NuGet vs Conan

NuGet9.4Visit Conan8.4Visit

Higher score NuGet #1 in Package Registries 9.4/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 1 features Visit NuGet

vs

Conan #6 in Package Registries 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 1 features Visit Conan

• NuGet fits best

  Free .NET package management

• Conan fits best

  Native C and C++ dependencies

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Side by side

Feature	NuGet 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Conan 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.4
Ranking	#1 in Package Registries	#6 in Package Registries
Best for	Free .NET package management	Native C and C++ dependencies
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Open source	Free
Free plan	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Self-hosted, Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Docs	Docs, Community
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features NuGet 0/1 · Conan 0/1
Private packages	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Package ecosystems	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Package size limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Storage limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Download limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Access controls	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Dependency resolution, conflict handling, caching, and lockfiles Works across Windows, macOS, Linux, web, and API access Integrates with .NET CLI, Visual Studio, MSBuild, and Azure DevOps	Precompiled binaries support multiple configurations and target platforms. Lockfiles, profiles, revisions, and caching support reproducible workflows. Integrates with CMake, Visual Studio/MSBuild, Docker, Meson, and more.
Cons	Tool support varies across dotnet CLI, nuget.exe, MSBuild, and Visual Studio Package formats are limited to .nupkg and .snupkg Private feeds require credentials or credential providers	Workspaces are experimental and subject to breaking changes. Its package model is focused on native C and C++ projects. Hosted repository pricing belongs to separate JFrog Artifactory offerings.
Our verdict	NuGet is a free package manager and hosting ecosystem for .NET developers. It supports creating, publishing, consuming, restoring, and updating packages from public or private feeds. NuGet.org provides a public package gallery and… Read the review →	Conan is an open-source package manager for C and C++ projects. It helps teams define recipes, declare dependencies, build or obtain precompiled native binaries, and exchange packages through configurable remote repositories. Its support… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• NuGet — where it wins

  • Dependency resolution, conflict handling, caching, and lockfiles
  • Works across Windows, macOS, Linux, web, and API access
  • Integrates with .NET CLI, Visual Studio, MSBuild, and Azure DevOps

  Where it doesn't

  • Tool support varies across dotnet CLI, nuget.exe, MSBuild, and Visual Studio
  • Package formats are limited to .nupkg and .snupkg
  • Private feeds require credentials or credential providers

• Conan — where it wins

  • Precompiled binaries support multiple configurations and target platforms.
  • Lockfiles, profiles, revisions, and caching support reproducible workflows.
  • Integrates with CMake, Visual Studio/MSBuild, Docker, Meson, and more.

  Where it doesn't

  • Workspaces are experimental and subject to breaking changes.
  • Its package model is focused on native C and C++ projects.
  • Hosted repository pricing belongs to separate JFrog Artifactory offerings.

• NuGet9.4/10 · Open source

  A free, comprehensive package manager for public and private .NET feeds.

  Visit NuGetFull verdict →
• Conan8.4/10 · Free plan

  A deep, free package manager for native C and C++ dependency workflows.

  Visit ConanFull verdict →