Essential Studio

Pros

Export to excel and pdf from datagrid and datagrid and sorting

Cons

Can't think of anything but hoping they will do adding unbound data to datagrid as promised soon and have full functionality to net 8.0 when visual studio for Windows has that in a stable version

Pros

I am using the Syncfusion WPF and Xamarin components.
Those components make my application look great.
Xamarin has well-written documentation and also their support is very helpful.

Cons

I don't have anything negative about the Essential Studio so far.

Pros

The support team is quite good. Its easy to get started with it.

Cons

I only use the Blazor components. It feels like little more than a generic components library. The charting library is very limited and buggy, specially tooltips.

Pros

The package includes all the components that we would use for all of our products.

Cons

I do not like the installed product explorer; my preference is to use the website.

Pros

In general controls are easy to use (esp. implementing basic use cases). I could have managed to write two applications based on Syncfusion exclusively. There was no need to tweak css that much. These applications contain almost only Syncfusion markup (only one exception but to be honest use case extremely complicated). Well done!

Cons

This package is not very beginner friendly. Deep customization can be time consuming and requires specific knowledge but on the other hands IT market does not tolerate beginners almost at all. Probably ideal solution does not exist. I have never been stuck by anything. So no real reason to complain :-)

Pros

Extensive and well documented set of components, with online demo and a startup-friendly policy license that lets you pay as you grow.

Cons

License check is intrusive, it has happened that after an upgrade, the secrets vault containing the license has been forget with the old value, resulting in a big advice that make the application totally unusable. While I understand the importance of that check I also believe that it could be a bit more discrete.

Pros

Well and consistently structured. Examples work as shown. Great and prompt support

Cons

Nothing really. Consistently good product

Pros

easy to use, and nice UI

Cons

some features are missing in the Scheduler.

Pros

The variety of components that can be used and the quick and helpful customer support.

Cons

There are sometimes problems using the components inside a Capacitor Container on native devices with iOS, but the customer support is usually able to fix the issues quite timely.

Pros

The flexibility of the tools.
The support.
The possibilities.
The support of SMEs

Cons

Support migrating the code to small-scale controllers.

Pros

The possibility to start with the community edition when you are starting as a developer and need professional tools.
The fact that each of the huge possible frameworks in the .net universe have a lot of controls and in all technologies you can expect the same features and 99 times on 100 you have them or if something is not there it will be in the near future
An outstanding customer service that helps both with How To questions and with real problems and never fails to fix a bug if you find one.

Cons

In Essential Studio, for my use of the components there is really nothing I dislike.

Pros

Tools are fairly intuitive.
The Syncfusion team is very responsive on helping with features and behavior that are more complex, and are open to bringing feature updates online in a timely manner. When behaviors in tools are unexpected and considered bugs, they get fixed quickly.

Cons

I could not find diagrams in terms of the event stack for components. It would be very helpful if the event stack were diagrammed in the documentation. The Chart events take some getting used to. The ChartClick event is always executed (even when the Legend is clicked), which is OK, but it is not clear on when that event happens without trial/error. In example: the ChartClick is executed before OnAxisLabelClick, but after the OnEndZoom, unless you click the Pan option. It can be confusion.
It would be a nice to see that stack visually. (maybe I just havent found it yet?)

Pros

Lots of components all under one "umbrella" and the majority of the time, they just work

Cons

The documentation is not always the best

Pros

Syncfusion Essential Studio offers us a suite of software components that streamlines the development process for our ASP.NET Core and Blazor applications.

It has an array of components tailored specifically for ASP.NET Core and Blazor such as data grids, charts, forms, or UI controls etc. It provides a comprehensive library that covers virtually every possible requirement for modern web applications. This selection allows for a high degree of flexibility and creativity in our application development.

Cons

The update process can sometimes introduce breaking changes, particularly with Blazor components.

We have encountered instances where frequent updates for Blazor have led to compatibility issues, requiring additional time and effort to resolve.

