Visual Studio
The complete IDE for developers and teams
Visual Studio is Microsoft's integrated development environment (IDE) for building applications across web, cloud, desktop, mobile, and gaming platforms. It addresses the full software development lifecycle by providing tools for code editing, debugging, testing, and deployment within a single application.
Key capabilities include IntelliSense for context-aware code completion, an integrated debugger, and built-in testing tools. The IDE supports Git and CI/CD workflows for streamlined deployment. It offers first-class support for .NET, C++, C#, and Python, among other languages, and includes features for developing Azure cloud-native apps, games with Unity and Unreal, and mobile applications. GitHub Copilot is integrated as an AI assistant, including an agent mode for complex tasks.
Visual Studio is available in three editions. Community is a free, fully-featured IDE for students, open-source contributors, and individual developers. Professional and Enterprise are paid subscriptions that include additional benefits such as monthly Azure credits, access to Azure DevOps, training resources, and premium dev/test software. Subscriptions are priced per user per month or annually, with a standalone perpetual license option also available for the Professional IDE.
12 alternatives to Visual Studio
Ranked by how well each tool replaces Visual Studio: shared features, audience, price and popularity.
- 69 out of 100 matchFree
Build with Visual Studio Code, anywhere, anytime, entirely in your browser.
Free plan66 out of 100 matchFree- 63 out of 100 matchFree
Manage fleets of local and cloud agents from one surface. Plan, delegate, review, and ship
Starts cheaper.
Free plan63 out of 100 match$20/mo- 63 out of 100 match$25/mo
Visual Assist: Productivity tool for refactoring, reading, writing, and navigating C/C++/C
Free plan62 out of 100 matchContact salesA free, open source, cross-platform IDE for C, C++, Rust, PHP and Node.js
Is open source.
Free planOpen source62 out of 100 matchFreeOpen source AI coding agent in IDE, CLI, and cloud.
Starts cheaper and is open source.
Free planOpen source62 out of 100 match$15/moA cross-platform IDE for C, C++, Python, QML/JavaScript and PHP
Is open source.
Free planOpen source61 out of 100 matchFree