GitHub Copilot

What is GitHub Copilot?

GitHub Copilot is Microsoft/GitHub's coding assistant inside VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Neovim, Xcode, Eclipse, and github.com. Completions and next-edit suggestions stay unlimited on paid plans and do not spend AI Credits.

Chat, agent mode, code review, Copilot CLI, and cloud agents do. Official individual plans in September 2026: Free ($0, 2,000 completions/month plus limited chat); Pro $10/user/month with unlimited completions, model choice, cloud agent, and about $15 in monthly AI Credits; Pro+ $39 with premium models including Opus, audit logs, and about $70 in credits; Max $100 with priority model access and about $200 in credits.

Org seats are Business $19/user/month and Enterprise $39. Verified students still have a free student path.

Copilot is the plugin you add to an existing IDE — not a new editor.

A concrete walkthrough: stay in VS Code, don't switch editors

Keep your VS Code keybindings and extensions. Install Copilot, stay on Pro ($10) if the job is mostly Tab completions and short chat questions — those completions are unlimited and free of the credit pot.

The moment you run agent mode on a multi-file refactor every afternoon, the $15 Pro credit bundle will run out and GitHub will bill extra credits (1 credit = $0.01). That is the signal to try Pro+ ($39, about $70 credits) or to switch the daily loop to Cursor, where the editor itself is built around the agent.

Do not buy Copilot Max ($100) until Pro+ credits also run out on real work.

Key features

• Unlimited inline completions and next-edit suggestions on Pro and above (they do not spend AI Credits)
• Copilot Chat and agent mode in the editor; Copilot CLI on Free as well as paid
• Cloud agent and pull-request review on Pro+
• Third-party agents (Claude Code, Codex) listed on Pro
• Works in VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Neovim, Xcode, Eclipse, and github.com
• Usage-based GitHub AI Credits for chat/agents after the included monthly pot

How to get started

1. Install the Copilot extension in the editor you already use and sign in with GitHub
2. Type as usual for inline completions; open Copilot Chat for questions about the open file or repo
3. Use agent / cloud agent on Pro+ when the change spans many files
4. Watch the AI Credits meter in billing if you live in chat and agents — completions will not drain it
5. Orgs should buy Business or Enterprise seats instead of a pile of personal Pro accounts

GitHub Copilot pricing

GitHub's plans page, September 2026: Free $0 (2,000 completions/month); Pro $10/user/month (unlimited completions, ~$15 AI Credits); Pro+ $39 (~$70 credits, premium models); Max $100 (~$200 credits). Business $19/user/month; Enterprise $39/user/month.

Completions do not consume credits. Extra agent/chat usage is billed in AI Credits.

Our take: Pro at $10 is still the cheapest serious coding assistant if you already live in VS Code or JetBrains. Move to Pro+ when agent credits, not completions, are the bottleneck. Compare that spend with Cursor Pro ($20) before jumping to Copilot Max.

Prices verified 2026-09. Plans change often — confirm on the official site above before you buy.

Use cases

• Boilerplate and repetitive code without leaving the current editor
• In-editor explanations of an unfamiliar function
• PR summaries and review comments on github.com
• Multi-file tasks via agent / cloud agent on Pro+
• Standardizing one AI tool across an engineering org

Strengths and tradeoffs

GitHub Copilot alternatives

• Cursor: Cursor is a full standalone editor built around AI-assisted coding, not a plugin layered onto an existing one.
• Codex: Codex works from the command line or as an IDE extension, tuned specifically for OpenAI's models.
• Lovable: Lovable goes from a plain-English description straight to a working app, skipping the editor entirely.
• Windsurf: Windsurf is also a standalone AI-first editor, with a different approach to multi-file agentic edits.

Stay on Copilot if leaving VS Code/JetBrains is a non-starter and Tab completion is most of the value. Switch to Cursor when the daily job is an agent rewriting many files.

Use Claude Code if the loop is the terminal, not the editor. Codex is already in a ChatGPT Plus/Pro subscription if you pay OpenAI anyway.

FAQ

Is GitHub Copilot free to use?

GitHub Copilot's plans: Free tier, plus Pro $10 / Pro+ $39 / Max $100 and Business/Enterprise seats. Pricing and free-tier limits change over time, so check the official site above for the latest details.

What is GitHub Copilot used for?

Inline completions in the editor you already use, plus chat and agents billed with GitHub AI Credits.

Who is GitHub Copilot best for?

GitHub Copilot is a good fit for boilerplate and repetitive code without leaving the current editor, or in-editor explanations of an unfamiliar function.

What are the alternatives to GitHub Copilot?

Commonly compared alternatives include Cursor, Codex, and Lovable, see the comparison above for how they differ.

How much does GitHub Copilot cost?

Copilot Free is $0 with 2,000 completions a month. Pro is $10, Pro+ $39, Max $100. Business is $19 per user, Enterprise $39. Students can qualify for a free student plan. Chat and agents spend monthly AI Credits; inline completions on paid plans do not.

What's the best GitHub Copilot alternative?

Cursor is the most commonly recommended swap: cursor is a full standalone editor built around AI-assisted coding, not a plugin layered onto an existing one. Which one is actually best depends on which of those tradeoffs matters more for what you're doing.

Do Copilot completions use AI Credits?

No. GitHub's 2026 billing notes say code completions and next-edit suggestions stay included on paid plans and do not consume GitHub AI Credits. Chat, agent mode, code review, cloud agent, Copilot CLI, and Copilot Apps do.

What is Copilot Max versus Pro+?

Max is $100/user/month on GitHub's plans page. It includes everything in Pro+ plus priority access to new models and a larger credit pot (about $200/month versus about $70 on Pro+). Buy it only after Pro+ credits run out on real agent work.