Why do we use ORMs instead of hand written SQL

When building an app, one of the most important decisions is how your code will talk to the database. Should you use an Object-Relational Mapper (ORM) like Entity Framework, or write SQL by hand? Here’s what the data says in 2025, and why we at WHY chose Entity Framework (see our code at github.com/WhyTheApp).

Development Speed

ORMs are designed to speed up development. According to a 2025 analysis, about 60% of developers prefer ORMs for their ability to reduce boilerplate and abstract away repetitive SQL code [1]. In practical terms, teams using an ORM can deliver features up to 40% faster for standard CRUD operations compared to teams writing all SQL manually [2]. This is because ORMs handle object mapping, migrations, and basic queries automatically.

Performance and Database Optimization

Raw SQL gives you maximum control and can be more efficient for complex queries. Benchmarks show that hand-written SQL can be up to 30% faster for data retrieval in complex scenarios [1], and up to twice as fast for certain transaction-heavy workloads [3]. For example, in a test with 30,000 rows, raw SQL was about 16% faster than an ORM for simple queries [4]. However, for most standard operations, the difference is often just a few milliseconds, which is imperceptible to users [5].

ORMs like Entity Framework have improved, but they still add some overhead. For most business apps, this overhead is negligible. For performance-critical paths, you can always drop down to raw SQL even when using an ORM.

Junior Friendliness

ORMs are much more approachable for junior developers. About 60% of developers say ORMs help them collaborate better and maintain cleaner codebases [1]. ORMs let you work in your main programming language (like C#), so you don’t need to be an SQL expert to get started. This makes onboarding new team members easier and reduces the risk of SQL injection and other security issues, since ORMs use parameterized queries by default [6].

In contrast, writing SQL by hand requires a deeper understanding of database concepts, query optimization, and security. This can be a steep learning curve for juniors.

Market Share and Popularity

SQL remains one of the most popular languages in the world. According to the 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 54.1% of professional developers use SQL, and almost 40% are learning or planning to learn it [7]. ORMs are widely used in modern frameworks: about 60% of full-stack developers use an ORM for database access [1]. Entity Framework is the most popular ORM in the .NET ecosystem, and PostgreSQL is now the most popular database among professionals, used by 51.9% [7].

Maintainability and Flexibility

ORMs make code more maintainable and easier to refactor. They support automatic migrations, type safety, and database-agnostic code. This means you can switch databases or update your schema with less risk of breaking things. For large teams or long-term projects, this is a big advantage.

Raw SQL gives you full flexibility and lets you use advanced database features, but it can lead to more boilerplate and harder-to-maintain code as your project grows.

Our Choice: Entity Framework

At WHY, we chose Entity Framework because it lets us move fast, keep our code clean, and onboard new developers quickly. We use EF for most operations, but we can still write raw SQL for performance-critical queries. You can see our approach in our open-source code: github.com/WhyTheApp.

When to Use Each Approach

• Use an ORM like Entity Framework when you want rapid development, maintainability, and easier onboarding.
• Use raw SQL when you need maximum performance, complex queries, or advanced database features.
• Many teams use a hybrid approach: ORM for most tasks, raw SQL for the tricky parts.

References

1. SQL vs ORM for Full Stack Developers Analysis - MoldStud (2025)
2. ORM vs RAW SQL in Python frameworks - UnfoldAI (2024)
3. Performance Testing of Python ORMs Based on the TPC-C benchmark - HackerNoon (2020)
4. Psycopg and SQLalchemy: Who's Faster? - LinkedIn (2025)
5. Performance Benchmarks: Comparing Query Latency across ORMs - Prisma (2025)
6. Entity Framework: Advantages and Disadvantages (2024)
7. 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey

Want to see how we use Entity Framework? Check out our code at github.com/WhyTheApp.