--- title: "Microsoft Visual Studio Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Microsoft Visual Studio the right Application Development solution for you? Explore 3017 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/80230/microsoft-visual-studio/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-19" --- Microsoft Visual Studio 4.6 (3006) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/80230/microsoft-visual-studio/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated October 19th, 2026 # Reviews of Microsoft Visual Studio Ease of use 4.3 Customer Service 4.2 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews LL Léo L Game DeveloperGraphic Design, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It is a powerful and reliable IDE with excellent tools for coding, debugging, testing, and managing projects. Although it can feel overwhelming at first and requires a relatively powerful computer, its features and flexibility make it a great choice for both professional developers and students.“ August 21, 2026 EV Edwin V DEV ManagerInformation Technology and Services, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Some configuration screens are also spread across different menus, which makes certain settings harder to find than they should be. While the AI coding features are helpful, they sometimes generate code that looks correct but does not fully match the project's architecture or coding style, so I always review the suggestions carefully.“ July 29, 2026 EV Edwin V DEV ManagerInformation Technology and Services, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The built-in Git integration makes committing and reviewing changes simple, and the project templates help me start new applications quickly.“ July 29, 2026 EV Edwin V DEV ManagerInformation Technology and Services, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Startup times are slower than lighter editors, and memory usage can become noticeable when several extensions are installed.“ July 29, 2026 EA Estrella A Software EngineerComputer Software, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Advanced build and development tools, along with powerful C++ support for game development workflows, make refactoring painless.“ August 27, 2026 SS Samuel S CoderDesign, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “What I don't like is it doesn't give much leave ways or ways to use claude, chatgpt, and certain ai to work within the software which I use alot of.“ July 7, 2026 PG Parsa G Sr AI AnalystInformation Technology and Services, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Code editing, debugging, build tools, extensions, and project management all work well together, especially for larger applications stuff.“ August 5, 2026 DL Dave L Senior ConsultantInformation Technology and Services, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “LIke connecting to GitHub for a source code repository -- forking, branching, and merging development pipelines isn't the easiest and if you don't know what you're doing, you could wipe out important code changes you made.“ April 28, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 3006 available reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Sonu P. Systems Analyst Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Powerful and Feature-Rich Development Environment" October 5, 2026 5.0 Overall, my experience with Visual Studio has been very positive. It provides a comprehensive environment for developing, testing, debugging, and managing applications. It is particularly useful for larger development projects where integrated tools and extensions can improve productivity. Pros Visual Studio is a powerful development environment with excellent support for code development, debugging, testing, and build management. The IntelliSense features, extensions, integrated tools, and customisation options make development more efficient. The interface is well organised once you become familiar with it. Cons Visual Studio can feel resource-intensive, especially when working with larger projects. The number of features and settings can also make the initial learning curve quite steep. Some advanced functionality may take time to configure and understand. Review Source R Reviewer AI Proposal Intern Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Comprehensive development environment for coding and application development" September 23, 2026 5.0 My overall experience with Microsoft Visual Studio has been positive. The Ease of Use becomes better once the main development tools and interface are familiar, while Code Development and Build and Development features provide a convenient environment for working on applications. The User Interface provides access to development, debugging, and project-management tools without requiring multiple separate applications. Although the platform can have a learning curve for new users and larger projects may require additional build or configuration time, these limitations have not significantly affected my experience. Overall, I believe Visual Studio provides good Value for Money for developers looking for an integrated development environment. Pros Microsoft Visual Studio provides a comprehensive environment for Code Development, with useful tools for writing, organizing, debugging, and testing applications. The User Interface keeps the main development tools accessible, and the Build and Development capabilities make it convenient to compile and work through development tasks in one environment. Once familiar with the interface, the overall workflow is fairly straightforward. It provides good Value for Money for developers who need an integrated development environment with a broad range of capabilities. Cons The number of available features and configuration options can make Visual Studio feel complex for new users. Larger projects can also take more time to build, and some advanced development features require additional learning. I have occasionally encountered minor usability or build-related issues that required troubleshooting. I have limited direct experience with Customer Support, so I cannot strongly evaluate that aspect. Game Development is also not a primary use case