Name: Microsoft Visual Studio
Brand: Microsoft
Rating: 4.2 (100 reviews)

it_user477687

Software Engineer at a tech services company

Nov 26, 2017

It provides me the ability to deploy applications directly from it

What do you like best?

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.
It provides me the ability to deploy applications directly from the Visual Studio.
Its layout editor is pretty fast and easy to use.
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.
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.

it_user262080

Architect Software Test Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

Jun 21, 2017

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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?

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

Technical Support:

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

How was the initial setup?

Simple.

What about the implementation team?

In-house.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

What other advice do I have?

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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it_user5931

Developer at a university with 51-200 employees

Apr 16, 2013

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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.

it_user6579Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

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Jul 27, 2013

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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it_user1164

Infrastructure Expert at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Jul 13, 2012

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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.

it_user4401Developer at a transportation company with 1,001-5,000 employees

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Sep 7, 2013

Yes, you are right Mark, by using functions the developer can get an improved performance.

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it_user1122

Infrastructure Expert at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Jul 12, 2012

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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.

it_user3876Database Manager at a tech company with 51-200 employees

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Feb 20, 2013

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?

it_user1077

Developer at a tech company with 51-200 employees

Jul 2, 2012

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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.

it_user6579Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

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Jul 27, 2013

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.

reviewer2784906

Software Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Dec 5, 2025

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Debugging and team collaboration have improved, but theme customization still needs work

What is our primary use case?

My main use case for Microsoft Visual Studio is as an IDE.

I use Microsoft Visual Studio for any of my .NET work.

I use Microsoft Visual Studio for debugging, testing, and collaborating with teammates.

What is most valuable?

The best features Microsoft Visual Studio offers are the debugging tools, which are quite effective.

What I appreciate about the debugging tools in Microsoft Visual Studio is the UI, which makes it easy to use.

Microsoft Visual Studio has positively impacted my organization by helping with productivity through collaboration. It has helped with productivity because we use it to collaborate.

Microsoft Visual Studio has helped with collaboration by using mob.sh for team projects.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Visual Studio is a solid IDE overall. There could be some additional customization on the themes for the visual aspect to make it easier to read the code, though plugins are available for that.

I don't have other needed improvements for Microsoft Visual Studio beyond themes or plugins.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Visual Studio for about four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Visual Studio is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Microsoft Visual Studio has worked well so far. I haven't run into any significant issues.

How are customer service and support?

I haven't had to reach out to customer support for Microsoft Visual Studio.

How would you rate customer service and support?

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

It's project to project with Microsoft Visual Studio, but sometimes we use JetBrains and sometimes we use Visual Studio, depending on the project.

How was the initial setup?

I don't remember my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing because the company handled most of that for me.

What was our ROI?

Microsoft Visual Studio has likely saved some time and money because we can use it for many plugins, though I don't know the specifics.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to others looking into using Microsoft Visual Studio is that if you're running a .NET project, it's the best IDE we've found so far, and it's a solid, stable product. I would rate this review a 7.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Last updated: Dec 5, 2025

reviewer2216280

Software Developer at a financial services firm with 1-10 employees

Aug 9, 2023

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Has good community support and interactive testing feature

Pros and Cons

"The tool is good for interactive testing. It has good integrations and works well for remote services. The product also has features for collaborative work where it allows others to control my screen. It has a good community for every language."

"I have faced configuration issues with Microsoft Visual Studio."

What is our primary use case?

I use the product to develop software.

What is most valuable?

The tool is good for interactive testing. It has good integrations and works well for remote services. The product also has features for collaborative work where it allows others to control my screen. It has a good community for every language.

What needs improvement?

I have faced configuration issues with Microsoft Visual Studio.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate Microsoft Visual Studio's scalability an eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

I haven't reached out to the tool's support.

How was the initial setup?

Microsoft Visual Studio's setup is straightforward. It is easy to download the solution and you need to allow permissions depending on whether you are a Mac or Windows user.