Tool profile
GitHub Copilot: what it is, what it costs, where it breaks
GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant made by GitHub, a Microsoft subsidiary, that offers inline completions, chat, agent mode and code review inside editors such as VS Code, Visual Studio and JetBrains IDEs. It also runs a cloud agent and a command line tool tied to GitHub repositories.
What to know first
GitHub Copilot is a plug-in first: it goes into the editor you already use and connects to repositories, pull requests and issues on GitHub. Since the move to AI credits, each plan includes a dollar-denominated allowance, and the model list is shared across tiers. The part to read carefully is the data policy, which differs between individual plans and Business or Enterprise.
GitHub Copilot at a glance
| Maker | GitHub (Microsoft), United States |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | $10 per month (Pro) |
| API access | No |
| Category | Best AI Coding Assistants in 2026, rank 2 of 9 |
| Website | github.com/features/copilot |
Who GitHub Copilot is best for
Organizations standardized on GitHub
Billing, policy and repository access already live there, so Copilot adds assistants without another vendor, and Business or Enterprise bring pooled credits and admin spending limits.
Developers split across IDEs
One subscription covers VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse, Xcode, Neovim and Zed, which suits teams where people refuse to share a single editor.
Students and light users
The Free tier gives 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests monthly, and the $10 Pro tier is the lowest paid entry among the big editor-based assistants.
GitHub Copilot plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Limited chat and agent usage, 2,000 inline suggestions per month and the shared model list, with no cloud agent or code review. |
| Pro | $10 per month | $15 of AI credits monthly ($10 base plus $5 flex), unlimited inline suggestions, cloud agent, code review and purchasable extra credits. |
| Pro+ | $39 per month | $70 of AI credits monthly, plus access to third-party coding agents such as Claude and OpenAI Codex in preview. |
| Max | $100 per month | $200 of AI credits monthly for heavy agent use, with the same third-party agent access as Pro+. |
| Business and Enterprise | Per user, not listed on the plans page | Pooled org-wide credits with admin spending controls, IP indemnification with filtering on, SAML SSO, usage metrics and policy management. |
Prices as of October 2026; vendors change plans often, so confirm on the vendor's pricing page.
What GitHub Copilot does
- Agent mode and CLI
- Agent mode runs in VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse and Xcode, and a command line interface is included on every plan, including the Free tier.
- Cloud agent
- A cloud agent works on repository tasks in the background and returns changes for review. It is excluded from Free and included on Pro, Pro+ and Max.
- Code review
- Copilot reviews pull requests on paid individual plans, so a solo maintainer gets a first reviewer without involving teammates. It is not included on the Free tier.
- Model selection
- One shared list covers Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and xAI models plus others, available on every plan, though GitHub notes that options can vary by feature.
- Third-party agents
- Pro+ and Max can run Claude and OpenAI Codex agents from inside GitHub, in preview, which lets teams compare different agents on the same repository.
How GitHub Copilot handles your data
GitHub states that it does not use Copilot Business or Enterprise data to train its models. For those plans, prompts and suggestions from IDE chat and completions are not retained, and other access keeps them for 28 days, with engagement data kept two years. For Free, Pro and Pro+, GitHub announced that from April 24, 2026 interaction data is used for training unless the user opts out under Privacy settings. That data may be shared with GitHub affiliates including Microsoft, not with third-party model providers. The policy post does not mention the Max plan.
Where GitHub Copilot falls short in practice
- Credits replace a flat allowance. Every plan now spends AI credits at $0.01 each, so agent-heavy days cost more than chat-heavy days. The base $10 Pro price covers only a modest credit pool.
- Opt-out is the user's job. On individual plans, training use is on by default and the opt-out sits in each person's settings. A company that lets staff use personal accounts has no central control.
- Business pricing needs a lookup. The plans page showed no per-user Business or Enterprise price and listed pooled usage and indemnity as unavailable on individual tiers, so team budgeting starts from GitHub's other pages.
Works with
Alternatives to GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot: common questions
Does GitHub Copilot use my private code for training?
On Free, Pro and Pro+, GitHub says interaction data is used for training from April 24, 2026 unless you opt out in settings. Business and Enterprise are excluded. GitHub also says content at rest in private repositories, issues and discussions is not part of the program, though code processed during active use can be.
How much is GitHub Copilot per month in 2026?
As of October 2026 the individual plans are Free at $0, Pro at $10, Pro+ at $39 and Max at $100 per month. Each paid tier includes a credit allowance, with Pro at $15, Pro+ at $70 and Max at $200. Business and Enterprise prices were not listed on the page checked.
What are GitHub AI Credits?
GitHub AI Credits are the unit used to pay for Copilot usage, and one credit is worth $0.01. Each plan includes a monthly amount made up of base credits and, on some tiers, a flex allotment. You can buy more on paid individual plans, and organizations can set spending limits.
Which editors does GitHub Copilot support?
Agent mode works in VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Eclipse and Xcode. GitHub also lists Neovim, Raycast, SQL Server Management Studio and Zed as supported environments. The CLI and GitHub mobile access are included on every plan, so editor choice rarely blocks adoption.
Does Copilot Business include IP indemnity?
GitHub states that you are entitled to IP indemnification for unmodified suggestions when Copilot's filtering is enabled, and the plans page lists this under the organization tiers, not the individual ones. Read the current terms for the exact conditions before relying on it in a contract.