for me, so I have limited experience evaluating that area. Review Source R Reviewer Concepteur Développeur d'application Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Visual Studio code" September 22, 2026 5.0 Pros J’utilise Visual Studio pour développer et je trouve que c’est un environnement assez complet pour travailler sur différents projets. J’apprécie surtout les outils de débogage, l’autocomplétion et toutes les fonctions qui permettent de travailler plus rapidement sur le code. Une fois bien configuré, je peux vraiment rester concentré sur le développement. Cons Le logiciel peut être assez lourd, surtout sur un ordinateur qui n’a pas beaucoup de ressources. Il y a aussi beaucoup de fonctions et de paramètres, donc au début il faut un peu de temps pour trouver ses habitudes. Pour les petits projets simples, je trouve parfois qu’il y a plus d’outils que nécessaire. Review Source R Reviewer Developer Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Easy and reliable" September 18, 2026 5.0 Incredible. I'd highly recommend it to anyone wanting to get into coding, as it makes it really easy to do. 10/10 Pros Most programming languages are supported, the UI is nice, and coding is made easy thanks to the highlights and suggestions. Bufixing is also a breeze. I would say that it is one of the best programming interfaces I have used. Cons I haven't really had any problems with it, except maybe than sometimes it just crashed for no apparent reason, but it stopped doing it a while ago. Review Source Estrella A. Software Engineer Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Comprehensive development and debugging with Microsoft Visual Studio" August 30, 2026 5.0 Microsoft Visual Studio offers high ease of use for debugging complex systems and great value for money. Responsive customer support quickly resolves license or tooling issues. Pros IntelliSense speeds up daily code development significantly. Advanced build and development tools, along with powerful C++ support for game development workflows, make refactoring painless. Cons The user interface can feel cluttered with excessive tool windows, and heavy solution loading slows overall system performance during startup. Review Source R Reviewer Game Developer Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Powerful and Reliable Development Environment" August 25, 2026 5.0 Very positive. It is a powerful and reliable IDE with excellent tools for coding, debugging, testing, and managing projects. Although it can feel overwhelming at first and requires a relatively powerful computer, its features and flexibility make it a great choice for both professional developers and students. Pros Provides a complete and professional development environment. The IntelliSense feature, debugging tools, code navigation, and support for multiple programming languages make development much easier and more efficient. I also appreciate the large number of extensions and integrations available. Cons Quite heavy and resource-intensive, especially on older computers. It can take some time to start up, and some features or extensions may make the interface feel complicated for beginners. Review Source R Reviewer Développeur Web Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Visual Studio Code" August 18, 2026 5.0 Pros Quand mon travaille se limite au développement avec beaucoup de fichiers et de dépendances, je trouve que tout est bien centralisé et cela facilite vraiment le travail. Cons l’application demande aussi davantage de ressources qu’un éditeur de code beaucoup plus léger ou simple. Review Source R Reviewer Développeur fullstack Java - Angular Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Microsoft Visual Studio" August 7, 2026 5.0 Pros Microsoft Visual Studio facilite le développement grâce à ses nombreux outils intégrés et son excellent support pour plusieurs langages. L'environnement est bien organisé et agréable à utiliser. Cons La première installation est assez lourde et certaines fonctionnalités avancées nécessitent plus de ressources sur l’ordinateur. Review Source Parsa G. Sr AI Analyst Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Good development environment" August 6, 2026 4.0 Pros what I like the most is how complete it is for development. Code editing, debugging, build tools, extensions, and project management all work well together, especially for larger applications stuff. Cons It can feel heavy and resource intensive. It also takes time to learn, and somce features can be harder to find than they should be I believe. Review Source R Reviewer DEV Manager Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Primary IDE for years!" July 29, 2026 5.0 Overall, Microsoft Visual Studio has been a dependable development environment that has helped me complete projects ranging from small utilities to larger business applications. I have used it for C#, .NET, desktop development, API development, and even game-related projects with Unity. The combination of reliable debugging tools, strong IntelliSense, integrated testing, and Git support creates a smooth workflow from writing code to deployment. The recent AI-assisted features have been useful for speeding up repetitive coding tasks, generating boilerplate code, and suggesting improvements during development, although I still rely on manual review before accepting any generated code. The user interface is familiar once you spend time customizing it, and the extensive extension marketplace allows the IDE to adapt to different types of projects. Even though it requires a fairly powerful computer, I consider it one of the most complete development environments available for professional software development. Pros Microsoft Visual Studio has been my primary IDE for years because it brings almost everything I need into one place. We use in our team to building our POC's. The debugging tools are probably my favorite feature. Being able to set breakpoints, inspect variables, view the call stack, and use Hot Reload saves a huge amount of development time. I also like how easy it is to manage large C# and .NET solutions without constantly switching between different tools. The built-in Git integration makes committing and reviewing changes simple, and