Pros

We love their data grid with Microsoft Excel-like filters, sorting, etc. Saves me much time writing code. They also have ability to export the grid to Excel for further processing, which my users love.

Also use their PDF and Excel file creation software, which is super easy to use from various data sources.

The big pro is that when I have experienced issues or had questions and could not find an answer online, their support has been very responsive and helpful, providing samples and troubleshooting issues.

Cons

While the PDF file creation is powerful and fully featured, I don't feel it quite has the features needed for quick development. I mostly use it for modifying existing PDFs and use another piece of software for PDF creation.

Pros

It offers flexible solutions for majority of programming issues.

Cons

After upgrades, there are a few minor bugs.

Pros

We use Essential Studio to develop our software solutions, both for Windows desktop (WinUI) and for iOS/Android (Maui). The components cover the majority of frameworks using almost the same styles and API. The support team is very collaborative and quick solving the problems.

Cons

Some newer frameworks are less supported/debugged than others.

Pros

The best coverage of UI components. You can find any thing you need.

Cons

It is too general for some rhe jobs. And needs a lot of effort to develop your specific need. Dont forget using EJS make it possible and without this Library almost hard to focus on your business case.

Pros

The large number of components and a good support team

Cons

- the quality of the components - often they have problems
- often installing a new release there are problems on existing componets
- lach of documentation
- responsivity of vomponents used in web applications to improve
- migration of application from E1 to E2 very difficult and expensive in terms of time

Pros

I like how the chart/graph are configurable, the documentation is good and also syncfusion provide support. The are open to fix big and release new versions!

Cons

In some cases the documentation is not enough also could be with an example the part of the api documentation.
I found some bugs in a export and other functionality.

Pros

The .net 8 controls for MAUI and Blazor.

Cons

The .net 8 Maui/Blazor Hybrid export to pdf code in the documentation doesn't work as expected.

Pros

The produce offers a lot of components and suit pretty much all needs an we use heavily use a lot of the them. Overall it is a good product.
The customer support is very good and very responsive and the turn around time is good.

Cons

As a heavy user of the many different components we frequently encounter bugs with the components, so we spend a lot of additional time having to build samples to reproduce the issues. On various occasions we are unable to upgrade to the latest version of the components to benefit form bug fixes due to a "new" bugs in the new version. We will upgrade, everything will work, and then all of a sudden we have to roll back.

Pros

It is great to have a lot of components, highly customisable and with many features. It makes it easy to build applications using components like this is a Lego game.

Cons

Too much cases where you need workarounds/tricks to make some components work the way we need instead of considering and integrating some as new features.

Pros

All the controls, continuous improvement and development

Cons

Nothing to report at the moment. Nothing to report

Pros

I find the controls and properties are simple to use, the customer support is knowledgeable and helpful, love that they offer a community license, solid releases and quick to fold in fixes when applicable.

Cons

I haven’t drilled down into the reporting capabilities so I’ll mark that down as liking the least.

Pros

supporting different programing languages, and offering many components (Graph, Grid, Text editor,...)

Cons

The license management and making the agreement, also getting a lot of email which should have not ended up on my table as a customer.

It took almost 4 months to sort out the license, and an assigned and authorized developer was not able to get help due to license management issue. In our side (using https://www.syncfusion.com/account/portal ) it shows that the developer has a license, but at syncfusion side it doesn't which led into so many emails and meeting to sort it out, and the developer being late with delivery as he could not get the needed support.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Essential Studio

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Essential Studio

Pros

Syncfusion Essential Studio has been a great addition to our development toolkit. It offers a comprehensive range of UI components, which has significantly reduced our development time for .NET and JavaScript-based projects. The quality of controls like data grids, charts, and reports is impressive, making it easier to build professional-grade applications. The community license is a bonus, providing access to high-quality tools at a reasonable cost.

