A Comparison between IronXL and Spire XLS

2.1.1. Platforms

Spire.XLS for .NET allows developers to create ASP.NET, Web Services, WinForms, and other types of applications for any .NET Framework version from 2.0 to 4.5, .NET 5.0, .NET Core, .NET Standard, MonoAndroid, Xamarin, and iOS. It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

2.1.2. File Conversion

Spire.XLS enables users to convert Excel files to different formats and convert files in different forms to Excel files:

• Excel to Text
• Excel to Image
• Excel to PDF file
• Excel to HTML
• XML/CSV to Excel file
• Excel to XPS
• Excel to SVG

2.1.3. Contents and Features

Spire.XLS for .NET comes with many features to edit and manipulate Excel files, most notably:

• Creating and editing Excel workbooks.
• Saving Excel files to file streams.
• Finding and replacing data in Excel workbooks.
• Sorting and validating data.
• Printing files.
• Deleting, inserting, or hiding rows and columns.

2.1.4. Formatting Features

Spire.XLS for .NET provides complete programmatic access to all spreadsheet components and formatting attributes, such as font settings, number format settings, text alignment, graphic objects, and formatting worksheets, rows, columns, or a range of Excel cells.

2.1.5. Page Setup

Developers can configure Page Setup parameters using Spire.XLS for .NET:

• Set the print area and print titles, or enable gridlines.
• Add page breaks.
• Create or update image-based headers and/or footers.
• Change page direction, scale, and paper size.
• Set page centering and margins.

3.1. IronXL Features

5.1 Using the Visual Studio NuGet Package Manager

Visual Studio provides the NuGet Package Manager option to install packages directly to the solution. Here is how you can open the NuGet Package Manager:

Search for "IronXL" in the package manager to find and install the desired package:

Select IronXL and install the package to your solution.

5.2 Using the Visual Studio Command-Line

• In Visual Studio, go to Tools -> NuGet Package Manager -> Package Manager Console.

• Run the following command in the package manager console:

  Install-Package IronXL.Excel

The package will now download to the current project and be ready for use.

5.3 Direct Download from the NuGet Webpage

To download the NuGet package directly:

1. Navigate to https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronXL.Excel.
2. Select "Download Package" from the menu on the right.
3. Double-click the downloaded package to install it automatically.
4. Reload the solution and start using it in the project.

5.4 Direct Download from the IronXL Webpage

Download the latest package from IronXL's webpage here. After downloading:

1. Right-click on the project in the Solution Explorer.
2. Select "Add Reference" and browse to the downloaded reference location.
3. Click OK to add the reference.

6.1. Using the Visual Studio NuGet Package Manager

Following the process for IronXL, open the NuGet Package Manager and search for Spire.XLS:

Select the required package and install it.

6.2. Using the Visual Studio NuGet Package Console

1. In Visual Studio, go to Tools -> NuGet Package Manager -> Package Manager Console.

2. Run the following line in the console:

   Install-Package Spire.XLS -Version 12.3.8

   Install-Package Spire.XLS -Version 12.3.8

   SHELL

The package will be downloaded and installed in the current project.

6.3. Direct Download from the NuGet Website

To download Spire.XLS directly:

1. Navigate to https://www.nuget.org/packages/Spire.XLS/.
2. Select "Download Package" from the right-hand menu.
3. Double-click the downloaded package to install it automatically.
4. Reload the solution and start using it in the project.

7.1. Create New Excel Files Using IronXL

IronXL allows creating Excel sheets in XLS and XLSX formats. The code to create a new workbook using IronXL is as follows:

using IronXL;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Create a new workbook in XLS format
        WorkBook xlsWorkbook = WorkBook.Create(ExcelFileFormat.XLS);
        xlsWorkbook.Metadata.Author = "IronXL";

        // Add a blank WorkSheet
        WorkSheet xlsSheet = xlsWorkbook.CreateWorkSheet("new_sheet");

        // Add data and styles to the new worksheet
        xlsSheet["A1"].Value = "Hello World";
        xlsSheet["A2"].Style.BottomBorder.SetColor("#ff6600");
        xlsSheet["A2"].Style.BottomBorder.Type = IronXL.Styles.BorderType.Double;

        // Save the Excel file
        xlsWorkbook.SaveAs("NewExcelFile.xls");
    }
}

using IronXL;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Create a new workbook in XLS format
        WorkBook xlsWorkbook = WorkBook.Create(ExcelFileFormat.XLS);
        xlsWorkbook.Metadata.Author = "IronXL";

        // Add a blank WorkSheet
        WorkSheet xlsSheet = xlsWorkbook.CreateWorkSheet("new_sheet");

        // Add data and styles to the new worksheet
        xlsSheet["A1"].Value = "Hello World";
        xlsSheet["A2"].Style.BottomBorder.SetColor("#ff6600");
        xlsSheet["A2"].Style.BottomBorder.Type = IronXL.Styles.BorderType.Double;

