# Visual Studio vs Visual Studio Code

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Visual Studio Code

| Attribute | Visual Studio | Visual Studio Code |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 50.4 (55% (medium)) | 58.1 (62% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 72 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 193,646 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Comprehensive integrated development environment for .NET and C++ development with AI-powered assistance, integrated debugging, testing, and CI/CD integration. Available as Visual Studio IDE for Windows and macOS, plus Visual Studio Code for cross-platform web development. It is indexed under IDEs & Code Editors.","source":"https://visualstudio.microsoft.com","question":"What is Visual Studio?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Visual Studio offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $45 per user per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://visualstudio.microsoft.com","question":"Is Visual Studio free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Visual Studio supports Windows, macOS and Linux. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://visualstudio.microsoft.com","question":"What platforms does Visual Studio support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Visual Studio can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://visualstudio.microsoft.com","question":"Can Visual Studio be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6}]` | `[{"answer":"A multi-platform code editor combining traditional editing, debugging, and terminal capabilities with built-in AI agents that research, modify code, run commands, and iterate toward task completion. It is indexed under IDEs & Code Editors.","source":"https://code.visualstudio.com","question":"What is Visual Studio Code?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Visual Studio Code offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://code.visualstudio.com","question":"Is Visual Studio Code free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Visual Studio Code supports the web, Windows, macOS, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://code.visualstudio.com","question":"What platforms does Visual Studio Code support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Visual Studio Code can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://code.visualstudio.com","question":"Can Visual Studio Code be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 5 integrations for Visual Studio Code, including GitHub, Azure Pipelines, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps and MCP servers. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://code.visualstudio.com","question":"What does Visual Studio Code integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Visual Studio Code is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode","question":"Is Visual Studio Code open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | An integrated development environment providing tools for coding, debugging, testing, and deploying software across multiple programming languages and platforms, with support for cloud services, version control, and AI-assisted development. | Visual Studio Code is a free, open-source editor available on desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) and web platforms, supporting dozens of programming languages through its extension marketplace. It features integrated source control, debugging, and AI-powered agent capabilities to automate coding tasks and development workflows. |
| features.capabilities | `{"type":"full_ide","builtin_ai":"native","deployment":"desktop","os_support":"Windows, macOS, Linux","remote_dev":true,"open_source":"closed","base_platform":"original","extensibility":"marketplace","language_scope":"polyglot","git_integration":true,"code_intelligence":"ide_grade","integrated_debugger":true}` | `{"type":"full_ide","lsp_dap":true,"builtin_ai":"native","deployment":"both","os_support":"Windows, macOS, Linux","remote_dev":true,"open_source":"open_core","base_platform":"original","extensibility":"marketplace","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"polyglot","git_integration":true,"code_intelligence":"ide_grade","integrated_debugger":true}` |
| integrations.count | 5 | 6 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"Azure"},{"name":"GitHub Actions","native":true,"category":"ci_cd","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Application Insights","native":true,"category":"monitoring","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Team Foundation Server","native":true,"category":"version_control","direction":"bidirectional"}]` | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"GitHub Actions"},{"name":"GitHub Copilot"},{"name":"Azure Pipelines"},{"name":"GitLab CI"},{"name":"Azure DevOps"},{"name":"MCP servers"},{"name":"Git","native":true,"category":"source_control","direction":"bidirectional"}]` |
| language.primary | - | TypeScript |
| license.spdx | - | MIT |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Community","summary":"Free","features":["Full IDE capabilities for .NET and C++ development"],"description":"Best comprehensive IDE for .NET and C++ developers on Windows","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Professional standard","summary":"$99.99/user/mo (paid annually), renews at $66.59/user/mo","features":["Visual Studio Professional","Azure DevOps (Basic plan)","$50 Azure credit per month","Basic dev/test software","Training and support"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":99.99,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise standard","summary":"$499.92/user/mo (paid annually), renews at $214.09/user/mo","features":["Visual Studio Enterprise","Azure DevOps (Basic + Test plan)","$150 Azure credit per month","Premium dev/test software","Extended training and support","Power BI Pro"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":499.92,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Professional monthly","summary":"$45/user/mo","features":["Visual Studio Professional","Azure DevOps (Basic plan)"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":45,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise monthly","summary":"$250/user/mo","features":["Visual Studio Enterprise","Azure DevOps (Basic + Test plan)"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":250,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false}],"summary":"Free Community edition; subscriptions from $45/user/mo to $499.92/user/mo","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://visualstudio.microsoft.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T20:23:24.983Z","startingPrice":{"amount":45,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"free","summary":"Free and open source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://code.visualstudio.com","retrievedAt":"2026-10-15T20:21:51.031Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | free |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 6 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.142.0","date":"2026-10-14T19:46:12Z","type":"stable","version":"1.142.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.141.2","date":"2026-10-14T14:32:33Z","type":"stable","version":"1.141.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.141.1","date":"2026-10-13T21:53:53Z","type":"stable","version":"1.141.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.141.0","date":"2026-10-07T11:01:16Z","type":"stable","version":"1.141.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.140.0","date":"2026-09-30T22:00:22Z","type":"stable","version":"1.140.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.139.1","date":"2026-09-25T09:58:03Z","type":"stable","version":"1.139.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.139.0","date":"2026-09-23T10:32:34Z","type":"stable","version":"1.139.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.138.0","date":"2026-09-16T07:14:47Z","type":"stable","version":"1.138.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.137.0","date":"2026-09-09T15:32:58Z","type":"stable","version":"1.137.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.136.2","date":"2026-09-08T17:54:34Z","type":"stable","version":"1.136.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.136.1","date":"2026-09-03T15:25:32Z","type":"stable","version":"1.136.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.136.0","date":"2026-09-02T16:18:16Z","type":"stable","version":"1.136.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.135.0","date":"2026-08-26T16:52:46Z","type":"stable","version":"1.135.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.134.0","date":"2026-08-19T09:08:11Z","type":"stable","version":"1.134.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.133.0","date":"2026-08-12T09:41:17Z","type":"stable","version":"1.133.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.132.1","date":"2026-08-11T22:23:22Z","type":"stable","version":"1.132.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.132.0","date":"2026-08-05T09:49:29Z","type":"stable","version":"1.132.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.131.0","date":"2026-07-29T14:07:58Z","type":"stable","version":"1.131.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.130.0","date":"2026-07-22T17:39:17Z","type":"stable","version":"1.130.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.129.1","date":"2026-07-17T21:32:58Z","type":"stable","version":"1.129.1"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | - | 7.4 |
| security.trust_center | - | https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/agents/run/security |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40typefox%2Fmonaco-editor-core&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (IDEs & Code Editors)

| Capability | Visual Studio | Visual Studio Code |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Type | Full IDE | Full IDE |
| Language scope | Polyglot | Polyglot |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Desktop | Both |
| **Platform support** |  |  |
| OS support | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Base platform | Original | Original |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Extensibility | Extension marketplace | Extension marketplace |
| **DX** |  |  |
| LSP / DAP support | - | ✓ |
| Remote / dev-containers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrated debugger / profiler | ✓ | ✓ |
| Code intelligence depth | IDE-grade | IDE-grade |
| Built-in git integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| **AI** |  |  |
| Built-in AI | Native | Native |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Openness | Closed | Open-core |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing model | - | Free |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T18:30:46.087Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*