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I can use both HttpWebRequest to send an HTTP request and get an HTTP response without a WebClient.

When should you use HttpWebRequest and when should you use WebClient?

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WebClient can be used when you don't need any fine-tuning.

When using HttpWebRequest, you can control various options, including timeouts (very important). So basically - WebClient for toy projects / POCs, HttpWebRequest for actual business.

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Personally I always use WebClient. The API seems more simple. It uses HttpWebRequest under the covers.

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WebClient is ideal for downloads and uploads.

HttpWebRequest is ideal for web connections, including sending HTTP POST requests, as seen here: HTTP request with post

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If you do not need access to the underlying stream but are just uploading or downloading "data", i.e. a file some bytes or a string, WebClient is a simplifying abstraction.

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