Visual Studio
Microsoft's full IDE for .NET, C++ and Windows development
Visual Studio is Microsoft's integrated development environment for building .NET, C# and C++ applications, games and cloud services. It includes IntelliSense, an advanced debugger and profiler, visual designers, testing tools, Git integration and GitHub Copilot. The Community edition is free for individuals, students, open source and small teams, while Professional and Enterprise are paid. It runs on Windows only.
- features
- 5
- alternatives
- 8
- platform
- 1
- Updated
- Oct 12, 2026
Features
Our take
Pros
- Advanced debugger and profiler for .NET and C++ apps
- Visual designers and testing tools for Windows development
- Free Community edition for individuals, students and small teams
Cons
- Windows only, as Visual Studio for Mac has been retired
- Large install and heavy resource use
- Professional and Enterprise editions are paid
Editorial assessment by the Alternatives.tools team, based on what the product is known for. Not a user review.
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