I am using Microsoft Visual Studio for developing WPS applications.
Product Design Engineer at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees
Intelligent, good UI design, and useful developing .NET applications
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Visual Studio is the good intelligence and UI."
- "The stability of Microsoft Visual Studio could improve. There are times it hangs or stops working and I have to restart the program."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Visual Studio is the good intelligence and UI.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Visual Studio for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Microsoft Visual Studio could improve. There are times it hangs or stops working and I have to restart the program.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Microsoft Visual Studio is good.
We have approximately 10 people in our company's automated department using the solution.
How are customer service and support?
Our manager has spoken to the technical support from Microsoft Visual Studio.
How was the initial setup?
Microsoft Visual Studio is easy to set up. The deployment took approximately 30 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
We did the deployment in-house of Microsoft Visual Studio.
What other advice do I have?
This is a good solution for developing .NET applications and other applications.
I rate Microsoft Visual Studio an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Soft Engineer at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
A solution that is easy to access all the basic templates for development but may be cost prohibitive for smaller organizations
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Visual Studio is how easy it is to access all the basic templates for development. There are so many features you get with Visual Studio that it's really helpful for the deployment, the development, and the intelligence behind it."
- "I would like to see more on-premise tips and tools along with development time so that I don't need to go to a third-party site."
What is our primary use case?
We use Microsoft Visual Studio for development.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Visual Studio is how easy it is to access all the basic templates for development. There are so many features you get with Visual Studio that it's really helpful for the deployment, the development, and the intelligence behind it.
What needs improvement?
The product and its features have come a long way over the years. There are so many features available that you can't use them all. I would like to see more on-premise tips and tools along with development time so that I don't need to go to a third-party site. It would be better if Microsoft Visual Studio familiarized me with all the updates and new feature sets. Help tips would be really helpful.
I would like to see a design preview feature. In the 2013 version and partially in the 2015 version, there was a design screen within Visual Studio. Now, you can't really see the design elements during development without deploying the whole design template. The design preview would be beneficial in future updates.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. It has not crashed.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Visual Studio is scalable enough for us. Teams work on it and can collaborate on their work. The number of users depends on the strength of the team and the requirements of the project.
How are customer service and support?
The support for Microsoft Visual Studio is good. All the templates for different types of development like Windows, APIs, and Angular development are all supported.
Other than the Microsoft line-up, you can work on the open source languages as well. They support open source languages like Angular and Node.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously we worked with different IDEs. We use Visual Studio in parallel with VS Code in parallel with Atom. We also work with Eclipse.
I prefer Visual Studio because I am also working with Microsoft Teams.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Visual Studio is straightforward for anyone familiar with the solution. Newer users will experience a learning curve, but it is not because of the GUI, the user experience is good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have an enterprise-level license. The cost is expensive for small to medium-sized organizations.
What other advice do I have?
Microsoft Visual Studio is an excellent IDE, but the features are more of VS Code. For small to medium-sized organizations, the licensing for Visual Studio may be too expensive. It is really suited for companies that work on the cloud, or have large teams working on Microsoft Stack. Many open-source tools provide similar feature sets.
On the other hand, you will find Visual Studio more user-friendly than open source. It has a better GUI and is more plug-and-drop compared to other IDEs.
It is also a personal preference. If you are comfortable with command terms, then Visual Studio provides that. If you require a TFS repository, you do need Visual Studio as an IDE, as they are really tightly coupled and easy to do all your CI/CD. Lastly, if you use a version control other than TFS, then you may prefer a different IDE, like VS Code or an open-source IDE.
The main factor is going to come down to cost.
I would rate Microsoft Visual Studio an eight out of ten overall.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Visual Studio
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Visual Studio. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,310 professionals have used our research since 2012.
CEO at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Useful, easy to set up, and quick to deploy, but its user interface needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "What I like the most about Microsoft Visual Studio is that it's useful. It's also a very stable solution, and is scalable as well. It's quick to set up as it only took me a few seconds to do it."
- "What I don't like about Microsoft Visual Studio is its user interface. It could be better. WebStorm is a better solution for me as it has a good user interface and is more user-friendly, though my friends like Microsoft Visual Studio. I worked with WebStorm for the web layer, and for the server layer, I worked with IBM Eclipse which is my favorite software. I also dealt with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS through Angular."
What is our primary use case?
I use Microsoft Visual Studio to develop software.
What is most valuable?
What I like the most about Microsoft Visual Studio is that it's useful. It's also a very stable solution, and is scalable as well. It's quick to set up as it only took me a few seconds to do it.
What needs improvement?