the project templates help me start new applications quickly. I have also found the AI-assisted coding features useful for generating repetitive code, suggesting refactoring ideas, and explaining unfamiliar APIs. They are not perfect, but they speed up routine work while still letting me review everything before committing. The interface feels organized, and features like code navigation, IntelliSense, profiling, and package management make it a strong choice for desktop, web, and game development projects. Cons The biggest downside of Microsoft Visual Studio is that it can be a very heavy application, especially when working with large enterprise solutions. Also only available on PC (no Mac or you run Parallels Desktop or other VM). Startup times are slower than lighter editors, and memory usage can become noticeable when several extensions are installed. Occasionally, after major updates, I have experienced extension compatibility issues or had to rebuild caches before everything worked normally again. Some configuration screens are also spread across different menus, which makes certain settings harder to find than they should be. While the AI coding features are helpful, they sometimes generate code that looks correct but does not fully match the project's architecture or coding style, so I always review the suggestions carefully. Licensing for the Professional and Enterprise editions may also be expensive for smaller teams or independent developers who only need a subset of the advanced features. Review Source R Reviewer Computer programmer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "My experience with Microsoft Visual Studio" June 27, 2025 5.0 I have used the free version for my own personal use, and made many programs, including a chess engine, a Mandelbrot fractal explorer, a 3D Rubik's cube simulator, and several beginnings of my own 3D computer games. I also taught myself C++ a number of years ago, using this software. Pros The ability to debug your code, including setting breakpoints, observing the current values of variables, and stepping through the code, executing one line at a time. Cons Previous versions before Visual Studio 2022 contained some minor bugs, though it did not seriously affect the enjoyment and productivity of working with this software. I can't recall noticing any bugs in the 2022 version. Review Source R Reviewer Coder Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "A very stable product" July 8, 2026 3.0 So for the overall experience with this software is if you really want a good software for developing software and programs it's your go to.It offers alot to the programers I would recommend it to any one. Pros This program is a good software for when creating programs that you want to have .exe to install your programs .It has a very explainable interface and gives you lots of options when it comes to building a windows or cross platform application the plugins can be very overwhelming due to all the plugins and extentions they have to offer.Never had to use customer support for thais software but I do alot of coding and use alot of microsoft softwares but can tell ya their support I had no promblems with. I use the free version cause in all reality the free version does almost everything the paid version is pretty much for teams free version is good for individuals. I don't develope games so I can't say much on that but do have a huge setup for that also and the game creators I talked to loves it and uses it alot. Cons What I don't like is it doesn't give much leave ways or ways to use claude, chatgpt, and certain ai to work within the software which I use alot of. Their github copilot changes sooo much with upgrades and doesn't give much when doing a whole program cause cut's me off alot so it can use some improvement. Review Source R Reviewer Developer Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Borlands' 1983 Turbo Pascal compiler worked better than Visual Studio." March 16, 2026 2.0 Extremely poor. I've been using compilers and IDEs since the 1980's and I've never worked with one so poorly designed. Borlands Turbo Pascal from 1983 worked better than Visual Studio and it cost way less. Pros It looks like a good IDE with most things I need readily available. It's a deception. Plenty of AI agents available to help (again, a deception). Cons Too many bugs. Like playing Whacka-Mole. Agents destroy code quick so use Github. You will be restoring constantly. Never use Agent mode, only ask. Verify all code changes before you accept. Push working code frequently or you will waste hours trying to debug. Review Source Verified Reviewer developer Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Uses of Microsoft Visual Studio" March 25, 2025 5.0 My experience with Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code) has been extremely positive, making it my go-to code editor for web development, scripting, and data analysis. It provides a perfect balance of speed, flexibility, and powerful features, making coding more efficient and enjoyable. Pros Microsoft Visual Studio have Features like Remote-SSH, Dev Containers, and WSL make it easy to work on cloud-based or remote projects. Cons VS Code can slow down when handling very large projects, especially with thousands of files or heavy extensions. Review Source MG Mario G. IT Director Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "A well established multi-platform development tool." March 19, 2025 5.0 Have used it since Version 1, probably more than 20 years. No real complaints Pros The IDE is excellent and well organized. Affordable options including a Community edition for learning and single-person developers. Cross platform tools work nicely, and c# is very popular while still supporting legacy C++, MFC, and OLE. Cons The visual layout tools for forms are a little slow, and easily corrupted with text edits. The .Net versions can get confusing at times, and having to upgrade projects. I would not really opt for Xamarin with cross platform development. Review Source DL Dave L. Senior Consultant Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Visual Studio is my "go to" IDE for software development" April 28, 2025 5.0 Overall it's my "go to" platform