Softwr

Technology · head to head

Dashlane vs Visual Studio

Dashlane logo

Dashlane

Technology

Password management made easy for businesses

From
$4.99/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Visual Studio logo

Visual Studio

Developer Tools

IDE for .NET and C++ development on Windows

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Visual Studio has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Dashlane highest pricing among major password managers at $60/year with no monthly subscription option; Visual Studio community edition is free only for individual developers, classroom use, academic research and open-source contribution, not general commercial use
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Dashlane and Visual Studio differ
AttributeDashlaneVisual Studio
Starting price$4.99/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser ExtensionsWeb
CategoryTechnologyDeveloper Tools
Founded2009Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Dashlane

  • Password manager
  • Digital wallet
  • Dark web monitoring
  • VPN for WiFi protection
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Password generator
  • Secure sharing
  • Security dashboard

Only in Visual Studio

Nothing recorded that Dashlane does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Dashlane

  • Password managementnot Visual Studio
  • Identity protectionnot Visual Studio
  • Secure credential sharingnot Visual Studio
  • Compliance requirementsnot Visual Studio
  • VPN protectionnot Visual Studio

Visual Studio

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

Where each one falls short

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

Dashlane

  • Highest pricing among major password managers at $60/year with no monthly subscription option
  • Restricted free tier with only 25 passwords on single device compared to Bitwarden's unlimited free tier
  • No traditional desktop application, users must rely on browser extension or mobile apps
  • Closed-source code prevents independent security verification unlike open-source competitors
  • Limited 2FA options supporting only authenticator apps, not biometric or SMS authentication

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

Dashlane

$4.99/month
  • Premium$4.99/month
    • Secure vault
    • Password generation

Visual Studio

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Visual Studio review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Dashlane if

  • You need password manager.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser Extensions.
  • You also want digital wallet.
Dashlane review

Choose Visual Studio if

  • You want to start without paying.
Visual Studio review

Questions people ask

Is Dashlane or Visual Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. Dashlane starts at $4.99/month and Visual Studio at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dashlane or Visual Studio?
Visual Studio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $4.99/month for Dashlane and Free for Visual Studio.
Does Dashlane or Visual Studio run on more platforms?
Dashlane runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser Extensions. Visual Studio runs on Web.
Can I use Visual Studio for free?
Yes. Visual Studio has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Dashlane starts at $4.99/month.
What is Dashlane best used for?
Dashlane is most often used for password management, identity protection, secure credential sharing, compliance requirements. Of those, password management and identity protection are not what Visual Studio is typically brought in for.
What can Dashlane do that Visual Studio cannot?
Dashlane covers Password manager, Digital wallet, Dark web monitoring, VPN for WiFi protection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Dashlane: What happened to Dashlane's free plan?

Dashlane discontinued its free plan in September 2025. The entry-level plan now starts at $4.99/month (billed annually) for Premium, or businesses can use a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service.

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
Dashlane: What platforms does Dashlane support?

Dashlane is available on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Chromebook. Browser extensions work with Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, and Brave. However, Dashlane no longer has a traditional desktop application.

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
Dashlane: Does Dashlane support SSO integration?

Yes, Dashlane integrates with SAML 2.0 Identity Providers for SSO, plus SCIM for user provisioning and deprovisioning. However, the Safari browser extension does not support self-hosted SSO due to Apple limitations.

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
Share

Related pages

More on Dashlane

More on Visual Studio

Keep looking

Other head to heads