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Admin at IEC (Electoral Commission of South Africa)
Real User
Well-defined processes, beneficial team integration, and highly scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Microsoft Visual Studio are the way we are able to design code, deploy, and test our application. It is easy to move an artifact from the start to the deployment stage. It has well-defined processes that you can integrate with any team. Additionally, the solution is always improving."
  • "Microsoft Visual Studio can improve by bringing back designers. They used to have designers for architecture charts and diagrams. They were able to do things, such as database design. If they can bring them back, it would be great."

What is our primary use case?

We use the Microsoft Visual Studio environment to write code for applications.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Microsoft Visual Studio are the way we are able to design code, deploy, and test our application. It is easy to move an artifact from the start to the deployment stage. It has well-defined processes that you can integrate with any team. Additionally, the solution is always improving.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Visual Studio can improve by bringing back designers. They used to have designers for architecture charts and diagrams. They were able to do things, such as database design. If they can bring them back, it would be great.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Visual Studio for approximately 20 years.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Visual Studio
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Visual Studio. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
842,690 professionals have used our research since 2012.

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?

Microsoft Visual Studio can scale in terms of expected loads. It is highly scalable.

We have four people who use the solution in my organization.

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

We were using another solution prior to Microsoft Visual Studio.

How was the initial setup?

Microsoft Visual Studio's initial setup is easy. The process took approximately two to three hours.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation of Microsoft Visual Studio in-house. We use one person for the deployment and support of the solution.

What was our ROI?

We have seen a return on investment using Microsoft Visual Studio. Within a week you can be more proficient and see the value.

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

You have to be a subscriber with a Visual Studio subscription to use the solution and the organization has to purchase a license that's linked to the account.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to others is they should try Microsoft Visual Studio. They will achieve quicker results in terms of being able to deliver the project compared to the competition.

I rate Microsoft Visual Studio a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

PeerSpot user
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    ManjitRay - PeerSpot reviewer
    Software Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
    Consultant
    Easy to integrate with GitHub, but there should be more support
    Pros and Cons
    • "It is easy to integrate with GitHub. We integrate with GitHub, and we deploy our solution on our local system. We need this integration for pushing our code. When we were working with Eclipse, we had to write everything in the command prompt, which is a little bit tricky, whereas Visual Studio is very much UI-based and simple. So, it's very easy to integrate GitHub with Visual Studio. It is much easier than Eclipse."
    • "With the free version, we don't have that much support for Visual Studio. Its support is a little bit less and can be better."

    What is most valuable?

    It is easy to integrate with GitHub. We integrate with GitHub, and we deploy our solution on our local system. We need this integration for pushing our code. When we were working with Eclipse, we had to write everything in the command prompt, which is a little bit tricky, whereas Visual Studio is very much UI-based and simple. So, it's very easy to integrate GitHub with Visual Studio. It is much easier than Eclipse.

    It is also good for debugging.

    What needs improvement?

    With the free version, we don't have that much support for Visual Studio. Its support is a little bit less and can be better.

    I have recently shifted to Microsoft Visual Studio. Before that, I was working on Eclipse. I switched because of project requirements. Initially, it was a bit difficult to understand the debugging and other functionalities, but once I got familiar with it, I find it much easier than Eclipse. It can be made a bit easier for basic users.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been working with this solution for two months.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It is stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Its scalability is good. In my team, we have around eight members.

    How was the initial setup?

    It is straightforward. I don't find it complex. I have also used Eclipse, and when I compare it with Eclipse, it is not that complex. 

    What other advice do I have?

    I would rate it a seven out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner

    PeerSpot user
    Rich text editor
      Buyer's Guide
      Microsoft Visual Studio
      March 2025
      Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Visual Studio. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
      842,690 professionals have used our research since 2012.
      it_user1355943 - PeerSpot reviewer
      Tech Lead at Abtran
      Real User
      A stable and complete package for .NET software development
      Pros and Cons
      • "The most valuable feature is that it is a complete package, with an IDE and everything that you need for software development."
      • "There are some features that I have yet to explore and it would be helpful to have more information about what is available and how it works."

      What is our primary use case?

      We are using Visual Studio for .NET software development.

      One application that we are developing is for the service industry in Ireland. We are trying some PoCs for developing APIs and Web Interfaces using ASP.NET CORE. Once we demonstrate it, we will be developing a full-fledged solution.

      Other teams in our organization are currently developing other projects, some of which are going into production in about a month.

