Software Alternatives & Startups

Microsoft Visual Studio VS SharpDevelop

Compare Microsoft Visual Studio VS SharpDevelop and see what are their differences

Microsoft Visual Studio

Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.

Rating
0 reviews
SharpDevelop

#develop (short for SharpDevelop) is a free IDE for C#, VB.NET and Boo projects on Microsoft's .

Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Microsoft Visual Studio seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 2 times since March 2021.

social mentions
2 vs 0
IDE popularity
98% vs 2%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 54

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Microsoft Visual Studio
SharpDevelop
Website visualstudio.microsoft.com github.com
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Microsoft Visual Studio 10 features
SharpDevelop 5 features
  • Comprehensive Development Environment
    Microsoft Visual Studio offers a robust and comprehensive integrated development environment (IDE) that supports multiple programming languages, including C#, VB.NET, F#, C++, and Python. This makes it versatile for a wide variety of development needs.
  • Rich Feature Set
    The platform provides an extensive set of built-in tools and features, such as code analysis, debugging, and version control. These tools improve productivity and help maintain code quality.
  • IntelliSense
    Visual Studio’s IntelliSense offers powerful code completion, highlighting, and suggestion features that enhance the coding experience and reduce the likelihood of errors.
  • Integration with Azure and Other Microsoft Services
    The IDE integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Azure and other Microsoft services, making it easier to develop, deploy, and manage applications in the cloud.
  • Large Community and Support
    As a popular IDE, Visual Studio has a large user base and an active community. This results in a wealth of resources, including tutorials, forums, and extensions.
  • Customizability
    Visual Studio allows extensive customization through extensions and plugins, enabling developers to tailor the IDE to meet their specific needs.
  • Free Access
    Visual Studio Community is available for free for students, open-source contributors, and small teams, making it accessible to a large group of users without financial burden.
  • Extensive Language Support
    Supports a wide range of programming languages such as C#, VB.NET, F#, C++, Python, JavaScript, and more, providing versatility for different projects.
  • Integrated GitHub Support
    Seamlessly integrates with GitHub, which facilitates version control and code collaboration directly from the IDE.
  • Strong Community Support
    Being part of the larger Visual Studio ecosystem, it benefits from a vast community of developers who provide support, resources, and extensions.

Possible disadvantages

  • Resource Intensive
    Visual Studio is known to be resource-heavy, requiring significant system memory and processing power. This can slow down development, especially on less powerful machines.
  • Complexity
    The abundance of features and tools in Visual Studio can make it overwhelming for beginners or those new to the IDE. Navigating through its numerous menus and options can be challenging initially.
  • Cost
    While Visual Studio Express is free, many advanced features and professional tools are only available in the paid versions (Professional and Enterprise). This can be a drawback for individual developers and small businesses with restricted budgets.
  • Frequent Updates
    Although frequent updates can bring new features and improvements, they can also introduce bugs and require ongoing time investment to manage transitions and adapt to changes.
  • Windows-Centric
    While Visual Studio now supports macOS, it is traditionally Windows-centric and may not provide the same level of performance or features on other operating systems compared to its Windows counterpart.
  • Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive feature set and capabilities, there is a steep learning curve associated with Visual Studio. It may take considerable time for new users to become proficient.
  • Limited to Smaller Teams
    The free version is restricted for use by small teams and non-enterprise organizations, which can limit usage for larger enterprises.
  • Performance Overhead
    Visual Studio Community can be resource-heavy, requiring substantial system resources, which might affect performance on less capable machines.
  • Complex Interface
    The interface can be overwhelming for new users due to its complexity and myriad of features, potentially leading to a steep learning curve.
  • Lacks Some Advanced Features
    While it offers many features, it lacks some of the more advanced capabilities and tools available in the enterprise versions of Visual Studio.
  • Limited Technical Support
    Users of the Community edition have limited access to official technical support compared to the paid versions, which could be a drawback for resolving critical issues.
  • Open Source
    SharpDevelop is open-source software, allowing developers to contribute to its development and customize it as needed.
  • Free of Charge
    It is available for free, which lowers the barrier for entry for individual developers and small teams who may not have the budget for commercial alternatives.
  • Lightweight
    SharpDevelop is lightweight compared to some other integrated development environments (IDEs), which can result in faster startup times and lower system resource consumption.
  • C# and .NET Support
    It provides good support for C# and .NET languages, catering to developers working within the Microsoft ecosystem.
  • Extensible
    The IDE is extensible, allowing developers to add features and customize it through a range of plugins and extensions.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited Features
    Compared to larger IDEs like Visual Studio, SharpDevelop may have fewer features and tools available out of the box.
  • Discontinued Development
    Active development on SharpDevelop has been discontinued, meaning it may lack support for new technologies or bug fixes over time.
  • Community Size
    The user and developer community for SharpDevelop is relatively small, which can lead to limited support options and fewer third-party resources.
  • Compatibility
    SharpDevelop might not support all the latest features of C# and .NET, especially newer releases, due to its discontinued status.
  • Platform Limitations
    It's primarily designed for Windows, which may not be ideal for developers working in cross-platform environments.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Microsoft Visual Studio
SharpDevelop

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Microsoft Visual Studio is considered a highly capable and feature-rich IDE, suitable for both beginners and experienced developers.

Why this product is good

  • Microsoft Visual Studio is widely regarded as a powerful and versatile integrated development environment (IDE). It supports a broad range of programming languages including C++, C#, Python, and more, making it a popular choice for developers working on diverse projects. With features like IntelliSense, integrated debugging, and version control, it enhances productivity and simplifies complex workflows. Its extensibility through extensions and plugins further customizes the development experience to suit individual needs.

Recommended for

  • Professional developers seeking a comprehensive IDE for large-scale projects.
  • Beginner programmers looking for an intuitive and supportive environment to learn coding.
  • Teams that require robust collaboration and version control tools integrated into their development workflow.
  • Developers working with Microsoft technologies, such as .NET, or those integrating with Azure services.

No analysis of SharpDevelop yet.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Microsoft Visual Studio 1 video + Add
SharpDevelop 3 videos + Add

Introducing Visual Studio Community 2015

Hello World App in C# with SharpDevelop IDE

More videos

  • - SharpDevelop | Visual Studio Alternative For Weaker Devices | And Low Space Computers
  • - tuananhktmt- Hướng dẫn lập trình C# trên SharpDevelop

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Microsoft Visual Studio
SharpDevelop
98% 98%
IDE
2% 2%
98% 98%
2% 2%
95% 95%
5% 5%
100% 100%
0% 0%

User comments

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Microsoft Visual Studio no reviews yet
SharpDevelop no reviews yet

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We have no reviews of SharpDevelop yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Microsoft Visual Studio 2 mentions
SharpDevelop 0 mentions

Tracking SharpDevelop since Mar 2021.

Alternatives to Microsoft Visual Studio and SharpDevelop

When comparing Microsoft Visual Studio and SharpDevelop, you can also consider the following products.