What I don't like about Microsoft Visual Studio is its user interface. It could be better. WebStorm is a better solution for me as it has a good user interface and is more user-friendly, though my friends like Microsoft Visual Studio. I worked with WebStorm for the web layer, and for the server layer, I worked with IBM Eclipse which is my favorite software. I also dealt with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS through Angular.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Microsoft Visual Studio for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Visual Studio is a very stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Visual Studio is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
We use the internet, for example, YouTube sites to solve issues about Microsoft Visual Studio. We don't contact their support team.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for Microsoft Visual Studio wasn't complex. It was very easy. The process was easy to understand. It only took me five seconds to deploy Microsoft Visual Studio.
What about the implementation team?
I implemented Microsoft Visual Studio myself. You can do it in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Microsoft Visual Studio is free. It's freeware, so you don't have to pay for its license.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated WebStorm, IBM Eclipse, and Angular.
What other advice do I have?
In my company, three users work with Microsoft Visual Studio.
I would recommend WebStorm to others, rather than Microsoft Visual Studio.
My rating for Microsoft Visual Studio is six out of ten, though my friends would probably rate the solution a ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Mobile Engeneer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Beneficial UI functionality, complete development kit, and performs well
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Microsoft Visual Studio are the UI functionality where you can do software development. Everything is available there that you need. You can create the UI, and code, develop and compile it."
- "Microsoft Visual Studio can improve by adding more features to the Mac version. There are a lot of features lacking in the Mac version, there are limitations. I can install Microsoft Visual Studio on the Mac operating system, but it is not the same as if I installed it on a Microsoft Windows system. The Microsoft Windows version has a lot of features available in Microsoft Visual Studio."
What is our primary use case?
I'm using Microsoft Visual Studio for developing mobile applications using Xamarin. It's similar to a software development kit (SDK).
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Microsoft Visual Studio are the UI functionality where you can do software development. Everything is available there that you need. You can create the UI, and code, develop and compile it.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft Visual Studio can improve by adding more features to the Mac version. There are a lot of features lacking in the Mac version, there are limitations. I can install Microsoft Visual Studio on the Mac operating system, but it is not the same as if I installed it on a Microsoft Windows system. The Microsoft Windows version has a lot of features available in Microsoft Visual Studio.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Visual Studio for approximately nine years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Microsoft Visual Studio is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Visual Studio is scalable. I can write a lot of code and there is not any problem with performance.
We have approximately 200 IT department people using this solution in my organization.
How are customer service and support?
When we have an issue we generally put it in the online forum or email to receive a reply. They provide a response within 24 hours, which is good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Microsoft Visual Studio is approximately $400 annually.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others is Microsoft Visual Studio is a good tool for development. It is easy to handle and use, and it has a clean UI design. Overall it is not complicated. Anyone can use it to develop any web application or mobile application. It's cross-platform, it can run on Microsoft Windows and macOS. The cross-platform features are good.
I rate Microsoft Visual Studio a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Enterprise Architect - Integrations at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Comprehensive and has features that work for different plans; powerful and efficient
Pros and Cons
- "What we like about Microsoft Visual Studio is that it's a comprehensive tool. It has features that work for different plans and it has a wide variety of use cases. It's also a powerful tool and it's quite efficient."
- "The UI could be better, and development could be easier on Microsoft Visual Studio if there were more features like drag and drop and more frameworks, etc."
What is our primary use case?
We use Microsoft Visual Studio for various builds such as building our .NET applications, and in some cases, we use it for design, and for building specifications.
What is most valuable?
What we like about Microsoft Visual Studio is that it's a comprehensive tool. It has features that work for different plans and it has a wide variety of use cases. It's also a powerful tool and it's quite efficient.
What needs improvement?
There's always room for improvement in any product, and in Microsoft Visual Studio, it can be spread into other areas of development and design. It's pretty much Microsoft-oriented at the moment. It can be spread into other open source or open source-based developments. That's why I gave it a rating of eight. There's always room for improvement, for example, the UI could be better, and development could be easier on Microsoft Visual Studio if there were more features like drag and drop and more frameworks, etc.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using Microsoft Visual Studio for the past three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Visual Studio is a stable tool. It has improved in terms of stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, I don't know if scalability applies to Microsoft Visual Studio, to be honest.
How are customer service and support?
We never required technical support from Microsoft Visual Studio because it's a straightforward tool. Online help is great, for example, the community support and forums are all good and widely used.
How was the initial setup?
Microsoft Visual Studio has improved a lot over the years, and setting it up is quite straightforward now.
How fast the tool is deployed depends on project to project, but usually deployment is quite efficient and fast. We usually take on average fifteen days to build a feature and deploy it in DevOps.
What about the implementation team?
We both have an in-house team and partners that take care of the implementation of Microsoft Visual Studio.
What was our ROI?
I've seen ROI from Microsoft Visual Studio.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The development license for Microsoft Visual Studio is free. I don't know if there's a licensing cost to it.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Eclipse and also used other tools, but Microsoft Visual Studio is good.
What other advice do I have?
My company has been using Microsoft Visual Studio for development purposes, particularly Microsoft Visual Studio for .NET development.
