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Developer Tools · head to head

Visual Studio vs WorkOS

Visual Studio logo

Visual Studio

Developer Tools

IDE for .NET and C++ development on Windows

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
WorkOS logo

WorkOS

Cybersecurity

Developer platform for enterprise-ready authentication and identity.

From
$125/one-time per connection
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; WorkOS authKit free tier limited to 1 million monthly active users; additional millions cost $2,500/month
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Visual Studio and WorkOS differ
AttributeVisual StudioWorkOS
Starting priceFree$125/one-time per connection
Pricing modelfreemiumusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, API
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 WorkOS
  • Commercial development in small businessesnot WorkOS
  • DevOps and automated deployment workflowsnot WorkOS
  • Windows/SQL Server developer and tester rolesnot WorkOS
  • Short-term or month-to-month IDE access needsnot WorkOS

WorkOS

  • SaaS applications needing rapid enterprise SSO deploymentnot Visual Studio
  • Companies selling to mid-market and enterprise customersnot Visual Studio
  • Applications requiring SCIM directory sync with corporate identity systemsnot Visual Studio
  • Product teams needing audit logs for compliance (SOC 2, ISO 27001)not Visual Studio
  • Platforms with multiple identity provider requirementsnot 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

WorkOS

  • AuthKit free tier limited to 1 million monthly active users; additional millions cost $2,500/month
  • Per-connection pricing for SSO and Directory Sync ($125–$50 each) scales poorly for enterprises with many identity providers
  • Audit logs require separate subscription at $125/month per SIEM connection or $99/month per 1 million events
  • Radar fraud protection billed separately at $100/month per 50,000 additional checks beyond 1,000 free checks
  • Custom domain feature requires $99/month subscription
  • Requires annual commitment for SLA and support guarantees; pay-as-you-go tier lacks uptime guarantee

Pricing, plan by plan

Visual Studio

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Visual Studio review.

WorkOS

$125/one-time per connection
  • Pay as You Go$undefined/variable
    • Per-connection pricing from $125 to $50 with volume discounts
    • Up to 60% discount at scale
    • Quick deployment
  • Annual Credits$undefined/variable
    • Custom pricing with volume discounts
    • 99.99% uptime SLA
    • Guided migration

Which should you pick?

Choose Visual Studio if

  • You want to start without paying.
Visual Studio review

Choose WorkOS if

  • You work on Web, API.
WorkOS review

Questions people ask

Is Visual Studio or WorkOS better?
Neither clearly leads. Visual Studio starts at Free and WorkOS at $125/one-time per connection, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Visual Studio or WorkOS?
Visual Studio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Visual Studio and $125/one-time per connection for WorkOS.
Does Visual Studio or WorkOS run on more platforms?
Visual Studio runs on Web. WorkOS 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. WorkOS starts at $125/one-time per connection.
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 WorkOS is typically brought in for.

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
WorkOS: How quickly can I implement WorkOS SSO?

Developers can implement single sign-on in minutes instead of months. Multiple customers report setting up SSO in less than a week, with WorkOS handling the complexity of SAML and OIDC protocols.

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
WorkOS: What SDKs does WorkOS provide?

WorkOS offers SDKs for Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, PHP, Java, and .NET.

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
WorkOS: Does WorkOS support SCIM provisioning?

Yes. WorkOS supports SCIM provisioning integration with systems like Okta and Entra ID for automated user management.

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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