---
title: "IntelliJ IDEA vs Microsoft Visual Studio - 2026 Comparison - Software Advice"
description: "IntelliJ IDEA vs Microsoft Visual Studio - See how these products stack up against each other with real user reviews, product feature comparisons and screenshots. Find out which one is best for your organization."
source_url: "https://www.softwareadvice.com/app-development/intellij-idea-profile/vs/visual-studio/"
page_type: "comparison"
language: "en"
---

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IntelliJ IDEA vs Microsoft Visual Studio

Software Advice offers objective insights based on verified user reviews and independent product and market research. When our advisors match you to a software provider, we may earn a referral fee.

Updated September 3, 2026

# IntelliJ IDEA vs. Microsoft Visual Studio: 2026 Comparison

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Updated September 3, 2026

# IntelliJ IDEA vs. Microsoft Visual Studio: 2026 Comparison

Skip hours of research. Get your top 5 matches from an expert in 15 minutes, 100% free.

Free Expert Guidance

Real Human Advice

1M + Businesses Helped

Product comparison

Compare up to 3 products side-by-side

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Add product

[](https://www.softwareadvice.com/app-development/intellij-idea-profile/)

[IntelliJ IDEA](https://www.softwareadvice.com/app-development/intellij-idea-profile/)

4.7

[(1260)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/app-development/intellij-idea-profile/reviews/)

Starting Price

$19.90per month

Free trial

Free version

Pros:

-   Software Development
-   Code Writing

Cons:

-   Performance and Speed
-   Pricing

Who uses IntelliJ IDEA

Based on 1260 reviews

-   Popular among: Small businesses
-   Most common industry: IT & Software Development (63%)
-   Top use cases: Integrated Development Environment (IDE) (25%), Application Development (25%)

90% of users recommend this product

[](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/410128-microsoft-visual-studio/)

[Microsoft Visual Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/410128-microsoft-visual-studio/)

4.6

[(3013)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/410128-microsoft-visual-studio/reviews/)

Starting Price

$45.00per month

Free trial

Free version

Pros:

-   Development Environment
-   Code Development

Cons:

-   Performance and Speed
-   Version Updates

Who uses Microsoft Visual Studio

Based on 3013 reviews

-   Popular among: Small businesses
-   Most common industry: IT & Software Development (51%)
-   Top use cases: Application Development (24%), Integrated Development Environment (IDE) (16%) and Project Management (8%)

85% of users recommend this product

[](https://www.softwareadvice.com/app-development/intellij-idea-profile/)

IntelliJ IDEA

4.7

[(1260)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/app-development/intellij-idea-profile/reviews/)

[](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/410128-microsoft-visual-studio/)

Microsoft Visual Studio

4.6

[(3013)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/410128-microsoft-visual-studio/reviews/)

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## User satisfaction

* * *

4.7

Based on 1,260 reviews

Ease of use

4.5

Value for money

4.5

Customer support

4.3

Functionality

4.7

4.6

Based on 3,013 reviews

Ease of use

4.3

Value for money

4.4

Customer support

4.2

Functionality

4.6

## User interface

* * *

## Key features

Features selected based on 4,273 reviews from AI Coding Assistants

* * *

API

4.5

Collaboration Tools

4.4

Compatibility Testing

4.6

Debugging

4.6

Deployment Management

4.4

Pre-built Templates

4.5

API

5.0

Collaboration Tools

4.3

Compatibility Testing

N/A

Debugging

4.5

Deployment Management

4.4

Pre-built Templates

N/A

### Wondering if these products fit your needs?

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LexiAdvisor for 8 years

### Wondering if these products fit your needs?

Skip the manual research. Talk to a real advisor like Lexi to get a 100% free, personalized shortlist in 15 minutes.

LexiAdvisor for 8 years

## Integrations

* * *

[

DockerIntegration rated 4.6 from 20 reviews

](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/430741-Docker/)[

Redis Enterprise Not enough reviews

](https://www.softwareadvice.com/devops/redis-enterprise-profile/)[

GitHubIntegration rated 4.7 from 54 reviews

](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/github-profile/)

[

GitHubIntegration rated 4.7 from 50 reviews

](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/github-profile/)[

Microsoft SQL ServerIntegration rated 4.8 from 23 reviews

](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/microsoft-sql-server-profile/)[

UnityNot enough reviews

](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/236566-Unity/)

## Reviews

* * *

AS

Adinath S.Software EngineerInformation Technology and Services, 51-200 employees

"The IDE helps reduce coding errors, speeds up development, and integrates well with version control systems."

Jun 8, 2026

Keshav C.StudentE-Learning, Self-Employed

"Too many features can feel overwhelming for beginners"

Mar 23, 2026

SS

Samuel S.CoderDesign, Self-Employed

"I use the free version cause in all reality the free version does almost everything the paid version is pretty much for teams free version is good for individuals."

Jul 7, 2026

MB

Martin B.DeveloperComputer Software, Self-Employed

"Push working code frequently or you will waste hours trying to debug."

Mar 12, 2026

## Customer support

* * *

Email/Help Desk

FAQs/Forum

Knowledge Base

Phone Support

24/7

Chat

Email/Help Desk

FAQs/Forum

Knowledge Base

Phone Support

24/7

Chat

## Training options

* * *

In Person

Live Online

Webinars

Documentation

Videos

In Person

Live Online

Webinars

Documentation

Videos

## Popular Comparisons

* * *

[Essential Studio vs IntelliJ IDEA](https://www.softwareadvice.com/app-development/essential-studio-profile/vs/intellij-idea/)[GitHub vs IntelliJ IDEA](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/github-profile/vs/intellij-idea/)[Essential Studio vs Microsoft Visual Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/compare/133264-essential-studio/vs/410128-microsoft-visual-studio/)[GitHub vs Microsoft Visual Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/compare/397820-github/vs/410128-microsoft-visual-studio/)