Generate hyperlinks using actionlink html helper In ASP.NET MVC

HTML.ActionLink vs Url.Action in ASP.NET Razor

Is there any difference between HTML.ActionLink vs Url.Action or they are just two ways of doing the same thing?

When should I prefer one over the other?

es, there is a difference. Html.ActionLink generates an <a href=".."></a> tag whereas Url.Action returns only an url.

For example:

@Html.ActionLink("link text", "someaction", "somecontroller", new { id = "123" }, null)
generates:

<a href="/somecontroller/someaction/123">link text</a>
and Url.Action("someaction", "somecontroller", new { id = "123" }) generates:

/somecontroller/someaction/123