--- title: "Microsoft Visual Studio Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about Microsoft Visual Studio Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Application Development products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/80230/microsoft-visual-studio/" page_type: "product" language: "en" --- # Microsoft Visual Studio Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on September 17, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Users](#users)[Pros and Cons](#pros-cons)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Microsoft Visual Studio ## What is Microsoft Visual Studio? Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) for creating software across platforms and programming languages. It enhances the development lifecycle with features like IntelliSense for code suggestions and an integrated debugger to identify issues early. Supporting technologies like .NET 10, C# 14, and cloud-native development via Aspire, it also offers tools for modern C++ and game creation with Unity and Unreal engines. Integration with GitHub provides Git tools and CI/CD workflows for efficient version control and deployment. AI-powered Copilot assists developers with complex coding tasks, making Visual Studio a comprehensive solution for building and maintaining high-quality applications. ## What is Microsoft Visual Studio used for? [Application Development](https://www.capterra.com/application-development-software/)[Integrated Development Environment (IDE)](https://www.capterra.com/ide-software/)[Game Development](https://www.capterra.com/game-development-software/) Recognitions Shortlist Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 3,014 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 97% Neutral 3% Negative 0% Pros & cons Comprehensive integrated development suite Extensive language compatibility Frequent crashes and vague errors Heavy memory and CPU consumption Starting price $499.92 Per User, Per Month Free trial available Includes Free Version Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... - Application Development / 2026 Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for Microsoft Visual Studio?[Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/visual-studio/claim_requests/new?auto=true) Rating Breakdown 4.6 +− Features4.6 Value for Money4.4 Ease of Use4.3 Customer Service4.2 Rating Breakdown 4.6 Features4.6 Value for Money4.4 Ease of Use4.3 Customer Service4.2 ## Microsoft Visual Studio Reviewers Verdict Updated September 2026 AI summary - Microsoft Visual Studio suits development teams and organizations working across multiple programming languages and large-scale projects. - Users most consistently value its broad language support, customizable interface, and integrated developer tools that help handle diverse project needs. - It enables efficient coding, debugging, and project management in day-to-day work, supporting complex workflows and collaboration. - Buyers may need to accept some trade-offs in terms of higher memory use, slower performance with large projects, and potential licensing costs for advanced features. - It fits best where versatility and deep tool integration are priorities, but may be less ideal for smaller projects or hardware-constrained environments. ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### Microsoft Visual Studio 4.6 (3,014) VS. [4.6 (1,226)](https://www.capterra.com/p/159806/GitLab/reviews/) Starting Price $499.92 Per User, Per Month Starting Price $29 Per User, Per Month Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.3 (2,976) Ease Of Use 4.4 (946) Value For Money 4.4 (2,236) Value For Money 4.5 (847) Customer Service 4.2 (2,075) Customer Service 4.2 (913) ## Microsoft Visual Studio alternatives [Essential Studio](https://www.capterra.com/p/228226/Essential-Studio/) [4.5 (946)](https://www.capterra.com/p/228226/Essential-Studio/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 94% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/228226/Essential-Studio/) Highest Rated [GitHub](https://www.capterra.com/p/129067/GitHub/) [4.8 (6,205)](https://www.capterra.com/p/129067/GitHub/reviews/) Starting price $4.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/129067/GitHub/) [Jira](https://www.capterra.com/p/19319/JIRA/) [4.4 (15,483)](https://www.capterra.com/p/19319/JIRA/reviews/) Starting price $7.91 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 91% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/19319/JIRA/) [IntelliJ IDEA](https://www.capterra.com/p/136010/IntelliJ-IDEA/) [4.7 (1,260)](https://www.capterra.com/p/136010/IntelliJ-IDEA/reviews/) Starting price $19.90 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/136010/IntelliJ-IDEA/) [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/80230/microsoft-visual-studio/alternatives/) ## FAQs about Microsoft Visual Studio Overview ### What problems does Microsoft Visual Studio solve? Microsoft Visual Studio solves slow debugging, fragmented development workflows, and tool switching by combining coding, unit testing, package management, database work, version control, and deployment in one IDE. Software developers, QA automation teams, web developers, and enterprise.NET teams use it to catch errors faster, standardize environments, and build web, desktop, mobile, and cloud applications efficiently. Answer based on 1337 reviews Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from Microsoft Visual Studio? Microsoft Visual Studio is most used by software engineers, developers, programmers, and web development teams building, testing, and debugging applications efficiently. Students use it to learn coding and complete coursework, while IT managers, project managers, founders, and executives rely on it to oversee development workflows, code quality, and delivery progress. Answer based on 2981 reviews Overview ### What company size and industries is Microsoft Visual Studio built for? Microsoft Visual Studio is used by software developers,.NET teams, game