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Business Intelligence · head to head

Geckoboard vs Visual Studio

Geckoboard logo

Geckoboard

Business Intelligence

Real-time KPI dashboards

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit GeckoboardFull 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

  • Geckoboard is a real-time dashboard tool.
  • Visual Studio is free; Geckoboard starts at $79/mo.
  • Where Geckoboard falls short: annual billing required; monthly billing not offered.
  • 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 Geckoboard and Visual Studio actually diverge.

Attributes where Geckoboard and Visual Studio differ
AttributeGeckoboardVisual Studio
Pricing modelSubscriptionFreemium
PlatformsWeb, TV and console, iOS, AndroidWeb
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).

Not yet recorded: founded for Visual Studio.

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 Geckoboard

  • Real-time Updates
  • TV Mode
  • Custom Widgets
  • Data Blending
  • Sharing
  • Salesforce
  • Zendesk
  • Google Analytics

Only in Visual Studio

Nothing recorded that Geckoboard does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Geckoboard

  • TV wall dashboards for office and operations displaysnot Visual Studio
  • Live KPI monitoring for sales and support teamsnot Visual Studio
  • Sharing read-only metrics widely, since viewers are unlimited on every tiernot Visual Studio
  • Alerting when a metric crosses a thresholdnot Visual Studio

Visual Studio

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

Where each one falls short

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

Geckoboard

  • Annual billing required; monthly billing not offered
  • Add-on dashboards cost $24 each
  • Additional editors cost $20 each
  • Additional screens cost $20 each

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

Geckoboard

Free
  • Essentials$79/mo
    • 2 dashboards
    • 1 editor
    • 1 screen
  • Performance$319/mo
    • 20 dashboards
    • 3 editors
    • 5 screens
  • EnterpriseOn request
    • Unlimited dashboards, editors, and screens
    • All Performance features
    • Dedicated support manager

Visual Studio

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Visual Studio review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Geckoboard if

  • You need real-time updates.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, TV and console, iOS, Android.
  • You also want tv mode.
Geckoboard review

Choose Visual Studio if

  • You want to start without paying.
Visual Studio review

Questions people ask

Is Geckoboard or Visual Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. Geckoboard starts at Free and Visual Studio at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Geckoboard or Visual Studio?
Geckoboard starts at Free and Visual Studio at Free.
Does Geckoboard or Visual Studio run on more platforms?
Geckoboard runs on Web, TV and console, iOS, Android. Visual Studio runs on Web.
Can I use Geckoboard for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Geckoboard best used for?
Geckoboard is most often used for tv wall dashboards for office and operations displays, live kpi monitoring for sales and support teams, sharing read-only metrics widely, since viewers are unlimited on every tier, alerting when a metric crosses a threshold. Of those, tv wall dashboards for office and operations displays and live kpi monitoring for sales and support teams are not what Visual Studio is typically brought in for.
What can Geckoboard do that Visual Studio cannot?
Geckoboard covers Real-time Updates, TV Mode, Custom Widgets, Data Blending.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Geckoboard: How much does Geckoboard cost?

Geckoboard offers Essentials at $79 per month, Performance at $319 per month, and custom-priced Enterprise plans. All plans are billed annually. A 14-day free trial is available.

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
Geckoboard: Is there an annual billing discount for Geckoboard?

Yes, annual billing provides 20% savings compared to monthly pricing. Pricing is shown for annual billing with VAT not included.

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
Geckoboard: What are the add-on costs for additional Geckoboard resources?

Additional dashboards cost $24 each, extra editors cost $20 each, and additional screens cost $20 each. All add-ons are billed with the annual subscription.

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
Geckoboard: Does Geckoboard offer discounts for nonprofits?

Yes, Geckoboard offers 20% off any plan for nonprofit organizations.

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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