Macros Vs Package Vs AddIns - Visual Studio

To extend visual studio there are three options provided by Microsoft in VS 2010
a. Macros
b. Package
c. Add-Ins

In this article let us see what are these three different options to extend visual studio and  what are the various features available and which one is better?

What is a Macro??

A macro is a series of commands and instructions that you group together as a single command to accomplish a task automatically.

Macros allow you to automate repetitive actions.

Visual Studio includes the Macros integrated development environment (IDE), which is used solely for creating, manipulating, editing, and running macros.

The Macros IDE is separate from the Visual Studio IDE.

What is an Add-In??

 An add-in is a compiled DLL that runs inside the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE).
The fact that it is compiled protects your intellectual property and improves performance.
While you can create add-ins manually, it is far easier to use the Add-In Wizard through Visual Studio.
The Add-In Wizard creates an add-in with a fully functional but basic framework that you can run immediately after you create it and later you can customize is for your benefits.


What is a Package??

 Package is another extensibility feature offered by Microsoft.
The majority of Visual Studio’s functions you use in your everyday work (such as programming languages, editors, designers and debuggers) are provided by Visual Studio Integration Packages, or shortly by packages.
They are called VSIP/VSIX packages.
VSIP acronym is overloaded: while the first two letters means “Visual Studio” the last two may mean either “Integration Package” or “Industry Partner”.
VISX is Visual Studio eXtensibility.