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it_user808128 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director Research Development with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
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Most valuable features include code navigation by symbols and document auto formatting
Pros and Cons
  • "It is definitely sophisticated and provides many out-of-the-box features. Going community has boosted all that."
  • "Most valuable features include code navigation by symbols and document auto formatting."
  • "Since it is a heavy product, it is somewhat slow in building and executing the code in a localhost environment and it consumes a lot of resources."

What is our primary use case?

Developing various .NET solutions, making sure code is well tested and debugging issues with it, then publishing the code from the application.

How has it helped my organization?

No one can say that VS IDE is bad. It is definitely sophisticated and provides many out-of-the-box features. Going community has boosted all that.

What is most valuable?

  • Code navigation by symbols
  • Document auto formatting
  • Testing tools
  • Publishing tools
  • Performance testing
  • Reference usage 

What needs improvement?

Since it is a heavy product, it is somewhat slow in building and executing the code in a localhost environment and it consumes a lot of resources.

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For how long have I used the solution?

Three to five years.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Software Engineer at a tech services company
Consultant
Top 10
It provides me the ability to deploy applications directly from it
What do you like best?
  1. It is a multi-purpose IDE, where I can easily build C++, C#, and many other languages projects without any difficulty. I can develop mobile apps, desktop applications, web applications, etc.
  2. It provides me the ability to deploy applications directly from the Visual Studio.
  3. Its layout editor is pretty fast and easy to use. 
  4. It is becoming the one and the only IDE which give us the ability to build cross platform applications at one place with Xamarin support.
  5. I can use my core code across Android, iOS, and Windows apps. I only have to set its layout. This is also in the IDE.
What do you dislike?

Its IntelliSense, while overall good, I think it can be improved by covering the local status. It should show local variables first in IntelliSense and other related variables afterward.

Recommendations to others considering the product

If you are student or new to programming, then I will recommend you use Visual Studio for development, because it is a complete IDE and easy to use.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Microsoft Visual Studio
August 2025
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PeerSpot user
Architect Software Test Engineer at MAS Global Consulting
Consultant
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Collaboration grew through the implementation.

What is most valuable?

Profiling

Architecture (Code Map)

Test and Load Test

How has it helped my organization?

Collaboration grew through the implementation.

TFS - Agile (Scrum / Kanban)

What needs improvement?

IntelliSense

Better management of using clauses

Auto add/remove using reference

Auto detect / suggest References or Nuget Package

For how long have I used the solution?

Six months (the 2017 version in particular).

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

NA

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

NA

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

NA

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

NA

Technical Support:

NA

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

NA

How was the initial setup?

Simple.

What about the implementation team?

In-house.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

NA

What other advice do I have?

NA

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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it_user5931 - PeerSpot reviewer
Developer at a university with 51-200 employees
Vendor
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Visual Studio .Net is the Best IDE for Programmers and IT Students

Valuable Features:

It was in 2004 when I first experienced Visual Studio 2003 as an IT student. Now that I am working as a programmer, I used the newer version which is Visual Studio 2008. Here are the few reasons why I chose .Net for so many years: • I can create console, Windows form, Web Forms, Smart device and mobile applications, XML web and windows services using different languages such as Visual Basic, C#, J# and C++ • I love the drag and drop ability of the items and controls using Visual Designers • I love the Toolbox with many useful and unique items that even Netbeans or Eclipse does not have such as Timer, DateTimePicker, Process Dialog and etc. • I adore the integrated, highly professional looking Crystal in VS 2008 and later versions • Express editions are free and suitable for students

Room for Improvement:

• Visual Studio.Net is only used for Microsoft Windows Operating system. • Other than the express edition, Visual studio products are not for free. • Crystal Report is not included in Visual Studio 2010 and 2012 and requires a separate download.

Other Advice:

Being an educator and a programmer for 8 years, I can say that Visual Studio .Net is the best development tool for desktop and web applications. I am absolutely recommending Visual Studio .Net to my fellow programmers, web developers and even to students, hobbyists and new learners.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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it_user6579 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user6579Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Consultant
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Nicely explained article, I really agree with author on some points that are:

1) Provide great feature for creating User Interface with drag and drop functionality
2) Provides flexibility to use different computer languages for creating the windows based application
3) And the most beneficial feature of .NET framework is Intellisense which helps the developers to code in speedy and efficient way.
4) The applications written on .NET platform may appear or work differently on another Operating Systems i.e Not much platform independent.