        // Save the Excel file
        xlsWorkbook.SaveAs("NewExcelFile.xls");
    }
}

7.2. Create a New Excel File Using Spire.XLS

Spire.XLS allows creating Excel files without installing MS Excel or any third-party library. Below is the sample code:

using Spire.Xls;
using System.IO;

namespace CreateExcelFiles
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            // Instantiate Workbook
            Workbook workbook = new Workbook();
            Worksheet sheet = workbook.Worksheets[0];

            // Set text in a specific cell
            sheet.Range["C10"].Text = "The sample demonstrates how to save an Excel workbook to a stream.";

            // Save the workbook to a stream
            FileStream fileStream = new FileStream("DEMO.xls", FileMode.Create);
            workbook.SaveToStream(fileStream);
            fileStream.Close();

            // Automatically open the new Excel file
            System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("DEMO.xls");
        }
    }
}

using Spire.Xls;
using System.IO;

namespace CreateExcelFiles
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            // Instantiate Workbook
            Workbook workbook = new Workbook();
            Worksheet sheet = workbook.Worksheets[0];

            // Set text in a specific cell
            sheet.Range["C10"].Text = "The sample demonstrates how to save an Excel workbook to a stream.";

            // Save the workbook to a stream
            FileStream fileStream = new FileStream("DEMO.xls", FileMode.Create);
            workbook.SaveToStream(fileStream);
            fileStream.Close();

            // Automatically open the new Excel file
            System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("DEMO.xls");
        }
    }
}

8.1. CSV to Excel using IronXL

IronXL enables developers to generate Excel workbooks from CSV format effortlessly. Here is how to convert a CSV file to Excel:

using IronXL;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Load CSV file into a workbook
        WorkBook workbook = WorkBook.LoadCSV("test.csv", fileFormat: ExcelFileFormat.XLSX, ListDelimiter: ",");
        WorkSheet ws = workbook.DefaultWorkSheet;

        // Save the workbook as an Excel file
        workbook.SaveAs("CsvToExcelConversion.xlsx");
    }
}

using IronXL;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Load CSV file into a workbook
        WorkBook workbook = WorkBook.LoadCSV("test.csv", fileFormat: ExcelFileFormat.XLSX, ListDelimiter: ",");
        WorkSheet ws = workbook.DefaultWorkSheet;

        // Save the workbook as an Excel file
        workbook.SaveAs("CsvToExcelConversion.xlsx");
    }
}

8.2. CSV to Excel using Spire.XLS

Spire.XLS handles CSV to Excel conversion efficiently. Here's how you can achieve this:

using Spire.Xls;

namespace ConvertCsvToExcel
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            // Create an instance of Workbook class
            Workbook workbook = new Workbook();

            // Load a CSV file
            workbook.LoadFromFile(@"ExcelToCSV.csv", ",", 1, 1);

            // Get the first worksheet and used range
            Worksheet sheet = workbook.Worksheets[0];
            CellRange usedRange = sheet.AllocatedRange;
            usedRange.IgnoreErrorOptions = IgnoreErrorType.NumberAsText;

            // Autofit columns and rows
            usedRange.AutoFitColumns();
            usedRange.AutoFitRows();

            // Save the result file
            workbook.SaveToFile("CSVToExcel.xlsx", ExcelVersion.Version2013);
        }
    }
}

using Spire.Xls;

namespace ConvertCsvToExcel
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            // Create an instance of Workbook class
            Workbook workbook = new Workbook();

            // Load a CSV file
            workbook.LoadFromFile(@"ExcelToCSV.csv", ",", 1, 1);

            // Get the first worksheet and used range
            Worksheet sheet = workbook.Worksheets[0];
            CellRange usedRange = sheet.AllocatedRange;
            usedRange.IgnoreErrorOptions = IgnoreErrorType.NumberAsText;

            // Autofit columns and rows
            usedRange.AutoFitColumns();
            usedRange.AutoFitRows();

            // Save the result file
            workbook.SaveToFile("CSVToExcel.xlsx", ExcelVersion.Version2013);
        }
    }
}

IronXL Licensing

IronXL provides a developer's license for free, with the Lite bundle starting at a price with no hidden fees. SaaS and OEM distribution are possible. All licenses offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, a year of software support and upgrades, and a perpetual license. For more details on IronXL pricing and licensing, visit their official licensing page.

Spire.XLS Licensing

Spire.XLS offers three licensing categories:

• Free Version: Limited to five sheets per workbook and 200 rows per sheet. The print function is not available.
• Standard Edition: Limited to .NET, without printing or conversion support.
• Pro Edition: Part of the Spire.XLS Pack, supports numerous conversions like Excel to PDF, HTML, CSV, etc.