The platform's use cases depend on the entire system diagram. For instance, if we have login software, it determines the users' access level. It helps admin users in uploading and managing user accounts. Other users can register, validate passwords, save, download, and upload tasks.
Software engineer at Punjab Group
Stable platform with efficient built-in features
Pros and Cons
- "The system can efficiently manage the databases."
- "They could add new modules to the platform for enhanced functioning."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The system can efficiently manage the databases.
What needs improvement?
They could add new modules to the platform for enhanced functioning. If we have a new system, we can add new features and improve the product to make it better than the previous system.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Visual Studio's latest version, 6.0, for two years.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Visual Studio
March 2026
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Visual Studio. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Visual Studio is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable platform.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we used Sublime for backend connectivity. We switched because Sublime is a basic and not a standard tool for companies. We can create only small projects using it. However, Microsoft Visual Studio is an open-source tool that offers a lot of technologies. With its help, we can develop applications in various languages, create Windows or iOS software, and even build console applications.
How was the initial setup?
The setup process is easy if we are already working on a project. It is complex if we want to create a new project from start to end. The time taken for deployment depends on what kind of project we are working with. In case of any queries, we refer to YouTube videos, ChatGPT, and Google to find the solutions.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm using the platform's open-source version.
What other advice do I have?
If you're working on a simple project, Microsoft Visual Studio might be more than you need. You can go for it if you plan to create bigger software. It offers a wide range of built-in features. I rate it a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Project Manager (Assistant Director, Technology Division) at a government with 10,001+ employees
Beneficial user interface, flexible, and good support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Visual Studio is the user interface."
- "Microsoft Visual Studio has improved the way our organization functions by allowing us to develop applications rapidly."
- "The best advice I can give to others is to take training because it's so easy to use out of the box. However, you might tend to install it and maybe configure it improperly. You need to have some training."
- "In my department, they do not like Microsoft Visual Studio, but across the departments, we will increase the usage of Microsoft Visual Studio."
What is our primary use case?
I am using Microsoft Visual Studio for software development.
How has it helped my organization?
Microsoft Visual Studio has improved the way our organization functions by allowing us to develop applications rapidly.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Visual Studio is the user interface.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Visual Studio for approximately 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have found Microsoft Visual Studio to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Visual Studio is scalable.
We have an assistant director and software development using Microsoft Visual Studio in my department. In the whole company, there could be hundreds using Microsoft Visual Studio.
In my department, they do not like Microsoft Visual Studio, but across the departments, we will increase the usage of Microsoft Visual Studio.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the support from Microsoft Visual Studio a four out of five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used a couple of different packages prior to Microsoft Visual Studio.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Microsoft Visual Studio was straightforward and take approximately 20 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
We have two people for the deployment and maintenance of Microsoft Visual Studio.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost of using Microsoft Visual Studio is approximately $1,700 per user.
I rate the price of Microsoft Visual Studio a four out of five.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated other solutions before choosing Microsoft Visual Studio, such as DELFI. I chose Microsoft Visual Studio because it was easier to use and more flexible.
What other advice do I have?
The best advice I can give to others is to take training because it's so easy to use out of the box. However, you might tend to install it and maybe configure it improperly. You need to have some training.
I rate Microsoft Visual Studio a nine 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.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Visual Studio
March 2026
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Visual Studio. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
886,077 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Software Engineer at Varian Medical Systems, Inc.
A stable solution that provides advanced design and reporting features
Pros and Cons
- "We can use different .NET features."
- "The solution must provide user-friendly features."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for Windows applications and different .NET features. We also use the BI tools.
What is most valuable?
I like the design tools. Nowadays, it is very advanced. We can use different .NET features.
What needs improvement?
We have different platforms available for web development. The solution must provide user-friendly features. We get updates frequently. Multiple versions are released within a short period. We need to keep updating the solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for more than ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the tool’s stability an eight out of ten. We need to consider a lot of things while creating projects on Visual Studio. There are a lot of dependencies to add and maintain.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is scalable. There are more than 1000 users in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
We have used Microsoft’s support for SQL Server Reporting Services. Sometimes, we do not receive prompt responses. We have to work with different teams and need to wait for resolutions.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is straightforward. We update the product when we get information from our teams.
What about the implementation team?
