Visual J++ provides both Standard and Professional editions. Use the Standard edition for a fast track to Windows and the Web; use the Professional edition to build data-driven client/server solutions for Windows and the Web. The following table compares the different editions of Visual J++ 6.0.
| Feature | Benefit | Standard | Professional |
| High-productivity IDE | Quickly deliver software with a high-productivity RAD environment offering two-way visual design of Windows-based and Web applications. | X | X |
| IntelliSense technology | Write less code with on-the-fly syntax and programming assistance within the editor. | X | X |
| Programming wizards | Get up and running with coding wizards that simplify and speed development. | X | X |
| Windows Foundation Classes (WFC) | Build powerful Windows-based and Web applications with an object-oriented framework that encapsulates, simplifies, and unifies the Win32 and Dynamic HTML programming models. | X | X |
| Database access | WFC data classes provide high-speed access to any database, including Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, Oracle 7.3.3+, or any ODBC- or OLE DB- compliant database. | X | |
| Visual Data Controls | Use the WFC data-binding component to make any control data aware. | X | |
| Professional Visual Database Tools | View tables, modify data, and create SQL queries within the development environment for any ODBC- or OLE DB- compliant database. | X | |
| Rich component support | Access prebuilt components from within the visual designer with full drag-and-drop support for ActiveX controls. | X | X |
| One-step COM development | Rapidly create reusable COM objects, allowing your code to run in Windows-based applications. | X | X |
| Visual Component Manager | Find, track, catalog, and reuse application components with the Visual Component Manager. | X | |
| Fastest Java compiler | Reduce development time with the fastest Java compiler available. | X | X |
| Integrated debugger | Fix bugs with seamless cross-language debugging (Java/Visual Basic Scripting Edition/JScript development software), point-and-click breakpoints, drag-and-drop watch windows, and more. | X | X |
| Remote debugging | Easily debug client/server applications—including Microsoft Transaction Server components—using remote debugging. | X | |
| End-to-end Web development | Create complete, end-to-end, high-performance Web applications with integrated WYSIWYG HTML authoring, scripting, and Java. | X | X |
| Flexible packaging and deployment | Easily package and deploy complete applications into file formats such as EXE, DLL, CAB, and ZIP, and deliver them to remote files or Web servers. | X | |
| Microsoft Internet Information Server | Develop Web-based solutions using a complete Web server for publishing and sharing information. | X | |
| MSDN, the Microsoft Developer Network Library | Take advantage of the included MSDN Library CD-ROM, the comprehensive source of technical information for developers. | X | X |