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Published November 19, 2021

A Comparison of IronXL and Aspose Cells

What is Aspose Cells?

Aspose.Cells for .NET is an Excel Spreadsheet Programming API to speed up spreadsheet management and processing tasks. API supports the building of cross-platform applications having the ability to generate, modify, convert, render and print spreadsheets. Moreover, it does not rely on Microsoft Excel or any Microsoft Office Interop components to be installed and instead offers a robust set of APIs that deal with all Excel formats, as well as CSV and SpreadsheetML formats.

By integrating API, developers can perform basic tasks such as managing multiple worksheets, creating spreadsheet contents and styles from scratch, importing data onto the worksheets from different data sources, adding common and complex mathematical, financial and text formulas, manipulating and editing charts, pictures and comments, drawing objects, and much more.

How do you use Aspose Cells?

Aspose.Cells for .NET is a spreadsheet programming library that allows software developers to manipulate and convert spreadsheet files from within their own applications. A combination of APIs and GUI controls, Aspose.Cells for .NET speeds up Microsoft Excel® programming and conversion. Aspose.Cells for .NET supports the popular spreadsheet Microsoft Excel XLS, XLSX, , XLSB, XLTX, XLTM, XLSM, XML OpenOffice ods text file formats that your business uses every day. It also allows for the exporting of Excel files to PDF, XPS, HTML, MHTML, Plain Text and popular image formats, including JPEG, PNG, BMP and SVG images.

What is Aspose Cells for .NET?

Aspose.Cells for .NET enables your .NET, C#, ASP.NET, and VB.NET applications to create, format, render, print and convert Microsoft Excel® and OpenDocument spreadsheets (XLS, XLSX, ODS, etc.) to various supported formats, without the need to install Microsoft Excel or any third party software. Its powerful formula-calculation engine supports various standard and advanced MS Excel® formulas/functions.

IronXL and Aspose Cells Compared When Working with Excel

Are you a developer looking for great Excel libraries to help you create awesome applications utilizing Excel, and to create Workbooks and Worksheets filled with relevant data and formatted according to your needs?

Well, in this article I will compare two very good Excel libraries:

• IronXL
• Aspose Cells

Let's get straight into it, shall we?

Aspose Cells and Excel

Aspose.Cells for .NET is a spreadsheet library that enables developers to manipulate and convert spreadsheet files from within their own applications. Aspose.Cells support all the popular spreadsheet file formats such as XLS, XLSX, XLSM, XLSB, XLTX, XLTM, CSV, SpreadsheetML, and ODS. Aspose.Cells also allow the exporting of Excel files to PDF, XPS, HTML, MHTML, Plain Text, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, SVG.

IronXL and Excel

IronXL from Iron Software features an easy API that developers can use to read, write and manipulate excel documents in .NET applications. One of the nice things about IronXL is that you can work with Excel without installing Microsoft Office Excel on your server or using Excel Interop. This makes working with Excel files in .NET very easy.

Common Library Features for the Aspose.Cells and IronXL Excel Libraries

The following table shows the common library features for IronXL and Aspose.Cells

Table 1 - Aspose.Cells and IronXL Excel Feature Support

Comparing IronXL and Aspose.Cells Excel Functionalities

The following table compares features from Aspose.Cells and IronXL.

Table 2 - Aspose.Cells and IronXL Excel Feature Comparison

Comparing Licenses and Pricing for the IronXL and Aspose.Cells Excel Libraries

The following table lists the available licensing options for IronXL.

Table 3 - IronXL and Aspose.Cells Licensing Comparisons

You can install both libraries by downloading them manually, NuGet, or the NuGet package Manager in Visual Studio. Here is a quick overview.

Aspose.Cells Installation

Downloading Aspose.Cells

To download Aspose.Cells, navigate to the following URL and click the Download button.

Figure 1 - Download Aspose.Cells

Installing Aspose.Cells with NuGet

To install Aspose.Cells through NuGet (and in case you haven’t noticed that the "Download" button above links you to the NuGet site), open the Visual Studio developer command prompt and enter the following:

Figure 2 - NuGet Aspose.Cells Installation

Visual Studio NuGet Package Manager and Aspose.Cells

Use the following steps to install Aspose.Cells via the NuGet Package Manager in Visual Studio:

• Right-click the project in the Solution Explorer
• Select Manage NuGet Packages
• Browse for the Aspose.Cells Package
• Click Install

Figure 3 - Visual Studio NuGet Package Manager and Aspose.Cells

IronXL Installation

Downloading IronXL

To download IronXL, navigate to the following URL and click the "Download" button.

