Updated February 9, 2026
RStudio Desktop vs Microsoft Visual Studio: Which is best for you?
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Starting Price
$4,975.00
per year
$45.00
per month
Free Trial
Free Version
Screenshots
and Demo
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Top Rated
 Features
 Features
Code Editing
4.75
Data Modeling
4.67
Graphical User Interface
4.60
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For Developers
4.72
Code Editing
4.70
Code Development
4.70
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Integrations
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Pros / Cons
- I think the best thing about RStudio Desktop are the scheduler for Python scripts, personally these have saved hours of tedious work making it a must-use tool for our team.
- RStudio might slow down your computer, sometimes has trouble with big outputs, and doesn't have a menu for data analysis
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- With support for various code bases, as well as HTML, the programme provides all you need for building and developing websites, email, applications and widgets.
- I have nothing that I specifically dislike about Visual Studio. If I had to choose one item it would be the fact that a user could feel "forced" to start using MS Copilot by virtue of it being so integrated into the latest versions of VS.
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Ease-of-Use
4.3/ 5
4.3/ 5
Value for Money
Highest performing feature
in the comparison
4.7/ 5in the comparison
4.4/ 5
Customer Support
Highest performing feature
in the comparison
4.3/ 5in the comparison
4.2/ 5
Functionality
4.6/ 5
4.6/ 5
Support Options
Email/Help Desk
FAQs/Forum
Knowledge Base
Phone Support
24/7 (Live Rep)
Chat
Email/Help Desk
FAQs/Forum
Knowledge Base
Phone Support
24/7 (Live Rep)
Chat
Training Options
In Person
Live Online
Webinars
Documentation
Videos
In Person
Live Online
Webinars
Documentation
Videos
FrontRunners
FrontRunners 2022
FrontRunners 2026
Advisor
 Recommendations
 Recommendations
N/A
N/A
Ideal Customer Size
Small
Medium
Large
Small
Medium
Large
Deployment Options
Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
Desktop - Mac
Desktop - Windows
Desktop - Linux
Desktop - Chromebook
On-Premise - Windows
On-Premise - Linux
Mobile - Android
Mobile - iPhone
Mobile - iPad
Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
Desktop - Mac
Desktop - Windows
Desktop - Linux
Desktop - Chromebook
On-Premise - Windows
On-Premise - Linux
Mobile - Android
Mobile - iPhone
Mobile - iPad