When comparing Reason ML vs C#, the Slant community recommends Reason ML for most people. In the question“What are the best languages for learning functional programming?” Reason ML is ranked 19th while C# is ranked 25th.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Uses the excellent Bucklescript Ocaml to Javascript transpiler
Pro Superior type inference
Ocaml type inference is so smart that you never have to repeat yourself and keep code very clean, type errors also are very pleasant.
Pro Aims to make the transition from Javascript easier
Despite being a completely different language Javascript programmer will find that the syntax of ReasonML has many familiarities with Javascript.
Pro Uses established compiler technology from Ocaml with a tweaked syntax that leans more towards Javascript
Pro Removes JavaScript "bad parts" but sticks to it's design philosophy
unlike other js-targetting languages that are thought as a way to have a language that pleases community X run in a browser, reason is really designed with JavaScript community in mind. it removes the bad parts but keeps its syntax and its best design principles (from Scheme): simplicity, minimalism, and functions as building block.
Pro Immutability with escape hatches
reason includes true immutability, but it has escape hatches to let you use mutations in exceptional cases.
Pro Compiles to JavaScript or assembly (ocaml)
The same reasonml code can compile to js (eg. run on browsers or node.js, use any lib in npm), or compile to assembly thru ocaml (unless of course you load js externals), running on any device, with C-comparable (or better) performance.
Pro JSX syntax natively supported
Reason was created by the creator of react, for developers already using JSX to template web or native UIs this results very familiar.
Pro Versatile
.NET offers rich functionality.
Pro Visual Studio
The Visual Studio IDE offers one of the best development environments. The Community Edition and Visual Studio Code can be used for free.
Pro Forms
Can be designed visually with the Visual Studio designer for traditional Windows forms, WPF, or Web forms.
Pro 3rd Party support
Lot's of tools and libraries available.
Pro Can be used in a variety of fields
With Xamarin for Mobile (ios, android),
with .net core asp for server (linux, windows),
with .net core for desktop (windows, mac),
with mono for desktop (windows, linux),
with blazor for web client with webassembly.
However, it is not considered top for any of those categories, but it is top choice for Windows desktop with .net framework and top choice for Unity.
.net 5 will unify frameworks similar to JVM (just one).
Pro Cross-Platform
Runs on Linux, Mac, and Windows.
Pro Supported By Microsoft
Constant updates and bug fixes to many popular frameworks, as well as great first-party support from Microsoft. This can be a con as well in certain circumstances.
Pro It is a C like language
Being a C like language counts in favor for it as a general purpose programming language, given the ease of using existing skills to pick up this language easily.
There are other superior languages that could be used as a general purpose, such as: F#, Haskell, but the complexity of those languages, being functional, make them strange to the usual C Syntax.
C# is better than C whenever garbage collection, Objects, classes, data access, are needed. But C is going to be the choice when hardware access and performance are paramount.
Cons
Con A standard async syntax is pending
Async syntax is not standard across native/js projects and in both cases a bit awkward for non-ocaml devs. Currently this is reasonml most voted issue in their GitHub repo so hopefully, there's news soon.
Con Ecosystem is a mess
A wonderful language, but a user is required to use multiple different package managers for many things (esy, bsb, npm). Some standard templates from bsb (e.g. react-starter) are not installable out of the box.
Con Learning curve
For a beginner the .NET framework can be daunting, the rich functionality means that things often can be done in several ways.
Con Very large runtime
Cannot be used for embedded programming.
Con Microsoft will mess up with the Visual studio installation
And all of a sudden you'll need to reinstall the entire thing just because it stopped working.
Microsoft assumes that every workstation is connected to the Internet then it is always pushing updates.
Con .NET is a mess
Troublesome in regards to being Microsoft centric, updates, security, excessively large, cross-platform issues, etc...
Con Windows OS centric
Not very good at being a cross-platform programming language.
Con Strictly object oriented
Con Owned by Microsoft
And like always, Microsoft is to be avoided, no exceptions.