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Visual Studio

visualstudio.microsoft.com

Free plan WindowsAPI
Visit visualstudio.microsoft.com
Spec score 8.3 #18 of 65 in Integrated Development Environments

What it is

Visual Studio is a Windows IDE for building web, cloud, desktop, and mobile apps, as well as services and games. It combines code editing, graphical designers, compilers, code completion, source control, and extensions. Listed development support covers Windows desktop, ASP.NET web work, Python, Node.js,.NET Core, Docker tools, and cross-platform C++ libraries. Debugging and testing tools include IntelliTrace, memory dump analysis, static code analysis, unit testing, code coverage, and IntelliTest. GitHub support lets users authenticate, create repositories, and push commits within the IDE. Visual Studio can create and manage Azure resources and deploy applications, and it supports Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions for CI/CD automation. GitHub Copilot provides code completion, chat, multi-file editing, debugging assistance, and test generation. Community is free, subject to limits for enterprise organizations. Professional monthly access costs $45 a month, and Enterprise monthly access costs $250 a month. A free trial is listed.

Spec sheet

What it does
Visual Studio is an integrated development environment for creating, debugging, testing and deploying applications across web, cloud, desktop and mobile targets.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
Product
Visual Studio is a fully featured IDE for building web, cloud, desktop, mobile apps, services, and games.Read 29 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Free plan
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Paid from
45Read 20 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Security
Visual Studio Enterprise is described as including enterprise security, and Visual Studio can integrate with Azure security tools.Read 29 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Support
Visual Studio provides a product-specific support page for help with issues related to Visual Studio.Read 29 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Headquarters
Microsoft's global headquarters are in Redmond, Washington.Read 29 Sep 2026 · microsoft.com
AI agent mode
Visual Studio includes an agent mode that can plan, build, test and fix code from natural-language prompts, including running commands and tests.Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
AI assistance
GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio provides code completion, chat, multi-file editing, debugging assistance, and test generation.Read 29 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Azure integration
The IDE can connect to Azure services, deploy applications and debug them while integrating with Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Community license limit
Individuals may use Community for their own free or paid apps; non-enterprise organizations may have up to five users, while enterprise organizations are restricted to classroom learning, academic research, and open-source contributions.Read 29 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Company founded
Gartner lists Microsoft as founded in 1975 and headquartered in Redmond, Washington.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
Company LinkedIn facts
LinkedIn lists Microsoft as a public software-development company headquartered in Redmond, Washington, with more than 10,001 employees and about 228,000 employees worldwide.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Company ownership and scale
Crunchbase identifies Microsoft as a public company with 10,001-plus employees and Visual Studio as a Microsoft division.Read 15 Oct 2026 · crunchbase.com
Copilot Free quotas
The integrated Copilot Free experience provides 2,000 code completions and 50 chat messages each month.Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Cross-platform app targets
Its project tooling targets Windows, Android and iOS apps through technologies including WinForms, WPF, WinUI and .NET MAUI.Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Debugging and testing
The comparison lists debugging and diagnostic capabilities including IntelliTrace, memory dump analysis, static code analysis, unit testing, code coverage, and IntelliTest.Read 29 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Development features
Official feature categories include code development, debugging, testing, collaboration, extension development and profiling.Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Development tools
The IDE brings together code editing, graphical designers, compilers, code completion, source control, and extensions.Read 29 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Documentation
Microsoft Learn provides a Visual Studio product-family documentation hub covering installation, development, debugging, testing, deployment and extensibility.Read 15 Oct 2026 · learn.microsoft.com
Enterprise capabilities
Visual Studio Enterprise is described as offering advanced debugging, AI-assisted development, Azure credits, and cloud Dev/Test pricing.Read 29 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Extensions
Microsoft says the Visual Studio Marketplace contains thousands of extensions that add settings, features and tools.Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
GitHub integration
Visual Studio integrates Git and GitHub workflows for version control, branch management, merge-conflict handling and generated commit messages.Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Languages
Visual Studio lists support for C++, Node.js, Python, .NET and JavaScript/TypeScript development.Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Latest release
Visual Studio 2026 version 18.10.1 was released September 15, 2026, with fixes including a XAMLX Workflow Designer opening problem.Read 15 Oct 2026 · learn.microsoft.com
Licence
Visual Studio is distributed under Microsoft EULAs and Product Terms; the Community edition is free only for users and scenarios allowed by its licence.Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Limit: complexity
G2 and Capterra reviewers mention a crowded or difficult-to-learn interface, slow performance on older hardware and complicated Git branching workflows.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Limit: resource use
TrustRadius reviewers frequently report high CPU and memory consumption, slower startup and slower builds on large solutions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Limit: web and Linux tooling
TrustRadius summaries cite inconsistent JavaScript completion, front-end debugging difficulties and limited Linux compatibility or tooling.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Notable news: September 2026 update
Microsoft announced a September 8, 2026 Visual Studio 2026 update adding preview bring-your-own-key AI support for Agent Mode.Read 15 Oct 2026 · learn.microsoft.com
Performance profiling
Built-in profilers cover CPU, memory, XAML, databases and events for .NET and C++ applications.Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Praise: core IDE
TrustRadius reviewers repeatedly praise the comprehensive feature set, strong debugging, IntelliSense, GitHub integration and faster development cycles.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Praise: usability and extensions
Gartner reviewers describe easy installation, extensive settings and a broad extension marketplace that supports customization.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
Professional audience
Visual Studio Professional is described as an IDE best suited to small teams.Read 29 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Public SDK
The VisualStudio.Extensibility SDK is publicly documented, has tutorials and guides, and is currently marked preview with an API reference.Read 15 Oct 2026 · learn.microsoft.com
Rating on Capterra
4.6 out of 5 from 3,017 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · capterra.com
Rating on G2
4.5 out of 5 from 4,007 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Rating on Gartner Peer Insights
4.5 out of 5 from 1,723 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
Rating on Software Advice
4.6 out of 5 from 3,013 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · softwareadvice.com
Rating on Trustpilot
3.0 out of 5 from 22 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
Rating on TrustRadius
8.8 out of 10 from 863 reviews and ratingsRead 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Runtime requirements
Installation requires .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later and WebView2; Visual Studio runs with .NET Framework 4.8.Read 15 Oct 2026 · learn.microsoft.com
Security updates
The September 2026 release notes list fixes for multiple remote-code-execution and information-disclosure vulnerabilities, including CVE-2026-77906 and CVE-2026-77907.Read 15 Oct 2026 · learn.microsoft.com
SQL tooling
SQL project tools provide query editing, server and database browsing, and schema and query visualization inside the IDE.Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Supported development
The edition comparison lists support for Windows desktop, web with ASP.NET, Python, Node.js, .NET Core, Docker tools, and cross-platform C++ libraries.Read 29 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
System hardware
Microsoft specifies 4 GB RAM minimum, recommends 16 GB for typical professional solutions, and says installations can require 2.5 GB to 210 GB of disk space.Read 15 Oct 2026 · learn.microsoft.com
System operating systems
Visual Studio 2026 supports 64-bit Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025, 2022 and 2019; 32-bit, ARM32 and Windows 10 ARM64 are unsupported.Read 15 Oct 2026 · learn.microsoft.com

