The interface is good with TFS.
Manager at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Good user interface, with longevity in the market, optimal performance compared to other choices
Pros and Cons
- "The interface is good with TFS."
- "I would also like a true command prompt like Git."
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
I am looking for some pull request features, like Git. I do not see a pull request option for branching and merging. I would also like a true command prompt like Git.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using TFS for the past fourteen or fifteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
TFS is definitely stable.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
TFS is scalable because it is managed by Microsoft internally.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good. We have optional support with Microsoft.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used VSTS however TFS is a far better product.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very easy and straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The overall price of TFS is good.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I think most people are working with Git. We feel comfortable with TFS because we are already used to it. TFS is a good product and you can continue working with it.
What other advice do I have?
I am overall happy with TFS and would rate it a nine on a scale of one to ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Allows me to manage backlog items and collaborate with developers
Pros and Cons
- "It's user friendly. We haven't had any issues so far. It's flexible. If we need something, we can always contact the owner in our headquarters to make a configuration."
- "I only use 1% of the functionality, so I am not familiar enough to know what needs to be improved."
What is our primary use case?
I use this solution in my organization as a product owner who manages backlogs in DevOps. I manage the backlogs items and use it to collaborate with my developers.
There are less than 100 people using this solution in my company.
The solution is deployed on-cloud.
What is most valuable?
It's user friendly. We haven't had any issues so far. It's flexible. If we need something, we can always contact the owner in our headquarters to make a configuration.
What needs improvement?
I only use 1% of the functionality, so I am not familiar enough to know what needs to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for a couple of years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution five 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.
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TFS
December 2025
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Vice President at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
a stable and scalable code repository
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very much stable."
- "The project management side should be addressed and the project and release planning should be somewhat extended."
What is our primary use case?
While I don't recall the exact version we are using, I do know that we upgraded to the latest one.
We use the solution for project planning, code repository and for releases, everything really.
Primarily, we have used it as a code repository, something we have been doing for many years. We have not made much use of the other features.
What needs improvement?
The project management side should be addressed and the project and release planning should be somewhat extended. The solution cannot be used as a project management tool on its own.
Although clear, the installation is of medium difficulty. It could be better and easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using TFS for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very much stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have encountered no issues with the solution's scalability.
How are customer service and support?
I am not aware of ever having contacted technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
TFS is the first solution of which we made use.
How was the initial setup?
While clear, the installation is of medium difficulty. It could be better and easier.
I do not know how long it took.
What about the implementation team?
Not too many people are needed for the deployment, perhaps four or five. They consist primarily of engineers and there is one manager.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am not in a position to comment on the licensing terms, as we are talking about an enterprise arrangement. I am not part of that.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Subsequent to TFS, we evaluated and tried making use of Jira and Azure DevOps.
What other advice do I have?
There are around 250 people making use of the solution in our organization.
At this point, I would not recommend the solution to others.
I rate the solution as at least 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.
Project Manager at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
One-stop solution that is useful, and makes things easier to manage, but the burndown charts are problematic
Pros and Cons
- "Basically, the capacity to construct various products is something I find handy."
- "I'm looking for specific options that aren't currently available, such as active status, new status, or what's currently in progress."
What is our primary use case?
We use TFS for project management.
What is most valuable?
Basically, the capacity to construct various products is something I find handy. For example, I could write a user story and then add some tasks to it, as well as subtasks and test cases.
Everything can be linked together, making it easy for us to track down and document hours for each and every task, whether it's a task, above, or anything else.
Everything is interconnected. As a result, tracking and viewing the bulletin board dashboard and burndown charts, among other things, is much easier.
It's a one-stop solution that is useful and makes it easier to handle.
What needs improvement?
The overall ability in the Agile process has some room to improve, even though it is interconnected. When I worked on Jira, it had the capability of better linkage.
