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TFS pros and cons

Vendor: Microsoft
4.0 out of 5

Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

TFS offers powerful integration capabilities, especially for those using .NET or other Microsoft products.
It provides comprehensive features for managing work items, backlogs, source code, and build releases.
TFS's test plans and test management tools are highly valued, supporting multiple test cases and automation.
The solution features robust source code management with efficient branching, labeling, and merging abilities.
Project management functionality is strong, with detailed reporting, task selection, and traceability from requirements through to design.

CONS

Access and permissions are confusing, especially when including basic manual testing functionalities.
There is a lack of integration between TFS and Microsoft Teams, causing collaboration issues.
More options are needed for requirements management to help product owners use TFS effectively.
Integration issues with third-party development sites and project teams highlight the limitations of TFS being on-premise.
Users experience problems with source code merging, leading to confusion and unexpected loss of changes.
 

TFS Pros review quotes

it_user2880 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Developer at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
Nov 29, 2012
TFS is a very easy to use product, scalable and configurable, very well integrated into a native development environment with massive reporting services, and provides end to end Application Life Cycle management capabilities.
it_user281970 - PeerSpot reviewer
Business Intelligence Developer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Jul 31, 2015
You could use a less expensive product, but if you need integration with MS Visual Studio this is the best product.
it_user286836 - PeerSpot reviewer
VMware Engineering Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Aug 6, 2015
TFS has allowed our development team to function better as a group, by keeping code organized, and making it easier to prevent people from stepping on each other's code.
Learn what your peers think about TFS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
884,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user288372 - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead SharePoint Developer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Aug 11, 2015
Versioning and seamless integration with Visual Studio are the features I like most.
it_user289785 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Manager at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Aug 12, 2015
TFS, like most Microsoft products, is easy to install and use; the initial setup is very easy, and all you need to know is the basic configurations that need to be applied.
it_user298089 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Director, Development at a tech company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Aug 17, 2015
Virtually immeasurable, the low cost of the product is nothing compared to the productivity improvements it brings.
it_user297138 - PeerSpot reviewer
QA Analyst at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Aug 25, 2015
Record and playback is a good feature.
it_user302907 - PeerSpot reviewer
Programmer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Aug 31, 2015
With TFS online, now everything is in the cloud, it is tidy and easy to compare and restore, especially my unfinished work, where I use the shelving changes feature.
it_user303018 - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Development Leader at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Aug 31, 2015
All the features in it are essential for successful development projects, especially version control, defects tracking, SCRUM tools etc.
it_user305100 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Department Projects at Pasiona
Feb 12, 2016
With TFS we can manage the whole application lifecycle with a single product, and it is visible for all the team members.
 

TFS Cons review quotes

it_user2880 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Developer at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
Nov 29, 2012
It is windows only product.
it_user281970 - PeerSpot reviewer
Business Intelligence Developer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Jul 31, 2015
They can improve the stability and merging features, especially with SSIS.
it_user286836 - PeerSpot reviewer
VMware Engineering Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Aug 6, 2015
The interface needs work. As it is, it takes a few weeks to get new team members used to using it.
Learn what your peers think about TFS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
884,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user288372 - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead SharePoint Developer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Aug 11, 2015
We have had to recall a prior “production-ready” version to provide as a temporary solution.
it_user289785 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Manager at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Aug 12, 2015
TFS administration tools need to be more controlled and easier to use.
it_user298089 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Director, Development at a tech company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Aug 17, 2015
Build definition management - there needs to be change control for build definitions
it_user297138 - PeerSpot reviewer
QA Analyst at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Aug 25, 2015
Tech support needs a lot of improvement.
it_user302907 - PeerSpot reviewer
Programmer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Aug 31, 2015
If TFS was completely free (not limited to five members for online), I would suggest using it, but the price for extra members is too expensive in my opinion and is worth it only if you are using Visual Studio, otherwise other solutions can do basically the same (talking only about source control).
it_user303018 - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Development Leader at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Aug 31, 2015
Scrum Board implementation and Backlog viewer require some improvements in order to make its usage simpler and interactive.
it_user305100 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Department Projects at Pasiona
Feb 12, 2016
Continuous integration in most of .NET developments (web and desktop applications) is easy to configure, but in case of other kinds of developments (SharePoint or Xamarin) it is not so easy, you have to spend a lot of time making customizations.