      How has it helped my organization?

      This is an IDE for software development using .NET, and there are not many tools like it available. Anything we need to do, development-wise, we use this tool.

      What is most valuable?

      Its hard to point the most valuable feature as I see this IDE as a complete package for developers to build software solutions. Live Share, code refactoring, IntelliCode, the debug and diagnosis tooling are all valuable.

      What needs improvement?

      There are some features that I have yet to explore and it would be helpful to have more information about what is available and how it works.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I have been using Visual Studio for eight years and still using it.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      We use this product on a daily basis and the stability is great. It does depend on the environment and how it is set up, but that is for the developers to learn. We have not had any downtime.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      This is a scalable solution. At this time, we have five or six developers who are using it.

      How are customer service and technical support?

      I have been in contact with Microsoft's technical support, but not much. When I have issues, I use the community forum. I have found that they respond quickly and I can resolve the problem.

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

      I started learning .NET using Visual Studio and still using. As far as developing .NET solutions are concerned, Visual Studio is all that is needed. I did use Eclipse and Netbeans long back to develop Java solutions.

      How was the initial setup?

      The initial setup is straightforward.

      The Azure deployment is very quick, although we are still following the old method. It is still quick to publish and deploy, taking about five minutes for the on-premises version.

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

      I am not the right person to advise on the pricing and the cost aspect as I just develop solutions using the tool. Although I am not directly involved in pricing, I have heard positive comments about the licensing fees. When our subscription expires, the finance department takes care of it.

      The most basic edition of Visual Studio, the Community edition, is available free of charge which is oriented towards students, individual developers and small teams.

      What other advice do I have?

      This tool is widely used in the software industry. The most recent version, 2019, has a lot of new functionality, some of which I still have to explore. Visual Studio is a developer friendly tool.

      My advice for anybody who is considering using Visual Studio is that it is a complete package that contains everything you need for .NET code development.

      I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

      Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

      Hybrid Cloud

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

      Microsoft Azure
      Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

      PeerSpot user
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        VamsiKrishna2 - PeerSpot reviewer
        Software Trainee at Eidiko
        Real User
        Scalable, stable, and quick installation
        Pros and Cons
        • "The scalability of Microsoft Visual Studio is good."
        • "There is room for improvement in the price of the solution overall."

        What is our primary use case?

        Microsoft Visual Studio can be deployed on the cloud and on-premise.

        I am using Microsoft Visual Studio for developing applications.

        What needs improvement?

        There is room for improvement in the price of the solution overall.

        For how long have I used the solution?

        I have been using Microsoft Visual Studio for approximately one and a half years.

        What do I think about the stability of the solution?

        Microsoft Visual Studio is highly stable.

        What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

        The scalability of Microsoft Visual Studio is good.

        We have 10 to 15 people using this solution.

        How are customer service and support?

        I have not contacted the support from Microsoft Visual Studio. We have not had any major issues.

        How was the initial setup?

        The installation of the Microsoft Visual Studio in approximately 15 minutes.

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

        The license is taken care of by my company and the price could be less expensive.

        What other advice do I have?

        I would recommend this solution to others.

        I rate Microsoft Visual Studio a nine out of ten.

        Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

        PeerSpot user
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          Danie Joubert - PeerSpot reviewer
          Managing Director at ProQuanta
          Real User
          Top 5Leaderboard
          All recent versions have live code, which allows multiple people to code on the same platform
          Pros and Cons
          • "Microsoft Visual Studio is an easy-to-use solution."
          • "The solution’s technical support could be improved."

          What is our primary use case?

          We use Microsoft Visual Studio for general development, web development, and IT development.

          What is most valuable?

          Microsoft Visual Studio is an easy-to-use solution. All recent versions of Microsoft Visual Studio have live code, which allows multiple people to code on the same thing. The other valuable features of Microsoft Visual Studio are the integrations and extensions.

          What needs improvement?

          The solution’s technical support could be improved.

          For how long have I used the solution?

          I have been using Microsoft Visual Studio for more than ten years.

          What do I think about the stability of the solution?

          I rate Microsoft Visual Studio ten out of ten for stability.

          What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

          Over 1,000 users are using the solution in our organization.

          I rate Microsoft Visual Studio a nine out of ten for scalability.

          How are customer service and support?

          The solution's technical support is average. In some cases, I find it very good, and in other cases not so good.

          How was the initial setup?

          The solution's initial setup takes a while but is quite straightforward.