When it comes to project management, we are having trouble with burndown charts, which we can't seem to display. As a result, we have created new tasks and realigning our process. Rather than creating larger tasks, we are creating subtasks such as development tasks, QA tasks, and deployment tasks.
An area of improvement is when there is a login for a specific user story present, it should display automatically. This is an area that where we are having difficulty and struggling in.
The scalability can be improved.
Linkage and task management are two areas that we are having difficulties with. It could be more like Jira, which has a number of different plugins. In addition, I feel that the status should include additional options. For example, they offer fewer options for a specific task user story or bugs.
I'm looking for specific options that aren't currently available, such as active status, new status, or what's currently in progress. I would like to see an in-progress capability where you can mark it active, but you can also write that it is in progress. When I look at the dashboard, there is nothing there to show me what has been done or why it is active or not.
For how long have I used the solution?
My company has been using TFS since it started. It may be more than 10 years. I joined the company a year ago.
We have been using it through the cloud during COVID and working from home. We can connect to it from any network.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There have been some lags in the past, and we have also encountered some latency when setting it up on the laptop. You may have some problems at first, but as soon as you connect to the internet and update your product, everything becomes stable.
Within our organization, for example, we use Microsoft Teams for communication, chats, and for calls. We had some issues with it being unreliable and not fully airing the sound over the laptop speakers and mic. I discovered that as soon as we updated the product, the stability was restored. There was a problem with Teams, which they fixed and updated.
Initial difficulties are to be expected, but things are constantly improving.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It can be scaled to some extent. The main issue is that, unlike Jira or any other tool, the burndown chart is not displayed.
How are customer service and support?
I have never used technical support because I've never been in a situation where it has gone down and I needed to contact them, but I believe that because Microsoft is a reputable organization with adequate technical support right now.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have also worked with Jira.
I come from a QA background, and we used to do automation. Jira was far easier to integrate with our QA automation frameworks because it has a large number of exposed APIs and public APIs that we could use, which is a positive development. Also, the burndown charts, as well as the ability to manage different Agile model frameworks, where we could use scrum in one project but also had to use Kanban. As a result, the transition from one framework to another was simple. These are the things I found useful but haven't seen in the case of TFS yet.
How was the initial setup?
Initially, TFS was a bit complicated. Now that it's Azure DevOps the initial setup is much easier.
It's a one-stop shop for building code repository, and a version control system within TFS or Azure DevOps, as TFS has been renamed.
What other advice do I have?
I am a project manager.
I would rate TFS a seven out of ten
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
Process Manager at a marketing services firm with 201-500 employees
A stable, scalable and easily installable enterprise wide solution
Pros and Cons
- "I feel that the test plan and test tools are more manageable in TFS."
- "The execution of test cases could stand improvement."
What is our primary use case?
As the solution is cloud-based, we always use the latest version.
We use it comprehensively for client career management. We can use it to read test cases and link cases. Everything is done in TFS.
What is most valuable?
I feel that the test plan and test tools are more manageable in TFS.
What needs improvement?
In the TFS tool, we, essentially, made the test cases and test tools. The execution of test cases could stand improvement. They have provided many ways to manage the execution, but they can streamline it to one or two ways. People do not wish to try all the alternative methods.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using TFS for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
When it comes to stability, the entire process is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have no issues with the scalability. It is fine.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have do not recall occasion to contact TFS technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I cannot state for certain if we were previously using a different solution, as I would have to know to which year you refer. Again, we have been using TFS for three years.
How was the initial setup?
Installation is totally fine. I have no issues with it. I do not recall how long it took.
What about the implementation team?
Installation can be done with the help of the technical team. We are talking about the same team, consisting of around four people and a single manager.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay for the license yearly.
What other advice do I have?
They're slowly migrating the solution to DevOps at the moment.
I would recommend the solution to others.
I suggest that those looking for enterprise wide solutions can go with TFS whereas, if they are short on team members, they can try the alternative. Smaller teams can try Jira, as well.