I would highly recommend Microsoft Visual Studio to others looking into implementing it. I would also advise that it has some learning curve to use, in particular, people need the technical skill to use the tool properly.
My rating for Microsoft Visual Studio is eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Consultant at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Easy setup with good interface and lots of languages
Pros and Cons
- "The product integrates well with Azure Cloud, and it supports a ton of languages."
- "It has a ton of options and that sometimes can become very, very overwhelming for a new person, a new developer."
What is most valuable?
The product integrates well with Azure Cloud, and it supports a ton of languages.
It also has a very good interface for Git source code management. Then there are a couple of add-ins or plug-ins that are out there in the marketplace that sometimes come in handy. From a developer standpoint, it does a very good job when it comes to debugging. It's a great development tool.
The initial setup was pretty straightforward.
The solution has good technical support.
What needs improvement?
It has a ton of options and that sometimes can become very, very overwhelming for a new person, a new developer. If something can be done around simplifying the product, for example, if there's a way, to just have enough options that are relevant for me, that could probably help.
The upgrade system is a bit complex. If they're upgrading something, then they should not force us to go to the next version. Maybe they should probably just release a fix or something that, and once we implement that fix, it gives us at least a choice that you're good for some time even if you don't want to upgrade.
A ton of time is just spent trying to keep ourselves up with the frequent releases that Microsoft rolls out. That is something that takes away from our productive time that we could have invested that time to enhance your application, and could have worked on additional features or functionalities, however, you end up spending that time just to upgrade your current solution to the next version that they roll out.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for three years, however, my team members have been using it for ten to 12 years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of the stability, the frequent upgrades that they roll out and then they force us to upgrade the solution, upgrade the tool itself, those sometimes can be a nuisance.
Most of the time, I see my team members end up spending a lot of time just upgrading the application to the next .NET framework. Or sometimes even the Microsoft Visual Studio version that gets rolled out and then you just have to do that upgrade. Therefore, the frequent upgrades that happen just don't support the older ones, they just take it off support, which causes a lot of nuisance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The project that I'm part of is a huge team for sure. We are a team of a couple hundred.
How are customer service and support?
There have been instances in the past where we have reached out to Microsoft.
Support-wise, they're doing a fair job. I don't mind that. Whenever we reach out, we do get help.
How was the initial setup?
It was a pretty easy setup. For us, basically, it comes with some preconfigured settings. The license that we have is a project from our customer. It is fairly straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We had a third party help us with the initial setup. We did not do it completely by ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm not someone who concerns myself with the cost. That said, my understanding is the license cost is a lot. Before customers roll out a license for any developer, they make sure that it is relevant and it's required for the job.
What other advice do I have?
We use the enterprise edition of the product. We're using the latest version.
We're end-users of Visual Studio. We're also using Microsoft Teams as well.
We have a couple of applications running on-prem. The roadmap is to move as much as possible onto Azure.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
BI Development & Validation Manager at a agriculture with 10,001+ employees
Stable solution that facilitates different software development processes
Pros and Cons
- "This solution can integrate with almost any functionality offered by Microsoft."
- "The pricing for licenses could be reduced to make this solution more competitive."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution to support a number of different web development processes across different tools and languages.
What is most valuable?
This solution can integrate with almost any functionality offered by Microsoft.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing for licenses could be reduced to make this solution more competitive.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Junior Software Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Scalable IDE for software development with easy access to support and quick updates for bugs
Pros and Cons
- "One of the most valuable features is its support. It's easy for me to get support even though I never use it. If there's a bug or a performance issue, Microsoft also provides quick updates, and this is another valuable feature of the program."
- "Microsoft Visual Studio could benefit from a more centralized education system."
What is most valuable?
One of the most valuable features is its support. It's easy for me to get support even though I never use it. If there's a bug or a performance issue, Microsoft also provides quick updates, and this is another valuable feature of the program.
What needs improvement?
A room for improvement in Microsoft Visual Studio is its performance. Currently, some of our devices are not that capable, so performance still needs to be improved.
An additional feature I'd like to see in the next release of Microsoft Visual Studio to make it better is a more centralized education system, e.g. for Microsoft to put the tutorial for the program under Microsoft Learn.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with Microsoft Visual Studio for two years, and I'm still using it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Microsoft Visual Studio is okay, but it could be more stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Visual Studio is a scalable program. It's enough for me, and I'm utilizing it a lot, and that's one of the most important things for me.
How was the initial setup?
I'm using my company's equipment, so Microsoft Visual Studio is already set up on it. The program's easy to set up.
What other advice do I have?
I'm using the latest version of Microsoft Visual Studio, e.g. the 2022 version if I remember correctly. It depends on what my company is using.
The most valuable thing about Microsoft Visual Studio is that it's already deployed in my company and used by my company, so I can just use it. That's the reason I'm using the program.
I haven't contacted technical support for Microsoft Visual Studio.
I'm giving Microsoft Visual Studio a rating of eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
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Updated: December 2025
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