Visual Studio
by Microsoft Visual Studio · IDE for .NET, C++ and game development with GitHub Copilot built in
53.1 — BenchRank score out of 100
Screenshots of Visual Studio
Homepage Pricing page
Overview
Visual Studio is Microsoft's IDE for building web, cloud, desktop, gaming and AI applications, with IntelliSense completion, a debugger, integrated testing and Git and CI/CD tooling. It has built-in support for .NET 10, C# 14, Aspire, Unity, Unreal and modern C++, and integrates GitHub Copilot including an agent mode. Subscriptions add Azure DevOps and monthly Azure credits.
- Best for
- Professional .NET and C++ teams wanting an IDE bundled with Azure credits and DevOps access
- Pricing
- A free download is offered, with paid subscriptions from $45 user/month (Professional monthly) up to $499.92 user/month billed annually (Enterprise standard), plus a $499 one-time standalone IDE licence.
- Runs on
- WebWindowsCLI
Strengths and trade-offs
Strengths
- Built-in support for .NET 10, C# 14, Aspire and modern C++
- GitHub Copilot and agent mode integrated into the editor
- Subscriptions bundle Azure credits, Azure DevOps and training
- Free download offered alongside the paid subscriptions
Trade-offs
- Enterprise standard costs $499.92 per user/month, paid annually up front
- First-year rate is over twice the renewal rate ($499.92 vs $214.09)
- Monthly plans exclude the Azure credits, training and software benefits
- Microsoft states benefits may be added or discontinued mid-subscription
Pricing
Published plans from Visual Studio’s own pricing page, in USD. Usage charges and add-ons may apply on top.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise standard | —per user/month, paid annually | $499.92 |
|
| Professional standard | —per user/month, paid annually | $99.99 |
|
| Enterprise monthly | $250per user/month | — |
|
| Professional monthly | $45per user/month | — |
|
| IDE standalone | —one-time purchase | — |
|
How this score is made up
Each dimension is scored out of 100 and combined into the headline score using fixed weights.
- MCP support
- 60 out of 100
- API quality
- 0 out of 100
- Documentation
- 50 out of 100
- Agent friendliness
- 68 out of 100
- Pricing transparency
- 100 out of 100
- Customer sentiment
- 79 out of 100
- Changelog
- 40 out of 100
- Marketing site structure
- 65 out of 100
- Operational trust
- 25 out of 100
Measured, but not part of the score
Useful to know, but not a mark for or against the product — so these do not affect the ranking.
- Openness
- 0 out of 100
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