As announced with the build conference we are launching the General Availability for cloud load testing using Visual Studio Online.Here are some links to get started and details on free usage limits and applicable charges with General Availability.

Getting Started links

• Download Visual Studio Ultimate 2013 RTM
• Download Visual Studio Update 3 RC 
• Getting started guide and getting started video for load testing using Visual Studio Online.
• Troubleshooting guide for FAQs and known issues.
• Visual Studio Online Support for more queries.
• Detailed demo and presentation (link to Tech-Ed session recording)

New Highlights

• Monitor your application during the load run. Get Started

With the integration of the Application Insights and Cloud Load Testing it is much easier to see what is happening inside your application and trouble shoot any issues discovered.  Please see the Channel9 video for a complete walk through on getting this setup: https://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Application-Insights-for-Visual-Studio-Online/Getting-Started-with-cloud-based-load-testing-and-Application-Insights

How other customers have used load testing with Visual Studio Online:

• Case study on Cloud based load testing
• Load testing done for NORAD Tracks Santa
• Load Testing Visual Studio Online and Team Foundation Server

Free usage limits and applicable charges

All users of Visual Studio Online will get 15,000 virtual user minutes free per Visual Studio Online account per month. Ex: If your load test consists of 250 concurrent virtual users, you will be able to run this test for a total of 60 minutes per month.

To use more resources while executing your load test in cloud with Visual Studio Online i.e. more than 15,000 virtual user minutes per month, you will have to enable the billing for your Visual Studio Online account.

Go ahead and download Visual Studio Ultimate 2013 RTM. Run load tests using the service. In case of any issues you can consult Troubleshooting guide or contact us here with your queries.