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Orca Security vs Visual Studio

Orca Security logo

Orca Security

Cloud

Agentless cloud-native application protection platform for code-to-runtime security.

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: Orca Security no public pricing; requires a demo and custom quote from sales.; 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 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Orca Security and Visual Studio actually diverge.

Attributes where Orca Security and Visual Studio differ
AttributeOrca SecurityVisual Studio
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
Platformsweb, apiWeb
CategoryCloudDeveloper Tools

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 Orca Security

  • Agentless cloud scanning
  • Attack path analysis
  • Shadow AI detection
  • Secure code development
  • Alert prioritization
  • Workload protection

Only in Visual Studio

Nothing recorded that Orca Security does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Orca Security

  • Gaining full cloud asset visibility without deploying agentsnot Visual Studio
  • Prioritizing cloud risk with attack path correlationnot Visual Studio
  • Detecting shadow AI usage across cloud environmentsnot Visual Studio
  • Scanning code, containers, and IaC before deploymentnot Visual Studio
  • Reducing alert fatigue through contextual risk scoringnot Visual Studio

Visual Studio

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

Where each one falls short

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

Orca Security

  • No public pricing; requires a demo and custom quote from sales.
  • Agentless-only scanning may miss some runtime telemetry that agent-based tools capture.
  • Full value depends on integrating many of the platform's modules across code, cloud, and AI.
  • Primarily targeted at mid-to-large organizations with multi-cloud environments.

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

Orca Security

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Orca Security review.

Visual Studio

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Visual Studio review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Orca Security if

  • You need agentless cloud scanning.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want attack path analysis.
Orca Security review

Choose Visual Studio if

  • You want to start without paying.
Visual Studio review

Questions people ask

Is Orca Security or Visual Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. Orca Security 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, Orca Security or Visual Studio?
Visual Studio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Orca Security and Free for Visual Studio.
Does Orca Security or Visual Studio run on more platforms?
Orca Security runs on web, api. 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. Orca Security starts at On request.
What is Orca Security best used for?
Orca Security is most often used for gaining full cloud asset visibility without deploying agents, prioritizing cloud risk with attack path correlation, detecting shadow ai usage across cloud environments, scanning code, containers, and iac before deployment. Of those, gaining full cloud asset visibility without deploying agents and prioritizing cloud risk with attack path correlation are not what Visual Studio is typically brought in for.
What can Orca Security do that Visual Studio cannot?
Orca Security covers Agentless cloud scanning, Attack path analysis, Shadow AI detection, Secure code development.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Orca Security: How much does Orca Security cost?

Orca Security does not publish pricing tiers or rates on their website. Organizations must contact Orca Security directly or request a demo to receive custom pricing information based on their specific use case and requirements.

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
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
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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