Visual Studio Express

Visual Studio Express

Visual Studio Express is a free, lightweight version of Microsoft's popular Visual Studio integrated development environment. It provides core code editing, debugging, and compiling features for building desktop and web applications using languages like C#, Visual Basic, C++
Visual Studio Express screenshot

Visual Studio Express: Free IDE for Building Desktop & Web Apps

A free, lightweight version of Microsoft's popular Visual Studio integrated development environment offering core code editing, debugging, and compiling features for C#, Visual Basic, C++, and more.

What is Visual Studio Express?

Visual Studio Express is a free, lightweight integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft. It provides developers with many of the same core features as Visual Studio Professional and Community editions, but is targeted at students, hobbyists, and independent developers building desktop, web, and mobile apps.

Some key capabilities and benefits of Visual Studio Express include:

  • Supports development in C#, Visual Basic, C++, JavaScript, and more
  • Code editor with intellisense, debugging, and compiling features
  • Designers and tools for building Windows, web, and mobile apps
  • Seamless integration with source control systems like Git and Azure DevOps
  • Extensibility via plugins and rich ecosystem of extensions
  • Easy upgrade path to more robust Visual Studio editions

While Visual Studio Express omits some advanced developer productivity features, it delivers a capable, approachable free IDE for learning, education, and basic application building across various platforms and languages. It serves as an easy on-ramp for getting started with Visual Studio.

Visual Studio Express Features

Features

  1. Code editing
  2. Debugging
  3. Compiling
  4. IntelliSense code completion
  5. Git integration
  6. Extensibility with plugins
  7. Support for web, desktop, mobile development
  8. Built-in emulator
  9. Templates for quick start

Pricing

  • Free

Pros

Free

Lightweight

Good for beginners

Support for many languages

Active community support

Cons

Limited features compared to paid Visual Studio

No advanced debugging or profiling tools

Limited extensibility

No team collaboration features

Reviews & Ratings

Login to Review
No reviews yet

Be the first to share your experience with Visual Studio Express!

Login to Review

The Best Visual Studio Express Alternatives

Top Development and Ides and other similar apps like Visual Studio Express

No alternatives found for Visual Studio Express. Why not suggest an alternative?