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Cybersecurity · head to head

Omada Identity vs Visual Studio

Omada Identity logo

Omada Identity

Cybersecurity

Identity governance and administration focused on access certification and compliance evidence

From
On request
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: Omada Identity pricing is per managed identity, so organisations with large numbers of contractors, service accounts or seasonal staff pay governance fees on identities nobody is really governing.; 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 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Omada Identity and Visual Studio actually diverge.

Attributes where Omada Identity and Visual Studio differ
AttributeOmada IdentityVisual Studio
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: platforms (Web), 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 Omada Identity

  • Access certification
  • Joiner mover leaver
  • Role modelling
  • Segregation of duties
  • Access request
  • Connectors

Only in Visual Studio

Nothing recorded that Omada Identity does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Omada Identity

  • An organisation whose auditors flagged that access recertification is run on spreadsheets and cannot be evidencednot Visual Studio
  • A company with high staff turnover where leavers keep access to systems weeks after their last daynot Visual Studio
  • A regulated firm needing documented segregation of duties across finance and ERP entitlementsnot Visual Studio
  • A business that abandoned a previous multi-year IGA implementation and needs something that reaches production this yearnot Visual Studio

Visual Studio

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

Where each one falls short

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

Omada Identity

  • Pricing is per managed identity, so organisations with large numbers of contractors, service accounts or seasonal staff pay governance fees on identities nobody is really governing.
  • It governs access but provides no single sign-on, multi-factor authentication or privileged session management, so it is always a second or third identity subscription rather than a consolidation.
  • The fast-deployment promise depends on accepting its standard process model; organisations with genuinely unusual entitlement structures end up in custom work and the timeline advantage disappears.
  • Connector coverage is strong for mainstream enterprise systems and thin for bespoke or industry-specific applications, and each custom connector is a project with ongoing maintenance.
  • Data quality in the HR system determines whether joiner mover leaver automation works, so companies with messy HR records find the tool exposes that problem rather than solving it.

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

Omada Identity

On request
  • Omada Identity Cloud$undefined/year
    • Priced per managed identity per year
    • SaaS on Microsoft Azure with regional deployment options
    • Implementation delivered on a defined methodology, quoted separately

Visual Studio

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Visual Studio review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Omada Identity if

  • You need access certification.
  • You also want joiner mover leaver.
Omada Identity review

Choose Visual Studio if

  • You want to start without paying.
Visual Studio review

Questions people ask

Is Omada Identity or Visual Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. Omada Identity 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, Omada Identity or Visual Studio?
Visual Studio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Omada Identity and Free for Visual Studio.
Does Omada Identity 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. Omada Identity starts at On request.
What is Omada Identity best used for?
Omada Identity is most often used for an organisation whose auditors flagged that access recertification is run on spreadsheets and cannot be evidenced, a company with high staff turnover where leavers keep access to systems weeks after their last day, a regulated firm needing documented segregation of duties across finance and erp entitlements, a business that abandoned a previous multi-year iga implementation and needs something that reaches production this year. Of those, an organisation whose auditors flagged that access recertification is run on spreadsheets and cannot be evidenced and a company with high staff turnover where leavers keep access to systems weeks after their last day are not what Visual Studio is typically brought in for.
What can Omada Identity do that Visual Studio cannot?
Omada Identity covers Access certification, Joiner mover leaver, Role modelling, Segregation of duties.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Omada Identity: Does it provide single sign-on?

No. Omada is governance only. You still need Entra ID, Okta or equivalent for authentication.

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
Omada Identity: How is it licensed?

Per managed identity per year. Count contractors and service accounts before you compare quotes, because they usually count.

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
Omada Identity: How long does deployment take?

Months rather than years is the positioning, and it is achievable if you accept the standard process model. Heavy customisation returns you to traditional IGA timelines.

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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