I rate TFS as a seven to eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Reliable, good performance, good reporting tools, and useful for managing all of your development tasks
Pros and Cons
- "The work item feature is most valuable. It allows us to store all product requirements. We can also link the test cases to those requirements so that we know which feature has already been tested, and which one is waiting for testing. We can also couple the code reviews, unit tests, and automated tests into these requirements. It is reliable. It has all the features and good performance. It also has reporting tools or analysis tools."
- "Currently, we are looking for a solution with which we can incorporate third-party development sites or third-party project teams into the system. Because it is on-premise, it is a bit problematic because we need to have a VPN or something else in the system. A cloud-based solution would be better for us, and that's what we are looking for. Our biggest problem is the external connection, which, of course, is limited by our own IT. It would be good to have some kind of publishing service for this external connection. It might be there, and it might be that our IT is making it impossible for us. Its template editor could be easier to use. Currently, customizing the project templates according to your needs requires some work."
What is our primary use case?
It is mainly for the work item handling, which is the documentation for the development projects. We also use it for requirement handling and then following a project's progress with tasks or issues.
How has it helped my organization?
It doesn't improve the way our organization functions, but it supports the way we work. Instead of having separate Excel or other work item lists, we can just utilize the work items provided by TFS for record-keeping and monitoring the progress.
What is most valuable?
The work item feature is most valuable. It allows us to store all product requirements. We can also link the test cases to those requirements so that we know which feature has already been tested, and which one is waiting for testing. We can also couple the code reviews, unit tests, and automated tests into these requirements.
It is reliable. It has all the features and good performance. It also has reporting tools or analysis tools.
What needs improvement?
Currently, we are looking for a solution with which we can incorporate third-party development sites or third-party project teams into the system. Because it is on-premise, it is a bit problematic because we need to have a VPN or something else in the system. A cloud-based solution would be better for us, and that's what we are looking for. Our biggest problem is the external connection, which, of course, is limited by our own IT. It would be good to have some kind of publishing service for this external connection. It might be there, and it might be that our IT is making it impossible for us.
Its template editor could be easier to use. Currently, customizing the project templates according to your needs requires some work.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for 15 years. I have been using its latest version for a couple of years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is reliable.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't actually used their support very much. I'm not really the one who is maintaining the system.
You can find a lot of information by searching the web. There is also a community around it, and a lot of answers are available. Microsoft has its own support if needed.
How was the initial setup?
I haven't been so much involved in building up the TFS server, but I think it is rather simple. The installation is simple. There are so-called project templates that you might need to adjust according to your needs. These require some work. If you can use the default templates, then no work is needed. We have managed to adjust everything for what we needed. There were no problems that we couldn't overcome. Its template editor could be easier to use.
What about the implementation team?
It was done in-house. It is pretty easy to come up with an installer. There is nothing difficult there.
What other advice do I have?
The Team Foundation Server is now called Azure DevOps. We are using an old product. I would advise others to consider whether they need an on-premises or a cloud solution. The on-premises solution requires external developers. They can also look at the cloud option and see which product offering is better for their needs.
It is a nice system to have. You get a managed system where you can manage your development tasks easily, and you don't need to keep your own bookkeeping for tasks and backup items. They are already there in TFS. You can just use the system monthly and produce reports out of the system. For me, it was nice to see that such a tool exists.
I would rate TFS a nine out of ten. I'm pretty happy with it.
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.
Software Development Team Lead at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees
Merging needs to be simplified, although it is open-source and has many good features
Pros and Cons
- "What I like the most is that you can set permissions on just one folder."
- "There are many things that I cannot do, and I have a lot of bugs."
What is our primary use case?
We are developers using the TFS for controlling, and for continuously developing our code.
What is most valuable?
I am not familiar with all of the features, as I only use it a bit for some of my projects.
I am using the new kit because it is open source and has many good features.
What I like the most is that you can set permissions on just one folder.
For me, it was easy to use.
What needs improvement?
