Microsoft has released Visual Studio 2013, with all formats now available for users. MSDN subscribers can obtain their copy from their downloads page. The various Visual Studio Express flavors are available as well as trial versions of the full software on the Visual Studio 2013 downloads page. Likewise students participating in DreamSpark can download Visual Studio 2013 Professional as part of their subscription (DreamSpark.com and institution specific stores will not have it until October 31, 2013).
The pricing for upgrading has been a hot topic among developers. MSDN subscribers can download the latest version at no additional charge. Existing users of Visual Studio Professional 2012 can upgrade to VS2013 Professional for $99 until January 31, 2014. The retail pricing for VS2013 will match that of VS2012.
One installation requirement for developers to note is that VS2013 requires the installation of Internet Explorer 10.
VS2013 will safely install alongside VS2012. The recommended upgrade path states that like should follow like. For example, a user of VS2013 Ultimate Preview should upgrade to VS2013 Ultimate RTM. Attempting an upgrade from disparate versions is not supported (VS2013 Pro Preview to VS2013 Ultimate RTM). Specifically not supported is an upgrade from VS2013 Express Preview for Windows.
Users who want to try out one of the paid versions (Professional, Premium, or Ultimate) may do so without any obligation or form of Microsoft account for 30 days. If you choose to login with a Microsoft account, your trial period is extended to 90 days. Microsoft reports that users who wish to pay for a copy of Visual Studio without logging in with a Microsoft account can still do this with activation via product key.