developers, cloud architects, and DevOps engineers, with strongest adoption among small businesses at 57% and Computer Software at 29%. It also serves enterprises at 25% and IT services at 20%, mainly for application development. Answer based on 3013 reviews Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Microsoft Visual Studio? Microsoft Visual Studio includes core features like code editing, IntelliSense, debugging, and an integrated development environment for web, mobile, desktop, and game development. Differentiating capabilities include built-in Git and Team Foundation Server source control, extensions and integrations, user interface designers, and deployment management for testing and release workflows. Answer based on 884 reviews Pricing ### How much does it cost and what fees or limitations are included? Microsoft Visual Studio starts at $45/user/month for Professional Monthly, with Professional Standard at 99.99/user/month, Enterprise Monthly at 250/user/month, Enterprise Standard at 499.92/user/month, and a 499 one-time IDE Standalone license. A free version and free trial are available, though reviewers say paid editions can feel expensive for small teams and simpler projects. Answer based on 468 reviews Integrations ### Which third-party tools and platforms does Microsoft Visual Studio integrate with? Microsoft Visual Studio integrates with Git, GitHub, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Azure, and Unity, with reviewer mentions also confirming Docker, Bitbucket, and GitLab. Source control and cloud integrations appear most often, while database and game development connections are also commonly cited across user workflows. Answer based on 900 reviews Getting Started and Support ### How easy is it to onboard and train a team on Microsoft Visual Studio? Microsoft Visual Studio offers documentation and videos for training, which help teams get started and learn core workflows. Reviewers say developers, students, and users with some coding background onboard relatively quickly, while complete beginners, nontechnical users, and teams using older hardware often need more time to handle setup, features, and navigation. Answer based on 395 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does Microsoft Visual Studio offer, and how do users rate the experience? Microsoft Visual Studio offers email/help desk, chat, a knowledge base, and FAQ/forum support. Users often rely on the forum, documentation, and community for quick answers and troubleshooting. Experiences with direct support are mixed: some report helpful, timely responses, while others mention difficulty reaching support, inconsistent assistance, and gaps in documentation. Answer based on 192 reviews Security ### How does Microsoft Visual Studio handle data security and access control? Microsoft Visual Studio uses permission controls, code visibility management, secure remote connections, source code protection options, security integrations, and regular security updates. It also supports branching and separate shelves for users. Some reviewers report credential issues with Git, complicated permission changes, plugin access problems, database connection concerns, and needing third-party add-ons for secure code. Answer based on 28 reviews ## Who uses Microsoft Visual Studio? Based on Capterra reviews from the past 3 years ## Pros and Cons Comprehensive integrated development suite 96% positive reviews out of 543 Most reviewers describe development environment as robust, supporting diverse projects, languages, and seamless tool integration. Netra S. Senior RPA Developer, 10,001+ employees. "Its a great integrated development environment that supports code development and review in almost all coding languages that I use such as python, Javascript and vbscript ." Frequent crashes and vague errors 76% negative reviews out of 336 Most reviewers describe bugs and issues as recurring, including crashes, freezes, and unclear error messages during development. Nikita B. Senior Associate Consultant, 10,001+ employees. "I have faced issues with stability such as crashing or freezing the visual studio especially after changing too many branches with large repose." Extensive language compatibility 96% positive reviews out of 279 Most reviewers indicate programming languages support is broad, allowing development across many languages and project types. Anonymous User software developper, 11 - 50 employees. "With support for multiple programming languages, frameworks, and platforms, it's a one-stop solution for developers working on diverse projects." Heavy memory and CPU consumption 83% negative reviews out of 152 Most reviewers find memory usage problematic, with high RAM and CPU needs causing slowdowns on less powerful machines. Wendy C. Assistant Vice President for Information Technology, 501 - 1,000 employees. "I noticed it takes a while to get load which is not a pleasure thing in my view also it uses a large junk of my memory and CPU which cause slower down the rest of the computer." Integrated testing and debugging tools 96% positive reviews out of 108 Most reviewers find testing features comprehensive, enabling efficient debugging, automation, and quality assurance within one platform. Nishedh J. Lead Developer, 11 - 50 employees. "One of the best Integrated Development Environment as supports coding, designing, debugging, testing and deployment." High disk space requirements 79% negative reviews out of 102 Most users report disk space usage is excessive, with large installations, frequent updates, and heavy storage demands. Leonardo V. Security Engineer, 11 - 50 employees. "Sluggish, slow sometimes, takes a lot of memory and space onto your harddrive." ## Features AI summary Based on 7,285 Application Development reviews Capterra data shows that buyers of Application Development software rank the following features as their top priorities: - **Code Development** (**67%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Workflow Management** (**45%**) - **Code