Match your needs with a plan that works for you

Visual Studio is a fully-featured IDE whereas Visual Studio Code is a code editor. Visual Studio Code is free and based on open source, and runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Check out this doc for a more detailed understanding of the differences.aq

Depending on the size of your business, there are different agreements and licensing types that are available. You can purchase directly from the Visual Studio Marketplace. You can also purchase through Microsoft Volume Licensing for commercial licensing agreements or a Solution Partner.

As an individual, you have a few options depending on your needs. You can purchase a monthly subscription from the Visual Studio Marketplace if you just need access to the IDE and want the flexibility of a monthly subscription. You can also purchase the subscription which includes the IDE as well as many other benefits such as Azure dev/test individual credits, Azure DevOps, training, services, support and more, from the Microsoft Store.

Monthly (or “cloud”) subscriptions are billed each month and provide billing flexibility. This is a great option for those that just need to use Visual Studio and/or Azure DevOps for a short time, or don’t need the other benefits offered in most standard subscriptions.

Standard subscriptions include access to more benefits, such as Azure dev/test pricing, monthly Azure individual credit, software and download access, services, training, and support. Standard subscriptions often also include a perpetual license for Visual Studio, meaning you can continue to use the product after the subscription expires.

There aren’t any discounts available to start-ups, however an unlimited number of users within an organization can use Visual Studio Community for the following scenarios: in a classroom learning environment, for academic research, or for contributing to open source projects. For more information about Visual Studio Community, please see the licensing terms. For more information about options for start-ups visit https://startups.microsoft.com.

For all other usage scenarios:
In non-enterprise organizations, up to five users can use Visual Studio Community. In enterprise organizations (meaning those with >250 PCs or >$1 Million US Dollars in annual revenue), no use is permitted beyond the open source, academic research, and classroom learning environment scenarios described above.

Please read here for more information on standard subscription for MSDN Platforms.

Learn more about Visual Studio Test professional here.

Check out the pricing details page for information on Visual Studio Professional standalone license.

Take a look at the comparison charts to see the options available with each subscription level to determine which subscription meets your needs. If you aren’t sure which benefits you need, you can take a look at our Visual Studio subscriptions benefits page which provides more details about each of the benefits that are included with each subscription level.

Yes, but we recommend using our latest Visual Studio instead. Have you tried the free Visual Studio Community?

To access your subscription benefits, go to https://my.visualstudio.com and sign in using the email address that you used to sign up for the subscription (or the one that your administrator used to assign one to you). Once you’re signed in, all of your benefits will be in the portal.

Available benefits vary by subscription level and are subject to change. To see which benefits are included for each subscription level, please visit the benefits webpage. You can select the subscription you’re interested in, and then see which benefits are available in the various levels.

Download the Microsoft Excel file for a comprehensive list of the downloads included with different subscription levels.

For a complete document containing the licensing terms for Visual Studio subscriptions, download the white paper.

If you purchase a Visual Studio subscription, both current and old versions of Visual Studio are available. To see the exact versions available for various subscription levels, download the complete list of software. For access to previous versions of Visual Studio Community you can go here.

Yes, the newest version of Visual Studio will be available as long as your subscription is active.

Any individual can sign up for Visual Studio Community to create their own free or paid apps. There are restrictions for organizations that wish to use Visual Studio Community. For more information, visit the Visual Studio Community page.

Azure DevOps Server is included in all paid subscription levels. Azure DevOps Basic Plan is included in all paid subscription levels. Visual Studio Enterprise standard and monthly, Visual Studio Test Professional and MSDN Platforms include Test Plans as well.

Yes. Visual Studio subscriptions are licensed per user, not per machine. So if you have an active subscription, you are allowed to use the software anywhere. For more information about usage rights, download the Visual Studio Licensing whitepaper.

Partners can purchase monthly (or cloud) Visual Studio subscriptions for their customers through the Azure Marketplace:

• Professional > https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms.vs-professional-monthly
• Enterprise > https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms.vs-enterprise-monthly

*Note that monthly (or cloud) Visual Studio subscriptions do not offer the full range of benefits offered through Visual Studio Standard subscriptions, including Azure Dev/Test pricing. For a more detailed comparison, review the product comparison table.

Due to the nature of the CSP channel, Visual Studio standard subscriptions are not available to purchase for indirect or direct-bill models within the CSP program. If a customer would like to purchase a Visual Studio standard subscription, the customer can purchase through one of the following channel options:

• Open License Program > https://www.microsoft.com/Licensing/licensing-programs/open-license
• Volume Licensing Enterprise Program > https://www.microsoft.com/Licensing/licensing-programs/enterprise
• Microsoft Store
  • Visual Studio Professional > https://www.microsoft.com/d/visual-studio-professional-subscription/dg7gmgf0dst3/0001
  • Visual Studio Enterprise > https://www.microsoft.com/d/visual-studio-enterprise-subscription/dg7gmgf0dst4

If you purchased your subscription from the Microsoft Store, you can either purchase a renewal directly from them, or you can simply renew in the subscription portal.

Connect to https://my.visualstudio.com/subscriptions and click on the “Renew” link.
Visit the Microsoft Store and search for “Visual Studio subscription” to see the available renewal opportunities. Here are some quick links:
Visual Studio Enterprise
Visual Studio Professional
Visual Studio Test Professional

Note: You must renew your subscription within 30 days of the expiration date to qualify for renewal pricing.

If your organization purchased your subscription through your organization’s Microsoft Volume Licensing agreement, your organization will need to process a renewal with your reseller.

Both monthly and annual cloud subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel them, so there’s no need to take any action to renew them.

In some cases, upgrading is available. Downgrading is also available. For detailed information about your options, download the Visual Studio subscriptions white paper.

No. Pricing is the same converted in all currencies.