Visual Studio Purchasing Calculator
The same IDE costs very different amounts depending on how you buy it. Enter your developers, edition and timeline, and see a standard subscription, a monthly cloud subscription and the standalone IDE side by side, with the cheapest route for your team.
The three ways to buy
Standard subscription
An annual commitment per developer. The first year costs more than each renewal year. Standard subscriptions add benefits beyond the IDE, such as monthly Azure credit and software for development and test.
Monthly cloud subscription
Billed per developer per month through Microsoft’s cloud subscription program, and cancellable month to month. It covers the IDE and Azure DevOps access. Microsoft no longer sells annual cloud subscriptions.
Standalone IDE
A one-time perpetual license for Visual Studio Professional only. It is the IDE alone: no subscription benefits and no right to newer versions. The calculator assumes you buy it again every three years to stay current.
Prices used
Microsoft’s published US prices: Professional standard subscription $1,199.88 first year and $799.08 a year to renew; Enterprise standard $5,999.04 and $2,569.08; monthly cloud subscriptions $45 (Professional) and $250 (Enterprise) per developer per month; standalone Professional $499. Volume and agreement pricing can differ; we confirm every quote.
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