# IntelliJ IDEA vs Visual Studio

| Attribute | IntelliJ IDEA | Visual Studio |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 53.3 (53% (medium)) | 58 (54% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 890 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 20,488 | - |
| deployment.options | - | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | An IDE that accelerates software development through smart code editing, debugging, and analysis tools, enhanced with native AI capabilities for code completion and suggestions. | 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. |
| features.capabilities | `{"type":"full_ide","builtin_ai":"native","deployment":"desktop","remote_dev":true,"open_source":"open_core","base_platform":"original","extensibility":"plugins","code_intelligence":"ide_grade","integrated_debugger":true}` | `{"type":"full_ide","builtin_ai":"native","deployment":"desktop","os_support":"Windows, macOS, Linux","base_platform":"original","extensibility":"marketplace","language_scope":"polyglot","git_integration":true,"code_intelligence":"ide_grade","integrated_debugger":true}` |
| integrations.count | 9 | 2 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Claude"},{"name":"GPT"},{"name":"Gemini"},{"name":"Grok"},{"name":"GitHub Copilot"},{"name":"Cursor"},{"name":"Junie"},{"name":"Claude Agent"},{"name":"Codex"}]` | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"Azure"}]` |
| language.primary | Java | - |
| platform.support | `{"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"mac":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"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | - | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | - | mid |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 1 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/pycharm/2026.2.1","date":"2026-08-12T07:24:12Z","type":"stable","version":"pycharm/2026.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/pycharm/2026.1.5","date":"2026-08-13T11:27:43Z","type":"stable","version":"pycharm/2026.1.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/idea/2026.1.5","date":"2026-08-12T14:41:47Z","type":"stable","version":"idea/2026.1.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/idea/2026.2.1","date":"2026-08-10T11:37:47Z","type":"stable","version":"idea/2026.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/idea/2025.2.6.3","date":"2026-07-28T18:32:49Z","type":"stable","version":"idea/2025.2.6.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/pycharm/2026.2.0.1","date":"2026-07-27T19:34:39Z","type":"stable","version":"pycharm/2026.2.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/pycharm/2025.3.6.1","date":"2026-07-28T18:00:12Z","type":"stable","version":"pycharm/2025.3.6.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/idea/2025.3.6.1","date":"2026-07-29T07:38:33Z","type":"stable","version":"idea/2025.3.6.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/pycharm/2026.2","date":"2026-07-20T17:13:34Z","type":"stable","version":"pycharm/2026.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/idea/2026.2","date":"2026-07-16T13:32:03Z","type":"stable","version":"idea/2026.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/pycharm/2026.1.4","date":"2026-07-03T13:04:15Z","type":"stable","version":"pycharm/2026.1.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/idea/2026.1.4","date":"2026-07-02T11:28:47Z","type":"stable","version":"idea/2026.1.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/pycharm/2026.1.3","date":"2026-06-22T12:12:40Z","type":"stable","version":"pycharm/2026.1.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/idea/2026.1.3","date":"2026-06-04T10:57:17Z","type":"stable","version":"idea/2026.1.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/pycharm/2025.3.6","date":"2026-06-04T09:43:41Z","type":"stable","version":"pycharm/2025.3.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/idea/2025.3.6","date":"2026-06-03T11:14:12Z","type":"stable","version":"idea/2025.3.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/pycharm/2026.1.2","date":"2026-05-15T11:37:01Z","type":"stable","version":"pycharm/2026.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/idea/2026.1.2","date":"2026-05-15T11:59:22Z","type":"stable","version":"idea/2026.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/pycharm/2025.3.5","date":"2026-05-07T09:31:20Z","type":"stable","version":"pycharm/2025.3.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/releases/tag/idea/2025.3.5","date":"2026-05-06T14:36:01Z","type":"stable","version":"idea/2025.3.5"}]` | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 4.4 | - |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=maven&package_name=com.intellij%3Aannotations&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (IDEs & Code Editors)

| Capability | IntelliJ IDEA | Visual Studio |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Type | Full IDE | Full IDE |
| Language scope | - | Polyglot |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Desktop | Desktop |
| **Platform support** |  |  |
| OS support | - | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Base platform | Original | Original |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Extensibility | Plugins | 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 | Open-core | - |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing model | - | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:06:19.170Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*