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PeerSpot user
Infrastructure Expert at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Consultant
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.NET is great for business apps, editors, anything that doesn't require really optimized code.

Valuable Features:

It provides manageable code execution, it's object oriented, the .net framework comes with ado.net, it uses xml to transfer data between the various layers in the architecture, has error handling properties, automatic memory management, disconnected architecture, and is a multi-platform application. It is a consistent programming model, has multi-language integration, and ease of development.

Room for Improvement:

Needs skills, and some versions have less features. One cannot run unsaved code or use generics and operator overloading. It requires a .net framework which xp sp3 doesn’t have.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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it_user4401 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user4401Developer at a transportation company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Vendor
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Yes, you are right Mark, by using functions the developer can get an improved performance.

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PeerSpot user
Infrastructure Expert at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Consultant
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Visual Studio will continue to be a industry standard IDE for Windows for the foreseeable future.

Valuable Features:

The Visual Studio IDE is excellent in design and function. It allows you to code for a wide variety of software, including web and platform software. It supports quite a few different programming languages. It also has a GUI based visual interface editor built in, which is easy to use and allows for quick turn around in prototyping software designs.There is a free "Express" version of the IDE software available as well.

Room for Improvement:

.NET apps are only compatible with Windows Phone 8 and Windows platforms. Visual Basic.NET is the primary language that Visual Studio is targeted for. Also, the price for the IDE can be expensive.

Other Advice:

Personally, I prefer using Visual Studio as it has the code auto-complete feature, which is really awesome if you've forgotten the name of the function or API that you are calling.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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it_user3876 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user3876Database Manager at a tech company with 51-200 employees
Real User
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Code auto completion facility is also available in other IDEs' like Eclipse. So, if this facility is the only reason for preferring Visual Studio, than why you dont prefer Eclipse?

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it_user1077 - PeerSpot reviewer
Developer at a tech company with 51-200 employees
Real User
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Visual Studio.NET is a state of the art, Integrated Development Environment (IDE) from Microsoft Corporation.

Valuable Features:

Offers an excellent platform to develop Desktop, Web, and Mobile Applications.Supports various programming languages.Includes various features for rapid application development (Like Drag & Drop, IntelliSense).

Room for Improvement:

As .NET Framework bundles more and more components, utilities, and API's, the size of the downloadable is large..NET desktop applications can run only on a windows platform.Code editor is expensive.

Other Advice:

Even though Visual Studio.NET offers great features and functions, the cross-platform issues cannot be overlooked.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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it_user6579 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user6579Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Consultant
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Great article by author Engineer359, certainly the Visual Studio.NET is a state of the art, Integrated Development Environment available in the market. Even there are some advantages and disadvantages of the framework which i would like to add:

Advantages:
1) Easy to learn
2) Can be used for creating Desktop, Web and Mobile Applications

Disadvantages:
1) As said by the author .NET Framework bundles more and more components, utilities, and API's so the learning curve is big.
2) Desktop Applications cab be created for windows platform only.

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JS
Practice Head BI at Nous Infosystems
MSP
Top 5
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Integration with various tools enhances debugging effectiveness and user experience

What is our primary use case?

We are a services company, and we use Microsoft Visual Studio for .NET development, application development, and related tasks.

What is most valuable?

I find Microsoft Visual Studio to be a good development environment. Its integration with SQL and features like check-in, check-out, and integration with Visual SourceSafe and now the Azure counterpart are very effective for debugging applications.

What needs improvement?

The integration of automation capabilities, such as code auto-generation, would be beneficial. Copilot integration and other automation tools would definitely increase productivity.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Visual Studio since its inception, which is more than ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I believe the solution is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Visual Studio is a fully scalable solution with no limitations.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support from Microsoft is very good; I would rate it a ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

I find the initial setup of Microsoft Visual Studio to be simple, and I can do it alone without needing more people.

What about the implementation team?

I can handle the installation all by myself.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I am not directly involved with the pricing since our company does bulk purchases. Generally, we are pretty happy with Microsoft products.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have not worked with any competitive products similar to Microsoft Visual Studio.

What other advice do I have?

Prospective users should know that it's very easy to set up and use Microsoft Visual Studio, ensuring a good user experience. I would rate my overall experience with Microsoft Visual Studio a ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
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Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Visual Studio
August 2025
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