JetBrains Rider vs Visual Studio 2026

Visual Studio 2026 shipped. Rider 2025.3 shipped. Both support .NET 10 and C# 14. Which IDE should you use?

// Same code, different experience
var results = customers
    .Where(c => c.IsActive)
    .OrderBy(c => c.Name)
    .Select(c => new { c.Name, c.Email });

// Rider: Instant analysis, suggestions appear immediately
// VS 2026: Background processing, slight delay on large solutions

I use both. Here's what matters.

What's New in Visual Studio 2026?

Visual Studio 2026 brings significant updates:

• .NET 10 support — Full SDK integration
• C# 14 — All new language features
• Performance improvements — Faster solution loading
• GitHub Copilot integration — Deep AI assistance
• 64-bit by default — No more memory limits

ReSharper 2025.3 is day-one compatible with VS 2026.

What's New in Rider 2025.3?

JetBrains released Rider 2025.3 alongside VS 2026:

• .NET 10 and C# 14 — Full support
• Visual Studio 2026 parity — Same SDK targeting
• Performance gains — Faster indexing
• AI Assistant improvements — Better code suggestions

Both IDEs now support the same .NET ecosystem.

How Does Performance Compare?

Rider's architecture gives it an edge:

Rider:

• UI runs in separate process from backend
• Code analysis in dedicated process
• Near-instant responsiveness
• Handles 500k+ line solutions smoothly

Visual Studio 2026:

• Better than 2022, still some UI blocking
• Background processes improved
• Large solutions can cause lag
• Memory usage reduced but still high

For large solutions, Rider feels snappier.

Which Is Better for Cross-Platform?

Rider: Windows, macOS, Linux — identical experience across all platforms.

Visual Studio 2026: Windows only. Visual Studio for Mac was discontinued in 2024.

If your team uses mixed operating systems, Rider is the only option.

How Do Refactoring Tools Compare?

Rider includes ReSharper functionality built-in:

// Rider shows these instantly:
// - "Extract method" suggestion
// - "Use pattern matching" hint
// - "Remove redundant cast" fix
// - "Inline variable" option

if (obj is Customer customer)
{
    Process(customer);
}

Visual Studio 2026 refactoring is good but less comprehensive. Adding ReSharper brings VS up to Rider's level — but adds subscription cost.

What About Debugging?

Visual Studio 2026:

• Excellent debugger (historically VS's strength)
• Hot Reload works reliably
• Memory/CPU profiling built-in
• Better XAML debugging

Rider:

• Excellent debugger (now on par)
• Hot Reload works
• dotMemory/dotTrace integration
• Better cross-platform debugging

Both are capable. VS has slight edge for desktop app debugging.

How Do They Handle Git?

Rider:

• Built-in Git UI (excellent)
• Conflict resolution tools
• Local history for files
• Works identically across platforms

Visual Studio 2026:

• Improved Git integration
• GitHub Copilot for commit messages
• PR review built-in
• Azure DevOps integration

Both are competent. Personal preference wins here.

What's the Pricing?

Visual Studio 2026:

• Community: Free (individuals, small teams)
• Professional: ~$499/year
• Enterprise: ~$2,499/year

JetBrains Rider:

• Non-commercial: Free (as of 2024)
• Individual: ~$169/year (first year)
• Business: ~$399/year (first year)

For commercial use, Rider is significantly cheaper. For non-commercial use, both are free.

Which Has Better Extension Support?

Visual Studio:

• Massive extension marketplace
• Most enterprise tools support VS first
• Azure integration excellent
• Some extensions are VS-only

Rider:

• Growing plugin ecosystem
• JetBrains plugins (TeamCity, YouTrack)
• Essential extensions available
• Smaller total library

If you need specific enterprise extensions, check availability first.

How Do They Handle Solution Loading?

Large solution (200+ projects):

Metric	Rider 2025.3	VS 2026
Initial load	~45 seconds	~60 seconds
Incremental load	Near-instant	5-10 seconds
RAM usage	~2GB	~4GB
IntelliSense ready	~30 seconds	~45 seconds

These vary by hardware and solution complexity.

Which Should I Choose for Web Development?

ASP.NET Core / Blazor:
Both excellent. Rider's HTTP client and endpoint navigation are slightly better.

Frontend (React, Angular, Vue):
Rider includes WebStorm features. VS needs extensions.

Azure Functions:
VS has better Azure tooling integration.

Which Should I Choose for Desktop Apps?

WPF/WinForms:
VS 2026 has better XAML designer. Rider's designer is functional but basic.

MAUI:
Both support MAUI development. VS has more templates and wizards.

Avalonia:
Rider has better Avalonia support (JetBrains investment).

What Do Teams Typically Choose?

Enterprise (Windows-only teams): Visual Studio — established, familiar, enterprise tooling.

Startups/Cross-platform teams: Rider — performance, macOS/Linux support, lower cost.

Individual developers: Personal preference — try both.

My Recommendation

Choose Rider if:

• You work on macOS or Linux
• You value performance above all
• You're price-sensitive (commercial use)
• You work on large solutions
• You want ReSharper features included

Choose Visual Studio 2026 if:

• You need specific VS-only extensions
• You do heavy desktop app development (WPF)
• Your team is standardized on VS
• You need enterprise Azure integration
• You prefer Microsoft ecosystem fully

Can I Use Both?

Yes. Many developers do:

• Rider for daily coding
• VS for occasional debugging scenarios
• VS for XAML designer work

Both can open the same solutions and projects.

Quick Comparison Table

Feature	Rider 2025.3	VS 2026
.NET 10 support	✓	✓
C# 14 support	✓	✓
Windows	✓	✓
macOS	✓	✗
Linux	✓	✗
Free tier	Non-commercial	Community
ReSharper built-in	✓	Separate purchase
XAML designer	Basic	Excellent
Large solution perf	Excellent	Good
AI assistance	AI Assistant	Copilot

Both are excellent IDEs. The "best" choice depends on your platform, team, and workflow preferences.

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Written by Jacob Mellor, CTO at Iron Software. Jacob created IronPDF and leads a team of 50+ engineers building .NET document processing libraries.