Cons

The extensive selection of components can be a bit overwhelming initially, especially for new developers exploring the library. While the documentation is thorough, having more real-world examples would help accelerate the learning curve. The support team is responsive, which helps to overcome these challenges, but there’s still room for improvement in the availability of practical guides.

Pros

I've been using the Syncfusion MAUI controls for an app I've been building for three years. In addition to the great functionality (which you can read about on the website), the support has been amazing - they get back, often within 24h, with either an answer, or a bug fix that is usually released within a week or two (patch provided in the meantime). In particular from my perspective, they offer a free Community Version for businesses under $1m in revenue, seemingly with the same/similar support levels as paid versions.

Cons

Not a lot. There are quite a few code changes between the Xaml and MAUI versions, but mostly these are for a good reason, well documented and just requires care and attention in making the relevant updates.

Pros

As a long-time user of Syncfusion (since .NET 1.1 about 20 years ago), the consistency and availability of the platform has been key in delivering equipment in the mining industry. I've seen many tech stacks come and go in that time, and I've been able to operate essentially the same code-base the entire time, upgrading the .NET versions and the Syncfusion libraries with virtually no breaking changes. I've used Syncfusion in various side projects with WPF, UWP, etc and others in our company have used the React.js components, the commonality between the platforms helps reduce the learning curve when changing platforms.

Cons

The licensing structure. I started as a single developer in a very small company with the product and it was very cost effective. When we sold to a larger company, I continued with the single seat until we added other devs and eventually had a global license (which is definitely cost effective for a team). Since we had a corporate restructuring, that global license is now back to basically a single dev license which we pay the same price as the previous global license. Their latest license structure is cost-prohibitive for a single developer seat. There are a few components I find

Pros

The suite of tools is extensive and well documented. If there is something you are trying to do the chances are that Syncfusion has a tool for that as well as ample examples of how to use it.

Cons

Some of the controls have some quirks, but even when a tool has a bug Syncfusion is quick to correct the issue once demonstrated.

Pros

I've been using Syncfusion tools for various development projects, and I must say, they are incredibly good. Here’s why I highly recommend them:

Exceptional Features:

Comprehensive Component Library: Syncfusion offers a vast library of components for different frameworks like Angular, React, Vue, and ASP.NET. This variety makes it a one-stop shop for all my UI needs.

High-Quality UI Controls: The UI controls are top-notch in terms of design and functionality. They integrate seamlessly into my projects and offer a polished, professional look.

Rich Documentation: The detailed documentation and numerous examples have been a lifesaver. Whenever I’ve encountered an issue, the resources available have helped me resolve it quickly.

Excellent Performance: The components are not only feature-rich but also optimized for performance. Even with complex data and interactions, the applications run smoothly.

Outstanding Support: The customer support team is responsive and knowledgeable. Whenever I’ve had questions or needed assistance, they’ve been quick to provide effective solutions.

User Experience:

Easy to Use: The intuitive APIs and well-structured documentation make using Syncfusion tools straightforward, even for more complex tasks. This ease of use has significantly sped up my development process.

Consistent Updates: Syncfusion regularly updates their tools with new features and improvements, ensuring that I’m always working with the latest and greatest technology.

Cross-Platform Compatibility: The tools work seamlessly across different platforms and devices, which is crucial for creating responsive and accessible applications.

Conclusion:

Overall, my experience with Syncfusion tools has been overwhelmingly positive. They provide a comprehensive, high-quality, and efficient solution for all my development needs. Whether you’re building simple applications or complex enterprise solutions, Syncfusion tools are an excellent choice. I highly recommend them to any developer looking for reliable and powerful UI components.

Cons

There were a few shortcomings I initially noticed, but honestly, the tools are so flexible that with some time spent on them, they become very effective. Plus, the support was great.

Pros

Support is excellent. If you are say trying to get a line break in a Header for a grid column in Blazor then support will send back the code fragment highlighted in yellow that performs that function. Many times, they send back a full Visual Studio project that you can compile/run/test/modify.

