This does not apply if you're developing closed source:
reply> if you and your team need to compile and develop proprietary C++ code with Visual Studio, a Visual Studio license will still be required.
That just confirms the parent comment's point. If you're just using the build tools directly, you're fine. If need to develop "with Visual Studio" i.e. the IDE, not just the command line tools, then you need the paid license.
replyIs the fancy text editor compiling, or the toolchain?
replyI don’t need visual to write, read, compile, or link any code using the toolchain.