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Head-to-head · C++ IDEs

Qt Creator vs Visual Studio

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Qt Creator #2 in C++ IDEs 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Qt Creator
Visual Studio #3 in C++ IDEs 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Visual Studio

Qt Creator leads on 0 checks, Visual Studio on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreQt Creator · 9.1/10
  • Free planboth

Qt Creator scores higher on our rubric for c++ ides: 9.1 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #3.

Qt Creator is the better fit for qt and cross-platform application development. Visual Studio is the better fit for windows C++ teams needing broad tooling.

  • Qt Creator fits best

    Qt and cross-platform application development

  • Visual Studio fits best

    Windows C++ teams needing broad tooling

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Side by side

Feature Qt Creator 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Visual Studio 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.9
Ranking #2 in C++ IDEs #3 in C++ IDEs
Best for Qt and cross-platform application development Windows C++ teams needing broad tooling
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price €546/user/yr $499.92/user/yr
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop Desktop
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows
Support Docs Docs, Community
Integrations 15 integrations 8 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Qt Creator 0/2 · Visual Studio 0/2
Remote development Not checked yet Not checked yet
Built-in profiler Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Supported platforms Not checked yet Not checked yet
Build systems Not checked yet Not checked yet
Compiler toolchains Not checked yet Not checked yet
Debugging scope Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • C++ and QML workflows with integrated debugging, testing, and profiling
  • Build support for CMake, qmake, Qbs, Meson, and Autotools
  • Deploys to desktop, mobile, embedded, remote devices, and containers
  • Integrated debugger, unit testing, code coverage, and build workflows
  • Git, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Docker, and Podman integration
  • Free Community edition for eligible individuals, students, and open-source work
Cons
  • Commercial pricing starts at €546 per user per year
  • Advanced device-development licensing costs €1,090 per user per year
  • Its strongest capabilities are centered on Qt-based development
  • The IDE itself is supported only on Windows
  • Professional monthly pricing starts at $45 per user per month
  • Community use is limited to eligible students, individuals, and open-source projects
Our verdict

Qt Creator is a cross-platform integrated development environment for building desktop, mobile, and embedded applications with Qt. It supports C++, QML, and Python workflows, combining project management, code editing, build configuration,…

Read the review →

Visual Studio is Microsoft's full-featured integrated development environment for professional developers and teams. For C++ work, it brings code editing with IntelliSense and extensions, an integrated debugger, unit testing, Test…

Read the review →
  1. Qt CreatorC++ IDEs 9.1Free plan
  2. Visual StudioC++ IDEs 8.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Qt Creator — where it wins

    • C++ and QML workflows with integrated debugging, testing, and profiling
    • Build support for CMake, qmake, Qbs, Meson, and Autotools
    • Deploys to desktop, mobile, embedded, remote devices, and containers

    Where it doesn't

    • Commercial pricing starts at €546 per user per year
    • Advanced device-development licensing costs €1,090 per user per year
    • Its strongest capabilities are centered on Qt-based development

  • Visual Studio — where it wins

    • Integrated debugger, unit testing, code coverage, and build workflows
    • Git, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Docker, and Podman integration
    • Free Community edition for eligible individuals, students, and open-source work

    Where it doesn't

    • The IDE itself is supported only on Windows
    • Professional monthly pricing starts at $45 per user per month
    • Community use is limited to eligible students, individuals, and open-source projects

More comparisons

All c++ IDEs comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update