Editing** (**56%**) Microsoft Visual Studio supports **Code Development** and **Code Editing**, giving development teams the tools to build applications and refine code efficiently in one environment. However, it does not include **Workflow Management**. Instead, it offers other features that reviewers also rate highly, such as **Version Control** (**51%**) and **Source Control** (**49%**), which help teams track changes, manage collaboration, and maintain code quality across projects, helping businesses keep development work organized and consistent. Code Development 4.7 (367) 70.30% of 367 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Create code from scratch Code Editing 4.7 (372) 72.58% of 372 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Microsoft Visual Studio offers a responsive, customizable code editor with smart autocompletion, syntax highlighting, and refactoring tools. Users think its multi-language support, code suggestions, and productivity-boosting plugins make editing efficient and enjoyable. Version Control 4.3 (6) 100.00% of 6 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Track revisions and updates made to files and navigate between different versions Source Control 4.7 (3) 133.33% of 3 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Tracks every modification made to source code Debugging 4.5 (647) 67.85% of 647 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important It gives you robust debugging tools, including breakpoints, variable inspection, and memory analysis. Reviewers appreciate the intuitive interface, live debugging, and support for multiple languages, though some mention occasional complexity with certain project types. Graphical User Interface 4.4 (610) 58.52% of 610 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important You benefit from a highly customizable, intuitive interface with themes, layout flexibility, and ergonomic navigation. Some reviewers find the GUI user-friendly and visually appealing, while others note it can feel overwhelming for newcomers due to its many options. Microsoft Visual Studio 23 features ### All Features - 2D Drawing: Drawing and modeling designs within 2D flat dimensions - 3D Games: Create 3-dimensional games - Animation: Ability to insert animations/transitions - API: Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases - Code Development: Create code from scratch - Code Editing: Microsoft Visual Studio offers a responsive, customizable code editor with smart autocompletion, syntax highlighting, and refactoring tools. Users think its multi-language support, code suggestions, and productivity-boosting plugins make editing efficient and enjoyable. - Collaboration Tools: Provides a channel for team members to share AI models, media files, communicate, and work together - Data Modeling: Conceptual model of how data items relate to each other - Debugging: It gives you robust debugging tools, including breakpoints, variable inspection, and memory analysis. Reviewers appreciate the intuitive interface, live debugging, and support for multiple languages, though some mention occasional complexity with certain project types. - Deployment Management: With deployment management, you can automate and streamline app releases using integrations with Azure, Git, TFS, and CI/CD tools. Reviewers appreciate the ease of deploying to various environments, though a few mention initial setup can be confusing for beginners. - For Developers: For the intention to be used by developers - Game Development: Develop games using code or no-code platforms - Graphical User Interface: You benefit from a highly customizable, intuitive interface with themes, layout flexibility, and ergonomic navigation. Some reviewers find the GUI user-friendly and visually appealing, while others note it can feel overwhelming for newcomers due to its many options. - In-App Purchase: Provide players with in-app purchase options. - In-Game Analytics: Report on game usage and gaming statistics. - Integrated Development Environment: With this capability, you get an all-in-one workspace supporting many programming languages, project types, and seamless integrations with tools like Git, TFS, Azure, AWS, and Unity. Reviewers appreciate its user-friendly design, extensive language support, and integrated workflow. - Mobile Development: Development of applications for mobile devices - Multi-player Gaming Network: Manage networking aspects of multiple games. - Software Development: Development of software programs - Source Control: Tracks every modification made to source code - Version Control: Track revisions and updates made to files and navigate between different versions - Web/Mobile App Development: Create/edit commerce applications for mobile devices and/or web - Website Development: Create/edit websites for operating systems --- Features 4.6 (2,972) 4.6 Based on 2,972 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.4 (2236) Free Trial Free Version [View pricing plan details](https://www.capterra.com/p/80230/microsoft-visual-studio/pricing/) Enterprise Standard $499.92 Per User,Per Month It includes: - Visual Studio Enterprise - Azure DevOps (Basic + Test Plan) - $150 Azure Credit Per Month - Premium Dev/Test Software - Extended Training And Support - Power BI Pro - Perpetual IDE License Included - Azure DevOps Server License And CAL Included - Test Plans Included - Self-Hosted Pipelines Included - Artifacts Included - Microsoft 365 Developer Subscription (E5) - Windows Store Developer Account - Windows Virtual Desktop - Microsoft 365 Apps For Enterprise - Office Professional Plus 2021 (Licensed For One Device) - Pluralsight Training (12 Months Included) - CODE Magazine (12 Months Included) - Cloud Academy (12 Months Included) - Dometrain (50% Discount For 12 Months) - DevForge (50% Discount For 12 Months) - Technical Support (4 Incidents) - Developer Community Access - Concierge Chat - Azure Community Access - Microsoft Q&A Access - Microsoft Tech Community Access