Figure 4 - Download IronXL

Installing IronXL with NuGet

To install IronXL through NuGet, open the Visual Studio developer command prompt and enter the following:

Install-Package IronXL.Excel

Visual Studio NuGet Package Manager and IronXL

Use the following steps to install IronXL via the NuGet Package Manager in Visual Studio:

• Right-click the project in the Solution Explorer
• Select Manage NuGet Packages
• Browse for your Package
• Click "Install"

Figure 5 - Visual Studio NuGet Package Manager and IronXL

Create and save Excel files with Aspose.Cells and IronXL

Creating an Excel file with Aspose.Cells

The following code demonstrates how to create a new Excel file and save it with Aspose.Cells. Add the following code:

Include the necessary namespaces:

using Aspose.Cells;
using System;
using System.Windows.Forms; 

using Aspose.Cells;
using System;
using System.Windows.Forms; 

Imports Aspose.Cells
Imports System
Imports System.Windows.Forms

Because we have added the NuGet package for Aspose.Cells, we can now add its namespace so that we can work with it in Excel.

Add the next few lines:

    private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        var book = new Aspose.Cells.Workbook();
        var sheet = book.Worksheets[0];
        var cells = sheet.Cells;
        cells["A1"].Value = "Hello World from Aspose.Cells";
        book.Save("Aspose.Cells_Output.xlsx", SaveFormat.Xlsx);
    }

    private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        var book = new Aspose.Cells.Workbook();
        var sheet = book.Worksheets[0];
        var cells = sheet.Cells;
        cells["A1"].Value = "Hello World from Aspose.Cells";
        book.Save("Aspose.Cells_Output.xlsx", SaveFormat.Xlsx);
    }

Private Sub button1_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
		Dim book = New Aspose.Cells.Workbook()
		Dim sheet = book.Worksheets(0)
		Dim cells = sheet.Cells
		cells("A1").Value = "Hello World from Aspose.Cells"
		book.Save("Aspose.Cells_Output.xlsx", SaveFormat.Xlsx)
End Sub

The above code creates a new Aspose.Cells.Workbook object, and then it creates a Worksheet within the Workbook. It gets access to the Excel worksheets’ cells via its "cells" property, and then it finally writes a welcoming message in cell A1 of the first worksheet

Notice that in the file that was created, an extra Excel Worksheet named “Evaluation Warning” has been added containing the message shown below:

Figure 6 - Aspose.Cells Evaluation Copy Warning

As mentioned earlier in Table 4, the Free Evaluation License includes 100 Workbooks only.

Creating an Excel file with IronXL

The following code demonstrates how to create a new Excel file and save it with IronXL. Add the following code:

Include the namespace:

using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using IronXL;

using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using IronXL;

Imports System
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Windows.Forms
Imports IronXL

Notice the inclusion of the IronXL. This is necessary for IronXL to work. Add the next few lines:

    private void button2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        WorkBook workbook = WorkBook.Create(ExcelFileFormat.XLSX);
        var sheet = workbook.CreateWorkSheet("IronXL Worksheet");
        sheet["A1"].Value = "Hello World from IronXL;";
        workbook.SaveAs("IronXL_Output.xlsx");
    }

    private void button2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        WorkBook workbook = WorkBook.Create(ExcelFileFormat.XLSX);
        var sheet = workbook.CreateWorkSheet("IronXL Worksheet");
        sheet["A1"].Value = "Hello World from IronXL;";
        workbook.SaveAs("IronXL_Output.xlsx");
    }

Private Sub button2_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
		Dim workbook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Create(ExcelFileFormat.XLSX)
		Dim sheet = workbook.CreateWorkSheet("IronXL Worksheet")
		sheet("A1").Value = "Hello World from IronXL;"
		workbook.SaveAs("IronXL_Output.xlsx")
End Sub

In the above code, a Workbook object is created with the file format XLSX. This format can be changed. Then a Worksheet named “IronXL Worksheet” is created and a value of “Hello World from IronXL” is placed inside cell A1. Lastly, the Workbook gets saved as IronXL_Output.xlsx.

Both libraries are easy to use when creating workbooks and saving them, and as you can see, there is also not much difference in terms of code.

Let’s take it a step further.