for developing. I prefer it over VS Code and other IDE's. This is one product Microsoft definitely got right when catering to developers from newbies all the way up to advanced users. Pros Everything works as intended. It's straight forward to use, with advanced features for those power users who need it. I personally use and prefer the "Community" edition as that doesn't require any licenses or upgrades, and gives users and casual developers most of what they need to utilize all the features of the product. Cons Some items are a bit complicated and not as easy to figure out if you haven't used anything like it before. LIke connecting to GitHub for a source code repository -- forking, branching, and merging development pipelines isn't the easiest and if you don't know what you're doing, you could wipe out important code changes you made. Review Source David B. Master Developer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Visual Studio - a must" May 7, 2025 5.0 More than 10 years developing .NET solutions: programs, data-managers, DLL's. Pros By far, the best IDE available for many languages, like C#, C++, VB, MAUI and so forth. Even Cons Controls are very poor in UI and the development of MAUI/XML languages does not provide a kind of "preview" mode. You need to execute the system to see the UI results. Review Source R Reviewer Senior Consultant Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Feature rich coding tool well integrated with git" April 29, 2025 5.0 Overall I found the product was easy enough to pick up and learn and it has significantly increased my productivity. Pros Visual Studio is a feature rich coding tool that is well integrated with git and and is highly customizable. Cons The number of features in Visual Studio is a bit overwhelming to start with however it was easy enough to get the hang of. Review Source Dhaval M. Associate Electrical Engineer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Visual Studio is an easy to use learning platform to understand coding languages!" March 11, 2025 5.0 Overall, this program is great in being a learning resource. I was able to practice coding in C++ and I like playing around with the software to give some cool outputs. It's a fun platform to understand the coding language. Pros I like to use Visual Studio to practice my coding for school assignments. I also like to code for fun, just to see if the program can work or not with my script. I used it a lot while in my undergraduate, and I still use it now for fun practice. Cons I don't like that the debugging is not always helpful due to the complicated code at times, however, I am eventually about to correct the script with other resources. Review Source PS Preeti S. Software Engineer Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Genuine and honest review of Microsoft Visual Studio" June 25, 2025 5.0 My overall experience with Microsoft Visual Studio has been very good and I have been using it extensively for personal project development specially. The debugging and error correction prompts make it very easy to keep a track of the errors and also to rectify them. Pros The multiple features that the application provides for code development makes it stand out. I also really like the dark mode feature. Also,the ability to integrate AI copilot is a feature that I like a lot! Cons It tends to become somewhat slow at times and consumes a system resources significantly. This is one con which is mention worthy. Review Source R Reviewer Software Developer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Best IDE for site and application developement" February 27, 2025 4.0 I can make my site and all of my various applications with the help of Visual Studio. They can be built into this very application Pros I am crazy about Visual Studio, it is the best IDE for me.It has an intuitive design, a beautiful look, and the simplicity is top Cons The visual part of variables is complicated for the new users. They are shown in the form of such tables. Review Source R Reviewer Technicien informatique Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "My great experience with Microsoft visual studio " December 30, 2024 5.0 My experience after using it for several years is that it is truly a program that deserves a lot of appreciation and I consider it to be in the first place in its field, and I will recommend it to everyone for what it features in creating and implementing your ideas. Pros Microsoft Visual Studio helped me a lot in my learning of programming languages in terms of the ease of creating my projects on it. Cons What I didn't like about Microsoft Visual Studio is that before I used it, it sent you signals that it was difficult to use and deal with. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Software Developer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Feature rich IDE with a lot of extensions" January 13, 2025 5.0 Using VS daily I tried other IDEs but always went back to VS because of the features and extensions Pros Feature rich IDE with a lot of extensions Cons Performance, especially with a lot of extensions Review Source R Reviewer Marketing manager Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Efficient tool for website development " March 22, 2025 4.0 Interesting tool for programming, I worked with Power Apps (no code website developer) and was able to customize a lot of features with coding. Pros Since is a Microsoft tool you can find various information on the internet if there is something you don't understand. It supports multiple programming languages. Cons As an inexperienced person in website development it can get extremely hard trying to understand. I was working with Microsoft Power Apps and wanted to customize certain features that could only be done with Visual Studio. The AI feature I found that didn't work very much, but maybe because I wasn't specific. Review Source R Reviewer HR consultant Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Discovering this tool." April 14, 2025 4.0 As a beginner user I am satisfied with this tool. Pros I am a beginner user and I see potential in this program. Cons I need time to discover more option and how to use the program. Review Source Similar Products Featured