JetBrains Rider vs Visual Studio: What are the differences?

Key Differences between JetBrains Rider and Visual Studio

JetBrains Rider and Visual Studio are two popular integrated development environments (IDEs) used for software development. While they share some similarities, there are several key differences between the two:

1. Language Support: JetBrains Rider supports a wide range of programming languages such as C#, VB.NET, F#, JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, and more. On the other hand, Visual Studio is primarily focused on the Microsoft ecosystem, providing extensive support for languages like C#, VB.NET, and F#.

2. Cross-platform Development: JetBrains Rider is cross-platform, meaning it can be used on Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. This allows developers to work on different platforms seamlessly. In contrast, Visual Studio is primarily designed for Windows-based development, although there is a version called Visual Studio for Mac available for macOS developers.

3. IntelliJ Platform: JetBrains Rider is built on the IntelliJ Platform, a mature and powerful platform used by other JetBrains IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm. This platform provides comprehensive features for code analysis, refactoring, and debugging. Visual Studio, on the other hand, has its own unique set of features and tools developed by Microsoft.

4. Collaboration: JetBrains Rider has built-in support for collaborative development through its integration with JetBrains Space. This allows developers to work together on the same codebase in real-time. Visual Studio also provides collaboration features through Visual Studio Live Share, enabling developers to share their code and collaborate with others.

5. Pricing Model: JetBrains Rider follows a subscription-based pricing model, where users pay an annual or monthly fee to access the IDE and receive updates. Visual Studio, on the other hand, offers different editions with varying pricing models, including a free Community edition, a paid Professional edition, and an Enterprise edition for larger teams and organizations.

6. Extensions and Plugins: Visual Studio has a rich ecosystem of extensions and plugins developed by Microsoft and the community. These extensions provide additional functionality and support for various frameworks, libraries, and tools. JetBrains Rider also supports extensions through the ReSharper extension, which enhances code analysis and provides additional productivity features.

In summary, JetBrains Rider offers broader language support, cross-platform development capabilities, collaboration features through JetBrains Space, and is built on the mature IntelliJ Platform. Visual Studio is more focused on Microsoft technologies, has its own unique features and tools, and offers different editions and pricing models.