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

          We purchased an expensive enterprise version of Microsoft Visual Studio.

          What other advice do I have?

          Microsoft Visual Studio helps streamline team collaboration. I would recommend Microsoft Visual Studio to other users.

          Overall, I rate Microsoft Visual Studio a nine out of ten.

          Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

          PeerSpot user
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            Muhammad Mukkarum - PeerSpot reviewer
            Principal Software Engineer at NCR Corporation
            Real User
            Excellent for debugging
            Pros and Cons
            • "Visual Studio's best feature is debugging, which isn't available with any other Microsoft development tool."
            • "There's not much help to deal with issues on Microsoft's official websites."

            What is our primary use case?

            I use Visual Studio to build software for the Microsoft platform.

            How has it helped my organization?

            Visual Studio provides integration with GitHub, and the 2022 version makes it easy to move from one branch to another via the GUI when working on a solution. It also provides a view of how the branches are organized with the code inside the repository. 

            What is most valuable?

            Visual Studio's best feature is debugging, which isn't available with any other Microsoft development tool.

            What needs improvement?

            There's not much help to deal with issues on Microsoft's official websites.

            For how long have I used the solution?

            I've been using Visual Studio since 2005.

            What do I think about the stability of the solution?

            Visual Studio is stable 95% of the time, except for an error when refreshing DLLs that requires a restart.

            What other advice do I have?

            Visual Studio is the best tool available for working on the Microsoft platform, with features that aren't available on any other development tool. I would rate Visual Studio nine out of ten.

            Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

            On-premises
            Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

            PeerSpot user
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              Bahattin Yetismis - PeerSpot reviewer
              CTO at BE1 consultancy
              Real User
              Top 5Leaderboard
              Software development tool that offers a scalable and integrated development environment
              Pros and Cons
              • "The most valuable aspect of this solution is the integrated development environment. It also offers a very good integration with Microsoft Cloud."
              • "This solution could be integrated with other open-source languages, such as Python and not only C#, .NET or Microsoft development languages."

              What is our primary use case?

              We use Visual Studio for development and for projects using VS Code and Visual Studio Code.

              What is most valuable?

              The most valuable aspect of this solution is the integrated development environment. It also offers a very good integration with Microsoft Cloud.

              What needs improvement?

              This solution could be integrated with other open-source languages, such as Python and not only C#, .NET or Microsoft development languages.

              For how long have I used the solution?

              We have been using this solution for two years.

              What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

              This is a scalable solution. Scalability is not such an important parameter for us because we use this solution as a development tool.

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

              We use NetBeans for Java development. When I compare NetBeans with Visual Studio, Visual Studio is more professional than NetBeans.

              How was the initial setup?

              The initial setup is straightforward and took less than half a day. 

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

              Yeah, of course. We work to use the Professional Visual Studio, because they have some capabilities for CI/CD pipeline. For that reason, in the future, maybe six months later, we will start to use Visual Studio Professional.

              What other advice do I have?

              I would rate this solution an eight out of ten. 

              Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

              PeerSpot user
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                UchechiSylvanus - PeerSpot reviewer
                Team Lead, Process Improvement & RPA at Fidelity Bank Plc
                Real User
                Top 10
                A robust solution with great interaction and a straightforward setup
                Pros and Cons
                • "The solution is stable, and it has no issues."
                • "Additional components such as add-ons could be included in the installation packages."

                What is our primary use case?

                Our primary use case for this solution is web design. We use the community version on the desktop app.

                What is most valuable?

                The codes and the code areas are valuable features.

                What needs improvement?

                I rate this solution a ten out of ten. The solution is good, but additional components such as add-ons could be included in the installation packages because it saves time for the user during installation.

                For how long have I used the solution?

                We have been using this solution for a very long time.

                What do I think about the stability of the solution?

                The solution is stable, and it has no issues.

                What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

                The solution is scalable but I cannot comment on the number of people using it within our organization.

                How are customer service and support?

                I rate the customer service and support team a ten out of ten.

                How would you rate customer service and support?

                Positive

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

                We previously used SharePoint Designer. However, Microsoft Visual Studio was more robust and interacted better with each component.

                How was the initial setup?

                The initial setup was straightforward.

                What about the implementation team?

                We implemented it through an in-house team.

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

                I cannot comment on the prices for licensing, but we are on the community version because many companies cannot afford the license packages for companies. So the licenses could be a little bit cheaper.

                Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

                PeerSpot user
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