Professional Standard $99.99 Per User,Per Month It includes: - Visual Studio Professional - Azure DevOps (Basic Plan) - $50 Azure Credit Per Month - Basic Dev/Test Software - Training And Support - Perpetual IDE License Included - Azure DevOps Server License And CAL Included - Artifacts Included - Microsoft 365 Developer Subscription (E5) - Windows Store Developer Account - Windows Virtual Desktop - Pluralsight Training (6 Months Included) - CODE Magazine (12 Months Included) - Cloud Academy (12 Months Included) - Dometrain (50% Discount For 12 Months) - DevForge (50% Discount For 12 Months) - Technical Support (2 Incidents) - Developer Community Access - Concierge Chat - Azure Community Access - Microsoft Q&A Access - Microsoft Tech Community Access Enterprise Monthly $250.00 Per User,Per Month It includes: - Visual Studio Enterprise - Azure DevOps (Basic + Test Plan) - Microsoft SQL Server Developer Edition - Test Plans Included - Self-Hosted Pipelines Included - Artifacts Included Professional Monthly $45.00 Per User,Per Month It includes: - Visual Studio Professional - Azure DevOps (Basic Plan) - Microsoft SQL Server Developer Edition - Artifacts Included IDE Standalone $499.00 Flat Rate,One Time It includes: - Perpetual Licensing Without Subscription Benefits Value for money 4.4 (2,236) 4.4 Based on 2,236 reviews ## Integrations [ GitHub](https://www.capterra.com/p/129067/GitHub/)[ Microsoft SQL Server](https://www.capterra.com/p/1417/SQL-Server/)[ Microsoft Azure](https://www.capterra.com/p/16365/Azure/)[ Unity](https://www.capterra.com/p/158591/Unity/)[ Git](https://www.capterra.com/p/177211/Git/) ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.2 (2075) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.2 (2,075) 4.2 Based on 2,075 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.6 Based on 3,014 reviews Filter by rating 5(1975) 4(936) 3(90) 2(9) 1(4) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent EC Etan C. Developer Computer Games ### "Easy and reliable" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 September 17, 2026 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 Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. EA Estrella A. Software Engineer Computer Software ### "Comprehensive development and debugging with Microsoft Visual Studio" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 August 27, 2026 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 Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. LL Leo L. Game Developer Graphic Design ### "Powerful and Reliable Development Environment" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 August 21, 2026 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 Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. ST Sebastien T. Développeur Web Higher Education ### "Visual Studio Code" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 August 17, 2026 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 Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. SE Stephane E. Développeur fullstack Java - Angular Insurance ### "Microsoft Visual Studio" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 August 6, 2026 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 Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. PG Parsa G. Sr AI Analyst Information Technology and Services ### "Good development environment" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 August 5, 2026 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 Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. EV Edwin V. DEV Manager Information Technology and Services ### "Primary IDE for years!" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 July 29, 2026 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 Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. SS Samuel S. Coder Design ### "A very stable product" 3.0 Overall Rating 3.0 3.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 July 7, 2026 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 Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Nino Z. \- Internet ### "Professionelle IDE mit kleinen Schwächen" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 May 15, 2026 Insgesammt ein starkes Tool für professionelle Entwicklung. Wer .NET oder C++ entwickelt, kommt kaum daran vorbei. Für kleine Projekte ist es aber übertrieben, da ist VS Code besser geignet. Pros Visual Studio ist eine sehr mächtige IDE, vorallem für große .NET Projekte. Der Debugger ist einfach outstanding und ich würde kein anderes Tool nutzen für komplexe Enterprise-Entwicklung. Die Code-Vervollständigung ist auch sehr gut. Cons Der Start dauert manchmal sehr lanzam, besonders bei großen Solutions. Außerdem verbraucht es extrem viel RAM, das kann auf älteren Rechnern ein Problem sein. Der Preis für die Enterprise-Version ist auch recht hoch. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RF Remo Fernando C. Ingegnere Food & Beverages ### "Strumento semplice intuitivo con tanti istrumenti disponibili. Ottima libreria di risorse e funzioni integrati. Compatibilità al 100%, " 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 April 10, 2026 Sviluppo software con questo strumento da sempre da suoi inizi, ottimo strumento con una libreria completa sempre aggiornata e e in sviluppo, ricco di sopporto web. Di uso molto avanzato a semplice se riesce a fare senza problemi grandi e professionali progetti. integrabile con tante altre situazioni esterne Pros Software ricco di opzioni con tanti istrumenti utili per ogni richiesta di sviluppo. La interfaccia migliora ogni volta sempre più intuitiva semplice ma conservando tutta la sua professionalità e complessità Cons A volte si rallenta o devo riavviarsibil tutto, ma se si mantiene aggiornato alla ultima versione di solito questi problemi sono molto poco frequenti Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/80230/microsoft-visual-studio/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. 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