For Community license, Support takes 1 to 2 biz days to respond. They have a chat function for smaller less involved issues.

Amazing! Also, unlike other support provided by Microsoft and other vendors, Syncfusion support engineers are fully fluent in English.

And the quality of the toolset is high and very useful both for GUI (Excellent Data Grid) and tools that export/read Microsoft Excel etc. files.

Cons

Documentation covers major functions but so many features in tools that you will occasionally need to contact support for questions. This can cause a delay of 1 to 2 biz days so just be prepared for this contigency.

Pros

I really enjoy using Essential Studio because it allows me to focus more on backend development while providing ready-to-use frontend components. The learning curve for using the components is minimal, and the comprehensive documentation makes it easy to get started. Additionally, the components are regularly updated to stay in line with evolving .NET versions, which I find highly beneficial. I also appreciate the license granted, which further enhances the experience.

Cons

So far, the Syncfusion collapsible sidebar doesn't seem to work in Blazor WebAssembly Core.In fact l have never managed to make even the basic sidebar to work. Despite trying multiple times, the provided samples did not work in my scenario. I would really like to use the sidebar in my projects if the issue I'm facing can be resolved.

Pros

It is a very powerful component suite. I'm using the Blazor components for a new application, here I learned also Blazor and web programming from scratch and I was successful.
I'm also using the "Community License" that I could obtain for free!

Cons

Sometimes the behavior of the components is not clear and the debugging is not easy. I would like to have the component source code in order to see what's inside the components and execute step by step, but I know that I cannot pretend them with the free "Community License" :-).
I found also some bugs (that were fixed by the support team after I report them) and the source code could be helpful...

Pros

Lots of components with a lot of functionality build in.

Cons

At least for Vue, it is not Vue and the documentation is quite bad!

For the documentation I couldn't find how to modify the examples to create the result I wanted. I went to the documentation and i could see it used some options but no reference for them or what it was. For some reason it seemed like I had to know everything else beforehand. I ended up googling the terms and following google results to find how to perform some simple changes.

Then the components themself! Syncfusion is a Javascript framework that they tried to adapt it for Vue, but it doesn't follow the Vue principles and methodology. We have to adapt to syncfusion and forget about Vue!
At least for my experience and what I found for the limited time I worked with it.

Pros

Polished and highly customizable controls spanning several platforms, ease of use, great documentation, continued improvement and great customer support.

Cons

Apart from the recent licensing changes, can't think of any, and even then the sales team worked hard with us to make the transition less challenging.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Essential Studio

Pros

Very professional, yet accessible, I am impressed on how easy is to contact the company

Cons

As all tool sets there are things that you would like to be included too

Pros

I believe Syncfusion was the first company to offer a version that could be used until the company made $1 million. Most companies never reached that mark. Syncfusion provides new companies with the same support received by large corporations. Syncfusion has not yet received a dime, and I will happily pay whatever the cost is when the product starts generating income. Also, I have seen third-party tool kits come and go. Syncfusion is here for the “long haul”.

For me, the thing that sets Syncfusion apart from any other company is the support. I can honestly say that I have received the best I have ever experienced. My earliest experiences with support were because of my lack of C# knowledge. At the beginning of the project, I had experience with every major language except C#. But having the Windows, backend, and mobile apps written in different languages added a complexity that made it unbearable to work with. C# (and .net) was available through all the required. Some of my initial support requests were because I misunderstood the C# language concerning the tools.

However, I was using some tools in a way they weren’t meant to be used. I also did this with AWS and AWS support (which I paid for) argued that no one would do what I was doing and they won’t support it. I had to show them their documentation which proved what I was doing should work. They did fix it. Syncfusion support just requested a code sample and saw that although I was doing it something unconventional, it should work. And they fixed the code ! They fix the code for me in two or three different places. They even provided me custom patched code before an actual tested release.

Cons

I have not experienced any cons. All support expectations were met. Development continues etc.

