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Cybersecurity · head to head

Shufti Pro vs Visual Studio

Shufti Pro logo

Shufti Pro

Cybersecurity

Identity verification and AML screening at the low cost end of the market

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: Shufti Pro rates are not published despite the pay as you go framing, so the cost advantage over premium vendors has to be established through a quote rather than a price list.; 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 Shufti Pro and Visual Studio actually diverge.

Attributes where Shufti Pro and Visual Studio differ
AttributeShufti ProVisual Studio
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper 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 Shufti Pro

  • Document verification
  • Facial biometrics
  • AML screening
  • KYB verification
  • Address verification
  • Age verification
  • Pay as you go option

Only in Visual Studio

Nothing recorded that Shufti Pro does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Shufti Pro

  • A crypto exchange onboarding users in markets where premium vendors have poor document coveragenot Visual Studio
  • A gambling operator needing age assurance at high volume where per-check cost dominates the unit economicsnot Visual Studio
  • A gig economy platform verifying couriers whose documents are photographed on low end phonesnot Visual Studio
  • A startup that needs verification without signing an annual volume commitment before it knows its volumenot Visual Studio

Visual Studio

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

Where each one falls short

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

Shufti Pro

  • Rates are not published despite the pay as you go framing, so the cost advantage over premium vendors has to be established through a quote rather than a price list.
  • Accuracy on difficult document types trails the premium vendors, and the saving per check is often consumed by the manual review headcount handling the additional referrals.
  • The enterprise assurance profile is thinner than that of larger competitors, so regulated bank procurement teams frequently rule it out at the vendor risk stage rather than on capability.
  • Support responsiveness scales with contract size, and pay as you go customers have limited recourse when a document type suddenly starts failing in one market.
  • Country coverage is broad but uneven in depth, meaning the same product can perform very differently across two markets you are launching in simultaneously.

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

Shufti Pro

On request
  • Pay as you go$undefined/month
    • Consumption billing with no annual commitment
    • Rate quoted by sales, not published
    • Resubmission sessions stated as not billable
  • Monthly commitment$undefined/month
    • Lower per-verification rate against a volume commitment
    • AML screening and KYB priced as add-ons
    • Free trial available before contracting

Visual Studio

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Visual Studio review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Shufti Pro if

  • You need document verification.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want facial biometrics.
Shufti Pro review

Choose Visual Studio if

  • You want to start without paying.
Visual Studio review

Questions people ask

Is Shufti Pro or Visual Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. Shufti Pro 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, Shufti Pro or Visual Studio?
Visual Studio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Shufti Pro and Free for Visual Studio.
Does Shufti Pro or Visual Studio run on more platforms?
Shufti Pro runs on Web, iOS, Android. 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. Shufti Pro starts at On request.
What is Shufti Pro best used for?
Shufti Pro is most often used for a crypto exchange onboarding users in markets where premium vendors have poor document coverage, a gambling operator needing age assurance at high volume where per-check cost dominates the unit economics, a gig economy platform verifying couriers whose documents are photographed on low end phones, a startup that needs verification without signing an annual volume commitment before it knows its volume. Of those, a crypto exchange onboarding users in markets where premium vendors have poor document coverage and a gambling operator needing age assurance at high volume where per-check cost dominates the unit economics are not what Visual Studio is typically brought in for.
What can Shufti Pro do that Visual Studio cannot?
Shufti Pro covers Document verification, Facial biometrics, AML screening, KYB verification.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Shufti Pro: Are failed attempts charged?

Shufti states that resubmission sessions are not charged and that billing follows successful verification attempts. Get that written into the contract, because it materially changes total cost.

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
Shufti Pro: Is there a published price?

No. Plan structures are published but rates are quoted. Third party estimates put effective cost well below premium vendors.

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
Shufti Pro: Can we start without a commitment?

Yes. A pay as you go option exists, which is unusual in this category and useful for early stage volume.

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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