Material Skin for WinForms
Material Skin for WinForms is a lightweight, open-source library designed to give Windows Forms applications a modern, Material Design-inspired look. It provides essential components such as buttons, labels, text boxes, and tab controls styled with Google’s Material Design principles. The library is easy to integrate, making it a popular choice for developers looking to quickly modernize their WinForms UI.
You can explore and download the Material Skin for WinForms library from its GitHub repository here.
Key Features:
- Material Design Styling: Provides a sleek, contemporary look with shadows, animations, and modern fonts.
- Simplified Integration: Developers can easily apply the Material Skin theme with minimal setup and customization.
- Open-Source and Community-Driven: The project is maintained by a community of contributors, making it accessible to all developers without licensing costs.
Advantages:
- Quick UI Refresh: Ideal for projects that need a fast and easy visual update without major code changes.
- Free and Open-Source: No licensing fees or commercial restrictions.
- Active Community: Regular updates and contributions from developers around the world.
Considerations:
- Limited Control Set: Unlike comprehensive suites like Telerik UI for WinForms and DevExpress, Material Skin lacks advanced controls such as data grids, charts, and document processing tools.
- Customization Constraints: While the library supports basic theming, it may not provide the same depth of customization and theming options as premium solutions.
In summary, Material Skin for WinForms is a great option for smaller projects or for developers who need a free and easy way to modernize their application’s UI. However, for more extensive functionality and enterprise-level features, Telerik or DevExpress may be better suited.
Why WinForms Still Matters
Despite its drawbacks, C# WinForms remains a viable option in many scenarios. Businesses that prioritize quick development cycles, compatibility with legacy systems, and a stable development environment continue to choose WinForms. Additionally, with frameworks like Telerik and DevExpress actively enhancing WinForms, developers have access to modern components and features without abandoning their existing codebases.
In an era of constant innovation, there’s something comforting about a toolset that just works. For many developers and organizations, C# WinForms is precisely that—a dependable solution that continues to deliver results. So, while it may not be the flashiest option on the market, it’s far from obsolete.
In 2025, C# WinForms is not dead—it’s evolving.