Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Developer Tools

Visual Studio Code vs Visual Studio

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Visual Studio Code #1 in Developer Tools 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 6 features Visit site
Visual Studio #3 in Developer Tools 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 6 features Visit Visual Studio

Visual Studio Code 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 scoreVisual Studio Code · 9.4/10
  • Free planboth

Visual Studio Code scores higher on our rubric for developer tools: 9.4 against 9.2 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #3.

Visual Studio Code is the better fit for developers wanting a free, extensible general-purpose editor. Visual Studio is the better fit for windows developers working across .NET, C++, and web.

  • Visual Studio Code fits best

    Developers wanting a free, extensible general-purpose editor

  • Visual Studio fits best

    Windows developers working across .NET, C++, and web

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Visual Studio Code 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Visual Studio 9.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 9.2
Ranking #1 in Developer Tools #3 in Developer Tools
Best for Developers wanting a free, extensible general-purpose editor Windows developers working across .NET, C++, and web
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan $499.92/user/yr
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Desktop Desktop
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux Windows
Support Docs Docs, Community
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Visual Studio Code 0/6 · Visual Studio 0/6
AI coding assistance Not checked yet Not checked yet
Version control support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Debugging tools Not checked yet Not checked yet
Test automation Not checked yet Not checked yet
CI/CD automation Not checked yet Not checked yet
API access Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment model Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • IntelliSense, debugging, and testing tools are built in.
  • Git support and an integrated terminal keep common tools in the editor.
  • Extensions add languages, debuggers, linters, themes, and tools.
  • IntelliSense, integrated debugging, testing, and code coverage
  • Build workflows span MSBuild, CMake, and Azure Pipelines
  • Container tools and support for several languages and targets
Cons
  • Workflow capabilities beyond the core editor depend on extensions.
  • Documentation is the listed support channel.
  • The broad feature set may be more than developers need for simple edits.
  • The IDE runs on Windows, not macOS or Linux
  • Professional monthly starts at $45 per user per month
  • Enterprise monthly costs $250 per user per month
Our verdict

Visual Studio Code is a free, open-source code editor for developers working on individual files or complete projects. It runs as a desktop application on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and is also available in a web version. The combination…

Read the review →

Visual Studio brings code editing, IntelliSense, debugging, testing, build workflows, Git integration, and container tools into one Windows IDE. It supports .NET, C++, Python, JavaScript, and TypeScript, with application development…

Read the review →
  1. Visual Studio CodeDeveloper Tools 9.4Free plan
  2. Visual StudioDeveloper Tools 9.2Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Visual Studio Code — where it wins

    • IntelliSense, debugging, and testing tools are built in.
    • Git support and an integrated terminal keep common tools in the editor.
    • Extensions add languages, debuggers, linters, themes, and tools.

    Where it doesn't

    • Workflow capabilities beyond the core editor depend on extensions.
    • Documentation is the listed support channel.
    • The broad feature set may be more than developers need for simple edits.

  • Visual Studio — where it wins

    • IntelliSense, integrated debugging, testing, and code coverage
    • Build workflows span MSBuild, CMake, and Azure Pipelines
    • Container tools and support for several languages and targets

    Where it doesn't

    • The IDE runs on Windows, not macOS or Linux
    • Professional monthly starts at $45 per user per month
    • Enterprise monthly costs $250 per user per month
  • Visual Studio Code9.4/10 · Free plan

    A free general-purpose editor with coding, debugging, testing, Git, and terminal tools.

    Visit siteFull verdict →
  • Visual Studio9.2/10 · Free plan

    A broad Windows development environment, with a free Community edition and paid team plans.

    Visit Visual StudioFull verdict →

More comparisons

All developer tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update