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Developer Tools · head to head

Visual Studio vs Wasabi

Visual Studio logo

Visual Studio

Developer Tools

IDE for .NET and C++ development on Windows

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Wasabi logo

Wasabi

Cloud

Hot cloud storage without egress fees

From
$7.99/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Visual Studio has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Visual Studio community edition is free only for individual developers, classroom use, academic research and open-source contribution, not general commercial use; Wasabi 90-day minimum storage duration with no option to delete before full period without penalty
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Visual Studio and Wasabi differ
AttributeVisual StudioWasabi
Starting priceFree$7.99/month
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, API
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCloud
FoundedUnknown2015

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 Visual Studio

Nothing recorded that Wasabi does not also cover.

Only in Wasabi

  • Hot Cloud Storage
  • S3 Compatible API
  • Object Lock
  • Versioning
  • Multi-region
  • Data Migration Tools
  • Immutability
  • Ransomware Protection

What people use each for

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

Visual Studio

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

Wasabi

  • Backup and recoverynot Visual Studio
  • Media storagenot Visual Studio
  • Archive replacementnot Visual Studio
  • Ransomware protectionnot Visual Studio

Where each one falls short

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

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

Wasabi

  • 90-day minimum storage duration with no option to delete before full period without penalty
  • Significantly smaller global footprint than AWS with only 16 regions, resulting in higher latency for users in underserved regions
  • Performance can degrade with high-volume transactions requiring throughput management strategies
  • Hot storage only, no cold/archival storage tier for long-term data at lower cost
  • Support responsiveness gaps with teams experiencing multi-day waits for critical issue resolution

Pricing, plan by plan

Visual Studio

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Visual Studio review.

Wasabi

$7.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Wasabi review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Visual Studio if

  • You want to start without paying.
Visual Studio review

Choose Wasabi if

  • You need hot cloud storage.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want s3 compatible api.
Wasabi review

Questions people ask

Is Visual Studio or Wasabi better?
Neither clearly leads. Visual Studio starts at Free and Wasabi at $7.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Visual Studio or Wasabi?
Visual Studio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Visual Studio and $7.99/month for Wasabi.
Does Visual Studio or Wasabi run on more platforms?
Visual Studio runs on Web. Wasabi runs on Web, API.
Can I use Visual Studio for free?
Yes. Visual Studio has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Wasabi starts at $7.99/month.
What is Visual Studio best used for?
Visual Studio is most often used for managing complex, large-scale projects across multiple platforms, commercial development in small businesses, devops and automated deployment workflows, windows/sql server developer and tester roles. Of those, managing complex, large-scale projects across multiple platforms and commercial development in small businesses are not what Wasabi is typically brought in for.
What can Visual Studio do that Wasabi cannot?
Wasabi covers Hot Cloud Storage, S3 Compatible API, Object Lock, Versioning.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Wasabi: What is Wasabi's pricing structure?

Wasabi offers pay-as-you-go pricing at $7.99 per TB per month as of July 2026, with no egress or API request fees. Reserved capacity plans are available for multi-year terms with volume discounts.

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
Wasabi: Does Wasabi charge for data downloads or API calls?

No. Wasabi includes zero egress fees and zero API request fees, which is a major cost advantage over AWS S3. Customers can plan their budget to the penny without worrying about surprise data transfer charges.

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
Wasabi: Is there a minimum storage duration requirement?

Yes. Wasabi enforces a 90-day minimum storage term. Users who delete data before 90 days are still charged for the full 90-day period.

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
Wasabi: Is Wasabi S3-compatible?

Yes. Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage is fully S3-compatible, meaning organizations can integrate it into existing workflows without rewriting application code used with AWS S3.

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