The deployment can be done in-house.
What was our ROI?
The solution has benefited us. The users are really happy to use the product for reporting purposes. It has many features.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the solution to others. Overall, I rate the tool an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Business System Developer at AVEVA
Breakout point,and interface design are easy to use, but the solution is not really good at debugging JavaScript, jQuery, or SQL
Pros and Cons
- "The solution includes a debug function that I can breakpoint to easily detect what is wrong with my applications."
- "If you want to use .NET or C#, then Visual Studio is the best solution."
- "The solution is not really good at debugging JavaScript, jQuery, or SQL"
- "The solution is not really good at debugging JavaScript, jQuery, or SQL."
What is our primary use case?
I write all of my web applications and perform debugs with the solution. Our company is a Microsoft partner and has 1,000 developers and technical team members that are dispersed across the UK, US, and Asia Pacific.
How has it helped my organization?
The breakout point, interface design, and coding areas are WYSIWYG and easy to use.
What is most valuable?
The solution includes a debug function that I can breakpoint to easily detect what is wrong with my applications. It is really good for debugging C# code. It identifies which lines or sections have problems and if your naming is incorrect.
What needs improvement?
The solution is not really good at debugging JavaScript, jQuery, or SQL.
For SQL, sometimes I get alerts that there are non-values or mismatches but the line or section is not identified. I get very generic information with SQL. I have to install ELMAH open source code into our SQL so Visual Studio can track it.
For jQuery, I have to add the debugger command manually.
Sometimes, when upgrading the product, certain features are removed even though they are very good like EDMS. There was a VISA for connecting databases and creating an entity framework that would generate connections and pulses. It was removed from the latest release so now it needs to be added manually. I like enhancements but would prefer they not remove features as it makes things more difficult.
When they release things like .NET Core, the solution becomes unstable. There needs to be a long-term plan because so many versions have been released that some are duplicates. Let's say I'm using .NET Core version 5 and they change it to .NET 5 or 6.0, the releases are too quick and completely duplicated.
Every new release includes duplicates of features. Some are very useful but when they are duplicated, I have to rewrite or upgrade my code. This makes it difficult for a developer and is not a long-term solution. In one year, I've already spent money to develop my apps, and then I have to upgrade the code again.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is not very stable and sometimes hangs.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable and adding users is no problem.
How are customer service and support?
I rely on internal staff for technical support. I believe Microsoft requires you to register as a customer before you can utilize their support. There's an online forum where you can post questions and get quick replies from other users.
How was the initial setup?
Setup and use are easy.
Deployment varies based on the size of your project.
Small, web-deployed projects take less than five minutes and we are ready to publish the web app to Azure.
For on-premises, we build the DLL and web package in advance. It takes 20-30 minutes to import because you have to upload to the file server, download the package, and import the application.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Our company is a Microsoft partner so we only use their solutions.
What other advice do I have?
If you want to use .NET or C#, then Visual Studio is the best solution.
I rate the solution a seven 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
Mobile Engeneer at ServiceLInk inc
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."
- "My advice to others is Microsoft Visual Studio is a good tool for development."
- "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."
- "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."
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.
Junior Software Engineer at PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk.
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."
- "One of the most valuable features is its support because if there's a bug or a performance issue, Microsoft provides quick updates."
- "Microsoft Visual Studio could benefit from a more centralized education system."
- "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."
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
Architect at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Robust development solution that improves productivity
Pros and Cons
- "The valuable feature is that it provides a basic template for everything and built-in debugging tools. They definitely save me time."
- "The hot reload feature is good, but sometimes it doesn't work. It could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for project development, including tasks such as web API, hosted services, mini-tests, and more.
What is most valuable?
The valuable feature is that it provides a basic template for everything and built-in debugging tools. They definitely save me time.
Compared to 2019, the 2022 version runs much smoother. The older version used to freeze if I had too many consoles open. The 2022 version is lighter and performs significantly better. Also, the ID itself is quite lightweight.
The UI is fine; they've kept it consistent for a while now, so it's familiar.
What needs improvement?
The hot reload feature is good, but sometimes it doesn't work. It could be improved.