Plans and prices

Community Price not published Fully featured IDE · For students, open-source, and individual developers Read 20 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Professional monthly $45 a month Month-to-month access Visual Studio Professional · Azure DevOps Basic plan Read 20 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Enterprise monthly $250 a month Month-to-month access Visual Studio Enterprise · Azure DevOps Basic plus Test Plans Read 20 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Professional standard $99.99 a year Paid annually Visual Studio Professional · Azure DevOps Basic plan · $50 Azure credit per month · Training and support Read 20 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Enterprise standard $499.92 a year Paid annually Visual Studio Enterprise · Azure DevOps Basic plus Test Plans · $150 Azure credit per month · Premium development and test software Read 20 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
IDE standalone $499 a month Perpetual licensing Standalone Visual Studio Professional IDE · Perpetual licensing Read 20 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Visual Studio Community Free Free download Free for individuals, students and open-source contributors; up to five users in non-enterprise organizations Read 29 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Visual Studio Community Free Windows IDE · free for students, open-source and individual developers Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Visual Studio Professional monthly $45 a month $45 user/mo Visual Studio Professional · Azure DevOps Basic plan Read 29 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Visual Studio Professional monthly $45 a month Monthly Visual Studio Professional · Azure DevOps Basic Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Visual Studio Professional standard $99.99 a year Paid annually; shown as $99.99 user/mo; renewal rate $66.59 user/mo after first year Visual Studio Professional · Azure DevOps Basic · $50 Azure credit per month · basic dev/test software · training and support Read 29 Sep 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com
Visual Studio Professional standard $99.99 a year One-time annual payment; renewal $66.59 user/mo after first year Visual Studio Professional · Azure DevOps Basic · $50 Azure credit/month · basic dev/test software · training and support Read 15 Oct 2026 · visualstudio.microsoft.com

Every Visual Studio plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Includes an integrated debugger and testing tools.
  • Supports Python, Node.js, .NET Core, and C++.
  • GitHub integration works within the IDE.
  • Copilot includes multi-file editing and test generation.

Limits

  • Runs on Windows.
  • Enterprise organizations face Community edition use restrictions.
  • Enterprise monthly access costs $250 a month.

Who it suits

Visual Studio suits developers building the listed kinds of applications on Windows, from individuals to small teams and enterprise organizations. Community use is subject to restrictions for enterprise organizations.

Verdict

Visual Studio brings development, debugging, testing, and GitHub and Azure workflows into one Windows IDE. Community is free with use restrictions, while paid plans have listed monthly and annual options.

Where Specifiction places it

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