CLion vs Visual Studio
CLion
jetbrains.com
Visual Studio
visualstudio.microsoft.comSide by side
| Figure | CLion | Visual Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $10.90/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 18 |
| Spec score · Integrated Development Environments | 9.3 (#1) | 8.3 (#18) |
| Spec score · Integrated Development Environment Ide Software | 9.4 (#1) | 8.4 (#10) |
| Spec score · Debugging Software | 9.4 (#1) | 8.5 (#10) |
| Spec score · IDE Software | 9.4 (#2) | 8.3 (#16) |
| Spec score · C++ IDEs | 9.3 (#2) | 8.3 (#7) |
| Spec score · Developer Tools | 9.4 (#3) | 8.4 (#13) |
| Documentation | The help center covers installation, toolchains, project formats, debugging, testing, version control, profiling, remote development and plugin development. | Microsoft Learn provides a Visual Studio product-family documentation hub covering installation, development, debugging, testing, deployment and extensibility. |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Microsoft's global headquarters are in Redmond, Washington. |
| Rating on Capterra | 4.7 out of 5 from 15 reviews | 4.6 out of 5 from 3,017 reviews |
| Rating on G2 | 4.4 out of 5 from 55 reviews | 4.5 out of 5 from 4,007 reviews |
| Rating on Software Advice | 4.7 out of 5 from 15 reviews | 4.6 out of 5 from 3,013 reviews |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 2.6 out of 5 from 102 reviews | 3.0 out of 5 from 22 reviews |
| Rating on TrustRadius | 8.4 out of 10 from 14 reviews | 8.8 out of 10 from 863 reviews and ratings |
| Support | The non-commercial plan provides public forums and a bug tracker; the commercial plan also offers private tickets. | Visual Studio provides a product-specific support page for help with issues related to Visual Studio. |
| What it does | CLion is a cross-platform JetBrains IDE for C and C++ development with code analysis, navigation, building, debugging and testing in one environment. | Visual Studio is an integrated development environment for creating, debugging, testing and deploying applications across web, cloud, desktop and mobile targets. |
Plans
CLion
- CLion Non-CommercialFree
- CLion Commercial$10.90 a month
- CLion Commercial — Individual$10.90 a month
- All Products Pack$29.90 a month
Visual Studio
- CommunityPrice not published
- Professional monthly$45 a month
- Enterprise monthly$250 a month
- Professional standard$99.99 a year
- Enterprise standard$499.92 a year
- IDE standalone$499 a month
- Visual Studio CommunityFree
- Visual Studio CommunityFree
- Visual Studio Professional monthly$45 a month
- Visual Studio Professional monthly$45 a month
In their own words
CLion
CLion is a cross-platform IDE for C and C++ development, available for Linux, macOS and Windows. Its editor provides context-aware completion, code analysis, navigation and automated refactoring. Projects can use CMake, Makefile, Bazel, Meson or compilation databases. Debugging includes GDB and LLDB, variable inspection, memory and disassembly views, and core dump debugging. Remote workflows include a thin IDE client, full remote mode, Docker containers, WSL toolchains and remote debugging. For embedded development, CLion supports GCC ARM, IAR and custom toolchains, on-chip debugging, PlatformIO, STM32CubeMX, Zephyr and FreeRTOS. Testing support covers Google Test, Boost.Test, Doctest and Catch with a built-in runner. The IDE also integrates version control systems and supports CMake, Python, JavaScript, XML, HTML and Markdown, with other languages available through plugins. The non-commercial plan costs nothing and is for non-commercial use. Commercial development requires a subscription; CLion Commercial — Individual costs $10.90 a month and includes a free 30-day trial.
Visual Studio
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.