Listed whether or not they pay us. Prices from each tool's own pricing page, checked Oct 16, 2026.

GitHub Copilot

AI pair programmer with completions, chat, agent mode and cloud coding agent across major IDEs and GitHub.

Best for Developers already living in GitHub and VS Code

What it does

GitHub Copilot is an AI accelerator built for software developers, individual programmers, and engineering organizations. Users provide prompts, code context, pull requests, or tasks, and the system delivers inline code completions, answers, code reviews, and agent driven work. It integrates directly into code editors, the command line, and GitHub.

Read more: 5 features and how people use themShow less

  1. Inline code completion

    Generates code completions and next edit suggestions in your development environment as you write. It can provide either a monthly allowance of suggestions or unlimited completions depending on your chosen plan tier.

    Use caseA developer writes boilerplate routines in their code editor and accepts real time completions without typing each line manually.

    From github.com/features/copilot
  2. GitHub Copilot: Agent mode

    Agent mode

    Explains technical concepts, proposes edits, and checks files across supported code editors. It can also modernize applications, run with custom instructions, and assemble pull requests automatically.

    Use caseA programmer asks the assistant inside their code editor to propose file edits and modernize legacy Java application code.

    From github.com/features/copilot · image from GitHub Copilot
  3. GitHub Copilot: Cloud agent

    Cloud agent

    Assigns development work autonomously to research, plan, and produce code in the background with or without opening a pull request. It also delegates work to third party coding models like Claude and Codex.

    Use caseAn engineer assigns a background task from their issue tracker to investigate a problem and write the necessary patch.

    From github.com/features/copilot/plans · image from GitHub Copilot

  4. Automated code review

    Examines file differences in your code editor and conducts automated pull request reviews on GitHub. It operates based on team guidelines and custom configurations.

    Use caseA maintainer opens a pull request on GitHub and receives an automated assessment of code changes before merging.

    From github.com/features/copilot/plans
  5. GitHub Copilot: Multi model choice

    Multi model choice

    Enables users to select preferred LLMs from providers like Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and others. It allows teams to balance their work for speed, cost, or technical accuracy.

    Use caseA software team switches their default model to a premium engine like Opus or GPT 5 mini to complete complex logic tasks.

    From github.com/features/copilot · image from GitHub Copilot

Written from GitHub Copilot's own website, checked . Each feature links to the page it comes from; images are GitHub Copilot's own.

Every plan

PlanMonthlyBilled yearlyPerWhat it includes
FreeFreeNot listedper user2,000 completions/mo, limited chat and agent usage, auto model selection
Pro$10Not listedper userUnlimited completions; 1,500 GitHub AI credits/mo (1,000 base + 500 flex); extra credits purchasable
Pro+$39Not listedper user7,000 AI credits/mo (3,900 base + 3,100 flex)
Max$100Not listedper user20,000 AI credits/mo (10,000 base + 10,000 flex)
Business$19Not listedper seat1,900 AI credits/user/mo, pooled org usage, no training on data
Enterprise$39Not listedper seat3,900 AI credits/user/mo, enterprise security features

From GitHub Copilot's own pricing page, checked . Prices are in US dollars per month; "billed yearly" is the monthly price when you pay for a year up front. A few figures (often the yearly price) are derived rather than printed on the page.

Before you pay

Card needed for the trial
No
What GitHub Copilot saysNo credit card required. Verified students have access to the GitHub Copilot Student plan. Source page
Unused credits roll over
No
What GitHub Copilot saysIncluded AI credits do not carry over between months. Unused credits are forfeited, and your allowance resets to the full monthly amount Source page
Discounts
Verified students get free access to Copilot Student, and verified teachers and open source maintainers may be eligible for free Copilot Pro.
What GitHub Copilot saysVerified teachers, and maintainers of popular open source projects may be eligible for free access to Copilot Pro. Source page
Support
Community Support, Web based support, GitHub Support
What GitHub Copilot saysWeb based support Source page

Only what GitHub Copilot's own pages state, with the quote behind each answer. Anything they don't publish is left out rather than guessed.

Getting started with GitHub Copilot

  1. Choose between Copilot Free, Copilot Student, Copilot Pro, Copilot Pro+, Copilot Max, Copilot Business, or Copilot Enterprise depending on your needs.
  2. Subscribe to or start your chosen plan, such as clicking Start using Copilot Free or Subscribe to Copilot Pro.
  3. Open your billing overview page at https://github.com/settings/billing.
  4. Click Budgets and alerts.
  5. Click New budget to create a budget to control spending.
  6. Select Product level budget, SKU level budget, or Bundled AI credits budget under Budget Type, define the scope and amount, and click Create budget.

Tips

  • Inline code suggestions are limited to 2,000 completions per month on the Copilot Free plan.
  • Select Stop usage when budget limit is reached if you want to prevent additional usage and spending once your budget limit is hit.
  • Avoid creating overlapping budgets for the use of a product and a SKU so users are not unexpectedly blocked from features.

Written from GitHub Copilot's own help pages: docs.github.com/en/copilot/get-started/plans · docs.github.com/en/billing/tutorials/set-up-budgets

What the free plan includes

2,000 inline completions/mo, ~50 chat requests/mo, limited agent usage, auto model selection only; no cloud agent or full code review

Questions people ask about GitHub Copilot

How much does GitHub Copilot cost?

Paid plans start at $10 a month (Pro). 6 plans are listed above, from GitHub Copilot's own pricing page.

Is GitHub Copilot free?

Yes, there is a free plan: 2,000 inline completions/mo, ~50 chat requests/mo, limited agent usage, auto model selection only; no cloud agent or full code review.

Do unused GitHub Copilot credits roll over?

No, unused credits do not carry over to the next month. Source

Do I need a credit card to try GitHub Copilot?

No, you can start without a credit card. Source

Does GitHub Copilot have a student or other discount?

Verified students get free access to Copilot Student, and verified teachers and open source maintainers may be eligible for free Copilot Pro. Source

What are GitHub AI Credits?

Interactions consume tokens priced by the model used, and that total is converted into AI credits where 1 AI credit equals $0.01 USD. Source

What happens if I exceed my included AI credits?

You can upgrade your plan, stay on your existing plan and pay for more usage by setting an additional usage budget, or wait until the next monthly reset. Source

Where this came from

Plans, prices and limits were copied from GitHub Copilot's own pages and the other sources listed, then checked .

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Others that do the same job

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