# Visual Studio vs Visual Studio Code

| Attribute | Visual Studio | Visual Studio Code |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 58 (54% (medium)) | 61.4 (67% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 1 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 189,621 |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | 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. |
| features.capabilities | `{"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}` | `{"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 | 2 | 7 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"Azure"}]` | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"GitHub Actions"},{"name":"GitHub Copilot"},{"name":"Azure Pipelines"},{"name":"GitLab CI"},{"name":"Azure DevOps"},{"name":"MCP servers"}]` |
| language.primary | - | TypeScript |
| license.spdx | - | MIT |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"mac":true,"linux":true,"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","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://code.visualstudio.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T16:40:57.497Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | mid | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 6 |
| release.history | - | `[{"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"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.129.0","date":"2026-07-15T22:13:23Z","type":"stable","version":"1.129.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.128.1","date":"2026-07-14T20:48:10Z","type":"stable","version":"1.128.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.128.0","date":"2026-07-08T08:25:25Z","type":"stable","version":"1.128.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.127.0","date":"2026-07-01T09:32:59Z","type":"stable","version":"1.127.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.126.0","date":"2026-06-24T12:49:34Z","type":"stable","version":"1.126.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.125.0","date":"2026-06-17T14:59:29Z","type":"stable","version":"1.125.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.124.2","date":"2026-06-12T05:06:56Z","type":"stable","version":"1.124.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.124.0","date":"2026-06-10T13:39:34Z","type":"stable","version":"1.124.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.123.2","date":"2026-06-10T09:39:44Z","type":"stable","version":"1.123.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.123.1","date":"2026-06-10T09:38:39Z","type":"stable","version":"1.123.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.123.0","date":"2026-06-05T08:50:41Z","type":"stable","version":"1.123.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.122.1","date":"2026-05-29T12:53:58Z","type":"stable","version":"1.122.1"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | - | 7.4 |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40theia%2Fvscode-builtin-javascript&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 | - | Open-core |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing model | - | Free |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T15:07:36.665Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*