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Business Intelligence · head to head

Celonis vs Visual Studio

Celonis logo

Celonis

Business Intelligence

German process mining platform that analyzes, designs and operates AI-driven business processes

From
On request
Free plan
No
Visit CelonisFull review
Visual Studio logo

Visual Studio

Developer Tools

IDE for .NET and C++ development on Windows

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit Visual StudioFull review

The short version

  • Visual Studio is free; Celonis prices on request.
  • Where Celonis falls short: Celonis does not publish pricing on their pricing page or website.
  • Where Visual Studio falls short: A standalone perpetually licensed Visual Studio Professional 2022 costs $499 as a one-time purchase, separate from the subscription tiers.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Celonis and Visual Studio actually diverge.

Attributes where Celonis and Visual Studio differ
AttributeCelonisVisual Studio
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelQuoteFreemium
Free tierNoYes
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: platforms (Web).

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Celonis

  • Process mining and analyticsnot Visual Studio

Visual Studio

  • Managing complex, large-scale projects across multiple platformsnot Celonis
  • Commercial development in small businessesnot Celonis
  • DevOps and automated deployment workflowsnot Celonis
  • Windows/SQL Server developer and tester rolesnot Celonis
  • Short-term or month-to-month IDE access needsnot Celonis

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Celonis

  • Celonis does not publish pricing on their pricing page or website
  • Company directs customers to contact sales team for pricing information
  • No indication of pricing tiers, starting prices, or quote-based model on public pages
  • Pricing inquiry requires using a contact form or reaching out directly

Visual Studio

  • Community edition is free only for individual developers, classroom use, academic research and open-source contribution, not general commercial use
  • Monthly subscriptions are $45 per user per month for Professional and $250 per user per month for Enterprise, and do not include perpetual use rights the way annual Standard subscriptions do
  • A standalone perpetually licensed Visual Studio Professional 2022 costs $499 as a one-time purchase, separate from the subscription tiers

Pricing, plan by plan

Celonis

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Celonis review.

Visual Studio

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Visual Studio review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Celonis if

Nothing in the data separates Celonis from Visual Studio on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Celonis review

Choose Visual Studio if

  • You want to start without paying.
Visual Studio review

Questions people ask

Is Celonis or Visual Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. Celonis starts at On request and Visual Studio at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Celonis or Visual Studio?
Visual Studio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Celonis and Free for Visual Studio.
Does Celonis or Visual Studio run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Visual Studio for free?
Yes. Visual Studio has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Celonis starts at On request.
What is Celonis best used for?
Celonis is most often used for process mining and analytics. Of those, process mining and analytics is not what Visual Studio is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Celonis: How much does Celonis cost?

Celonis does not publish pricing on their website. The company offers process mining and analytics solutions but requires customers to contact their sales team or use the Get in touch form on their pricing page to receive custom pricing quotes.

Source
Visual Studio: What are the pricing differences between subscription types?

Standard subscriptions include access to more benefits, such as Azure dev/test pricing, monthly Azure individual credit, software and download access, services, training, and support. Monthly subscriptions offer flexibility but fewer benefits.

Source
Celonis: What is Celonis' pricing model?

Celonis' pricing model and pricing tiers are not publicly disclosed. Customers must request pricing information directly from Celonis through their sales contact channels.

Source
Visual Studio: Are discounts available for startups?

There aren't any discounts available to start-ups, however an unlimited number of users within an organization can use Visual Studio Community for specific scenarios like open source work.

Source
Celonis: Does Celonis offer a free trial or demo?

Celonis offers resources through Celonis Academy for training and has specialized programs (Academic Alliance, Aspire, Labs), but specific pricing for trials or demos is not disclosed. Contact Celonis directly for information on trial availability and pricing.

Source
Visual Studio: Who can use Visual Studio Community for free?

In non-enterprise organizations, up to five users can use it. Enterprise organizations (greater than 250 PCs or greater than $1M annual revenue) cannot use it beyond academic/open-source scenarios.

Source
Visual Studio: What's the renewal pricing structure?

Enterprise standard renews at $214.09/month (after initial $499.92); Professional at $66.59/month (after $99.99).

Source
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