Also, the solution is heavy. If it could become lighter, it would attract a larger user base.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used the solution since 2008, so for the past 15 years. I’m currently using the latest version from 2022.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is highly stable. I rate it a nine out of ten, with ten being the highest.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If you have multiple windows open, up to three is fine. However, when you exceed three windows, especially on individual laptops, it tends to slow down the system. It is heavy; it is not a light solution.
We have around ten users for the solution.
How was the initial setup?
The setup process is straightforward, the only thing is the downloadable file is a bit large in size. The deployment process is quite simple.
You just need to download the file, double-check it, have an administrator, and you're good to go. It takes approximately 20 minutes to complete the setup.
What about the implementation team?
It can be implemented in-house. We have to keep the updates running; that is it. There is no other maintenance required.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the solution a seven on a scale from one to ten, with one being the most affordable and ten being the most expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the solution to all. It enhances productivity. Overall, I rate the solution a nine 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.
Intuitive database technology with robust integrated development environment, offering high scalability, excellent collaboration features and strong stability
Pros and Cons
- "Notably, the Enterprise version facilitates seamless integration with Microsoft products, leveraging the ease of connectivity within the Microsoft ecosystem."
- "Despite its advantages, challenges in diverse cloud environments may prompt the uninstallation of the application or entire development environment for resolution."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for comprehensive support in software development, encompassing tasks such as code writing, unit testing, and deployment to both cloud and on-premises services.
How has it helped my organization?
It proved versatile for diverse purposes, serving as a valuable tool for developing solutions across web, desktop, and mobile platforms. It facilitated not only coding activities but also aided in managing repositories and deploying applications to various environments, whether they be cloud-based or on-premises infrastructure.
What is most valuable?
Within Visual Support, there are three versions available, each housed in distinct containers. I'm focusing on the Enterprise version due to its customizable nature. This version boasts additional features, such as a pricing application for enhanced functionality and comprehensive unit testing coverage. The testing capabilities extend to diverse features, providing a thorough examination of different aspects. Notably, the Enterprise version facilitates seamless integration with Microsoft products, leveraging the ease of connectivity within the Microsoft ecosystem. Moreover, it supports integration with open-source products, including Python, allowing for a flexible and inclusive approach to development.
What needs improvement?
When using Visual Support for web development, challenges arise when specific components require hardware configurations beyond the application's scope. Efforts are directed at enhancing the IDE and introducing features for seamless collaboration, extending to Azure with the Explore version. This version incorporates "live share," enabling real-time code collaboration among team members. Despite its advantages, challenges in diverse cloud environments may prompt the uninstallation of the application or entire development environment for resolution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with it for approximately thirteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is noteworthy because Visual Studio offers both a release and a preview version. The release version is reliable, free of issues, and suitable for general use. However, for those seeking additional features and improvements, the preview version is available. This version allows users to test new features directly and report any issues to the community for resolution. While encountering some issues in the preview version, they are typically addressed promptly through community feedback, resulting in a stable and refined release version shortly thereafter. I would rate it eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
High scalability makes it a strong recommendation, especially for enterprise-level development, given its robust capabilities as an integrated development environment. I would rate it ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I've interacted with Microsoft support, but the community support for Visual Studio testing has been particularly outstanding. Unlike conventional support, the community channels provide an open and collaborative environment, similar to open-source platforms. This allows users to easily report issues, open discussions, and communicate effectively, making it a gateway to a more responsive and interactive support experience.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Having used various products at different companies, I must highlight that Microsoft's development technology, particularly in the realm of databases, has proven to be more intuitive and superior. It demonstrated a higher level of user-friendliness and efficiency.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. Simply download the controller and proceed with the installation, selecting the desired options for a new environment and clicking through the prompts. I would rate it nine out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
Setting it up in the initial stages used to be a time-consuming process, often taking more than an hour. This was primarily due to the need to download setup data, often distributed on CDs or DVDs, and then proceed with the installation. Additionally, a decade ago, machines were not as swift, further extending the setup time. However, in recent years, there's been a more efficient option. Users now have two options: an online installation and an offline installation. For the online version, users simply download it and direct it to the storage directory on their machines.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing varies depending on the version, and with three options available (Community, Professional, and Enterprise), you can choose based on your needs. While the enterprise version can be relatively expensive due to its comprehensive features, I find the license I currently possess to be reasonable, considering it includes the full suite without additional activations or charges.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rat it ten 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.
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