There are many things that I cannot do, and I have a lot of bugs. For example, if I want to merge two branches together, sometimes TFS will merge them automatically and I couldn't find the changes and had to check them myself.
That wasn't very good for me and I couldn't understand all of them and wasn't able to interact with them.
The merging could be simplified and improved.
I would like to see more features included for branching so that it copies your source code to the other branch, and have it in a separate folder.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have not had any issues with stability. It's a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable solution. We have 100 users in our organization.
How was the initial setup?
I found the initial setup straightforward and easy.
We have a team of four or five to maintain this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are using the open-source version.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others. It's definitely a good product. If you are looking to set up custom privileges then it's a good option for you. It has several features. If you want to secure your code, TFS is a good choice, as it can do it easily.
I would rate TFS a five 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.
Asst. Vice president, Applications Architecture at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Good project management features improve discipline and productivity in our application development lifecycle
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature from my point of view is project management, which includes user stories as well as task management."
- "The user interface could be improved to make it simpler and increase usability."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use for TFS is for event planning, including things like writing the user story and then assigning tasks to the developers. Another task is writing test cases, then recording test results, and sending bugs to the team members. The third thing is that we use TFS as part of our CICD pipeline.
As part of our pipeline, we use it for checking in code and it acts as a repository. This leads to the fourth thing we use it for, which is to move the code from dev to QA to production. Essentially, we establish a complete lifecycle using TFS.
We also use it in conjunction with Azure DevOps.
How has it helped my organization?
This product brings a lot of discipline and consistency in the way that our developers use their tools.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature from my point of view is project management, which includes user stories as well as task management. I would say that these features are critical.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see better integration between TFS and third-party tools such as Jira. For example, integration with SharePoint is not very straightforward and we need to do a lot of manual work.
The user interface could be improved to make it simpler and increase usability. Making it more user-friendly would be a good thing. While it is okay in some regards, it does not compare to tools like Jira. There is some complexity because there are a lot of features, but usability can still be much better and it would be more comfortable to use.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Team Foundation Server for almost five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This product is stable and we have not experienced any issues with it.
The developers are completely dependent on TFS and are using it on a daily basis.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
TFS is quite scalable and there are different deployment options that are available. I don't see any problems with scalability. We have between 40 and 45 people in my department who are using TFS.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support that we received during the initial setup was the only time that we needed to contact them. Beyond that, we didn't have to ask for technical support. I wouldn't refer to our initial support as very technical because it was more about knowing how to perform certain tasks within the tool.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Prior to using TFS, we used CVS as our code repository solution. All of our requirements and bug tracking were done using manual effort. We were using Word documents and things like that. However, all of that has now been put into TFS.
What led us to switch was the ability to track all of the developers' activities. Before this, getting visibility and deliverables was a real pain point. For example, we didn't know how many stories the developers had completed, how much effort has been spent, or where we were with respect to the tasks that were completed by the teams.
How was the initial setup?
I would say that the initial setup is of medium difficulty. You definitely need help from an expert, as it is not like I can just pick it up and start running it. TFS requires a little bit of expert support in setting up, and we received solid support from Microsoft.
Our deployment took place over the course of a week. It was not a week's worth of effort but we had to schedule calls for support. I would say that TFS can be set up and tested in a single day, although it may take up to a week to finalize things.
What about the implementation team?
During our implementation, we requested help directly from Microsoft.
Our in-house DevOps team is responsible for maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I wouldn't say that this tool is cheap or expensive but in the middle. TFS is definitely not as expensive as some other tools like Rational Team Concert. Basically, I would say that it is affordable.
Professional Services is a separate cost from the standard licensing fees.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to anybody who is considering TFS is that the suitability depends on what technology you are trying to use. For example, if you're using Microsoft technology then it is better to use TFS. If on the other hand, you are developing something outside of Microsoft, perhaps using an open-source tool, then I wouldn't be able to recommend TFS. Instead, I would choose one of the other many third-party tools that are available.
I would rate this 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.
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