GitHub Copilot
GitHub's AI coding assistant for VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Xcode and the CLI, with a free plan.
Founded 2021
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GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI coding assistant, first launched as a technical preview in June 2021. It works as an extension in Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Eclipse and Xcode, in the Copilot CLI, in a desktop app and on GitHub.com. Agent mode decides which files to change, makes the edits and runs commands, which you approve by default. Paid plans add the Copilot cloud agent, which turns assigned work into pull requests, plus pull request reviews and, on some plans, third-party agents such as Claude by Anthropic and OpenAI Codex.
Since June 1, 2026, usage is billed in GitHub AI Credits (1 credit = $0.01). Free includes 2,000 completions a month; Pro costs $10, Pro+ $39 and Max $100 a month. Business costs $19 and Enterprise $39 per user a month.
Best for
Developers and companies already on GitHub who want AI help inside their current editor, from a free plan up to managed Business and Enterprise seats.
Pros
- Free plan with 2,000 completions a month and limited chat and agent use
- Works in the editors many teams already use: VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse and Xcode
- Built into GitHub: cloud agent, pull request reviews and automatic repository indexing
- Paid plans start at $10 a month; Business costs $19 per user a month
Cons
- Chat, agent and review usage draws down AI Credits; if you allow extra paid usage, heavy agent use can cost more than the plan price
- Among individual plans, premium models such as Opus start at Pro+ ($39 a month)
- On Free, Pro and Pro+, your prompts and code may be used for training unless you opt out
Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly (12-month total) |
|---|---|---|
| Free2,000 completions/month; limited chat and agent use; CLI included | Free Free plan | |
| Pro$15 of AI credits a month ($10 base + $5 flex); billed monthly | $10/mo | no yearly price |
| Pro+$70 of AI credits a month; premium models such as Opus; billed monthly | $39/mo | no yearly price |
| Max$200 of AI credits a month; priority access to new models; billed monthly | $100/mo | no yearly price |
| BusinessPer user/month; 1,900 AI credits per user, pooled | $19/mo | no yearly price |
| EnterprisePer user/month; 2,000 more AI credits per user than Business | $39/mo | no yearly price |
Prices checked on .
Features
In AI coding tools
| Feature | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|
| Editor type | Yes · Extension for VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse, Xcode; CLI; desktop app |
| Agent mode | Yes · Agent mode on all plans; cloud agent from Pro |
| Multi-file edits | Yes · Agent decides which files to change and edits them |
| Runs terminal commands | Yes · You approve commands by default |
| Model choice | Yes · Auto selection on Free; model choice from Pro; premium models from Pro+ |
| Codebase indexing | Yes · Automatic repository index for Chat and cloud agent |
| Free tier | Yes · 2,000 completions/month; limited chat and agent |
| Team/enterprise plan | Yes · Business $19, Enterprise $39 per user/month |
| Privacy mode | Yes · Training opt-out on Free/Pro/Pro+; Business/Enterprise data never used |