Converting Excel files with Aspose.Cells and IronXL

Converting Excel Files to PDF and HTML with Aspose.Cells

Aspose.Cells for .NET is capable of converting spreadsheets to PDF, XPS & HTML formats while maintaining the highest visual fidelity. The conversion process is simple yet reliable, thus making API the perfect choice for organizations that need to exchange documents in any of the industry-standard formats. The following code demonstrates how to convert Excel Files to PDF and HTML via Aspose.Cells. Add the following code:

Include the necessary namespaces:

using Aspose.Cells;
using System;
using System.Windows.Forms; 

using Aspose.Cells;
using System;
using System.Windows.Forms; 

Imports Aspose.Cells
Imports System
Imports System.Windows.Forms

Add the next few lines:

    private void button3_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        var workbook = new Aspose.Cells.Workbook("Aspose.Cells_Output.xlsx");
        workbook.Save("Aspose.Cells_Output.pdf", Aspose.Cells.SaveFormat.Pdf);
        workbook.Save("Aspose.Cells_Output.html", Aspose.Cells.SaveFormat.Html);
    }

    private void button3_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        var workbook = new Aspose.Cells.Workbook("Aspose.Cells_Output.xlsx");
        workbook.Save("Aspose.Cells_Output.pdf", Aspose.Cells.SaveFormat.Pdf);
        workbook.Save("Aspose.Cells_Output.html", Aspose.Cells.SaveFormat.Html);
    }

Private Sub button3_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
		Dim workbook = New Aspose.Cells.Workbook("Aspose.Cells_Output.xlsx")
		workbook.Save("Aspose.Cells_Output.pdf", Aspose.Cells.SaveFormat.Pdf)
		workbook.Save("Aspose.Cells_Output.html", Aspose.Cells.SaveFormat.Html)
End Sub

Here, an existing Excel workbook gets loaded and exported to PDF and HTML formats. You will also notice the "Evaluation Warnings" in both formats.

Exporting an Excel file to an XML or a JSON file with IronXL

The following code demonstrates how to export an Excel file to an XML or a JSON file with IronXL. Add the following code:

Include the namespace:

using IronXL;

using IronXL;

Imports IronXL

Add the next few lines:

    private void button4_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        WorkBook workbook = WorkBook.Load("IronXL_Output.xlsx");
        workbook.SaveAsJson("IronXL_Output.json");
        workbook.SaveAsXml("IronXL_Output.xml");
    }

    private void button4_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        WorkBook workbook = WorkBook.Load("IronXL_Output.xlsx");
        workbook.SaveAsJson("IronXL_Output.json");
        workbook.SaveAsXml("IronXL_Output.xml");
    }

Private Sub button4_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
		Dim workbook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("IronXL_Output.xlsx")
		workbook.SaveAsJson("IronXL_Output.json")
		workbook.SaveAsXml("IronXL_Output.xml")
End Sub

Here, an existing Excel Workbook object is loaded and then exported to JSON and XML formats.

Downloads

This project is available on GitHub.

IronXL vs Aspose.Cells Example

Summary

IronXL is the perfect software for those looking to create and edit spreadsheets on their own, without relying heavily upon other programs like Excel or Google Docs which can be too time-consuming when you have lots of data that needs editing quickly!

IronXL integrates seamlessly across all platforms which means installation takes place once only - never again do our users need separate libraries or programs installed onto their devices. Overall, IronXL is the best choice for anyone looking for a powerful and easy-to-use Excel editing C# Library.

The Aspose.Cells library provides an extensive set of APIs for developers to create and manipulate all types of spreadsheets with ease, including charts! You can add comments or pictures in your spreadsheet cells while also converting them into images that are perfect on any platform.

IronXL has an unlimited package for developers, locations, and projects for just $5,999. It's also a one-time purchase so there are no additional fees or costs after your initial payment. IronXL also offers an OEM subscription for a very low cost of $3,999. On the other hand, Aspose cells don't offer any kind of purchases for unlimited developers and locations but they do have pay-per-user modules which cost almost 24k dollars yearly ($23,988).

Overall, IronXL is a much more convenient and easy-to-use dot NET API. It has easy and useful functions that make Excel document editing easier than ever before with one simple line of code. IronXL offers impressive freedom and flexibility, with the ability to edit data quickly without any headaches. Aspose.Cells are also a good library as it helps developers to work with charts and pictures in spreadsheets. IronXL is a cheaper option with a lot of options than Aspose.Cells as we’ve seen in the above paragraph. IronXL output quality is far better than Aspose.Cells. The developer needs to write simple and less code to use IronXL. You can purchase the suit of 7 Iron Software products for the price of 2. Grab the deal before it runs out!