Pros

The product has a lot of features, and expands all the time. The team seams to listen to the feedback and adds requested features. As an example, I used a side bar component that had hide and show mode, but I wanted to have hide, show and maximize, a three steps. 6 month later, in an update, this feature was added.

The support is quick and often give you a code example that you can copy from.

Cons

Some features are not, "native" standard, or using the standard of the techology, but using thier own standard. It is handy if you change techology, but could be hard to get in to if you going from a standard component to a Sycfusion.

Also, as there are a lot of new features added, the documentation is not always there, so you often need to lean on the support to give you an example how to use a feature rather than using the documentation; so the published issues and examples are often more useful than the documenation except to get the basis.

Pros

The product contains a number of incredibly helpful tools that allow us to be productive and deliver high quality solutions to our customers. The customer service is fantastic as well when needed.

Cons

Documentation is good, but often times we find it a bit harder to "find" the content that we need so we end up contacting support. However, many are on-time learning items.

Pros

The vast collection of development components across various platforms is impressive. The components are highly customizable, easy to integrate, and well-documented. They significantly reduce development time by offering pre-built, robust functionalities like charts, grids, and UI controls. The support for both web and desktop applications is particularly helpful for cross-platform development.

Cons

Although the components are powerful, some of the more advanced features require a steep learning curve. More comprehensive example projects for specific complex integrations would be useful for developers.

Pros

What I liked most about **Essential Studio** is its wide range of high-performance, customizable components, which make development faster and more efficient. The excellent documentation and cross-platform support are also major pluses.

Cons

The one downside of **Essential Studio** is that some components can have a steep learning curve due to their complexity. Additionally, integrating certain features may require more time and effort compared to simpler libraries.

Pros

The sheer level of component coverage provided by the suite. The excellent documentation is backed by outstanding support.

Cons

Not much to dislike. Syncfusion provides good product backed by good support and good documentation.

Pros

It seemed initially like a good price/value tradeoff, but see below.

Cons

We are only interested in generating Office documents. After we started using their products and were committed (e.g. cost of switching away was high) they jacked up the price of what we were using by 3x.

Also our primary use case is generating PPTX files and, unlike their PDX/XLSX file format libraries, which work well, the PPTX library is full of feature gaps and strange edge case.

Pros

the most comprehensive framework on the market, which comes with superlative support.
you can develop any kind of application focusing only on business logic using ready-made and highly customizable components.

Cons

The awesome support, essential for not stopping your work. Sometimes in the framework you may find some bugs, which promptly the support solves within a short time. Also if you have any problem on using the framework with a ticket request you solve

Pros

They provide a lot of demo and they have a great support.

Cons

Sometime some feature are taking long before being deploy with there version.

Pros

The product has a lot of components and a lot of customizations. at first it costs a little to use, but support is excelent. It is the reason why I prefer this product to another.

Excel, doc and pdf library are fantastic!

Cons

Some components, pdf viewer, file explorer are complicated to use, so I use other components

Pros

The amount of controls and the number of frameworks supported is crazy good.
It's a challenge to get an overview, but the superb demo pages which show almost every aspect of the control usage options are a great starting point.
The BEST thing however comes if you have a problem that you cannot solve alone of with the docs. The support staff does an excellent job, reviews what you try to do and delivers a sandbox that does what you try to do in your framework. I never have seen such a dedication to the customer!

Cons

I really have trouble thinking about what I least like about this software.
Money for value is excellent, an amazing amount of controls and frameworks, an awesome support staff. I really cannot think of anything not to like about Essential studio.

Pros

The Essential Studio is a full featured complex package. It would really hard to name something that I cannot do with it.

Cons

Sometimes it can be challenging to understand how to correctly link client code to server code. But no problem, Syncfusion support is always here to help. I love them :)

Pros

The Blazor component suite offered is a host of fully feature components that significantly sped up our entry into a green field hosted Blazor Webassembly application

Cons

Some feedback from developers mentioned in some case to much configuration of components in 'magical strings'