A Resurgence of Razor Pages?

I have always wondered why Razor Pages aren't a more popular choice for .NET front-ends. While I understand the desire for a snappy, sophisticated UI, many front-ends are simple enough that they don't actually require a heavy JavaScript framework. Yet, React and Angular remain the dominant choices. I wonder if that is about to change.

Recently, I’ve been testing AI-assisted coding with Copilot in Visual Studio, primarily using it to build a React front-end and an Angular front-end for two separate applications. While Copilot provided massive value here, the financial reality changed drastically on June 1st, 2026, when I spent a whopping $5.00 in one hour while working on the React front-end. I realized in record time that JavaScript front-ends really like to suck the gas out of the GitHub tank.

After seeing the newly introduced usage fees, I promptly scrapped the React interface and pivoted back to Razor Pages—a technology I’ve used since 2017. Ultimately, a competent C# developer can deliver a great front-end natively, without paying exorbitant AI fees to map out complex JavaScript frameworks.

And that is precisely my point.

For those who have been spending previous months using Copilot to build front-ends in the more popular Angular and React libraries, I wonder how many will pivot to Razor and rely solely on the developer to integrate front-end features.

Things are different in the development world compared to days gone by. No longer are applications entirely Microsoft-based from front to back. This holds true whether we are talking about JavaScript front-ends or things like RabbitMQ and Docker. The mashup of Microsoft core technologies and non-Microsoft add-ons may continue, but in the case of front-end technologies, I have to wonder if we won't see a new found popularity in razor pages to avoid reliance on assisted AI in situations where a native Angular or React developer is not present.