GitHub Copilot
PopularAI pair programmer. Get code suggestions right in your editor.
About GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI development assistant across the editor, terminal, GitHub.com, code review, and agent workflows. It combines inline suggestions and chat with repository-aware assistance and cloud-agent execution paths.
The current product should be evaluated as more than autocomplete. Depending on plan and surface, Copilot can assist with code generation, explanation, repository questions, code review, CLI work, cloud-agent tasks, and third-party coding agents integrated into GitHub workflows.
For teams, the main decision is whether GitHub should become the shared control surface for AI-assisted development. Evaluate model access, AI Credits consumption, code review coverage, agent workflows, organization policies, and how generated changes enter the normal pull-request process.
Key Features
- ✓Inline Code Suggestions: Get real-time, context-aware code completions as you type — from single lines to entire multi-line functions.
- ✓Copilot Chat and repository assistance: Ask coding questions, explain code, debug problems, and work with repository context across supported IDE and GitHub surfaces.
- ✓Multi-Language Support: Works with virtually all programming languages including Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Ruby, Java, C++, Rust, and many more.
- ✓Broad IDE Coverage: Available as extensions for VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm), Neovim, and Azure Data Studio.
- ✓Context Awareness: Analyzes your entire project context — open files, imports, and function signatures — to provide relevant suggestions.
- ✓Copilot code review: Review pull requests with AI-assisted analysis and organization-level policy controls where supported.
- ✓Cloud and third-party agents: Use Copilot's cloud-agent workflows and, on eligible surfaces, connect coding agents such as Claude Code and Codex into GitHub-centered development flows.
- ✓AI Credits billing: Current individual plans use GitHub AI Credits for premium model and agent usage, replacing the older premium-request accounting model.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Copilot Free | $0 | 50 agent mode or chat requests per month, 2,000 completions per month, Access to Haiku 4.5, GPT-5 mini, and more, Copilot CLI |
| Copilot Pro | $10/user/month | Everything in Free, plus:, Copilot cloud agent, Copilot code review, Claude and Codex on GitHub and VS Code, Monthly GitHub AI Credits for premium model and agent usage, Standard model access and Copilot workflows subject to current plan limits, Unlimited inline suggestions, Access to models from Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, and more |
| Copilot Pro+ | $39/user/month | Everything in Pro, plus higher AI Credits allowance, Access to a broader set of premium models and advanced capabilities, Designed for heavier model and agent usage than Pro |
| Copilot Max | $100/user/month | Highest individual Copilot tier, Built for sustained agent-driven workflows, Largest monthly AI Credits allowance among individual plans |
| Copilot Business | $19/user/month | Team management and policy controls, IP indemnification, Organization admin controls, GitHub-hosted agents and knowledge bases |
| Copilot Enterprise | $39/user/month | Everything in Business, plus:, Custom models and fine-tuning, GitHub knowledge base, PR summaries and advanced features, SAML SSO and enterprise controls |
Last reviewed:
Official pricing sources: github.com · docs.github.com · docs.github.com
Before You Pay
Decision check- ✓Compare Pro, Pro+, Max, Business, and Enterprise on actual agent and premium-model usage, not autocomplete alone.
- ✓Plan allowances and AI-credit consumption can make heavy agent workflows cost differently from basic inline completion, so estimate usage by task type.
- ✓For organizations, review repository access, policy controls, code review behavior, data settings, and seat management before broad rollout.
- ✓Pilot with representative repositories and measure accepted suggestions, agent task completion, review burden, and premium usage before upgrading tiers.
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- ✅ Dramatically speeds up coding, especially boilerplate
- ✅ Excellent multi-language and multi-IDE support
- ✅ Copilot Chat provides interactive coding help
- ✅ Free tier available for individual developers
- ✅ Built by GitHub with deep repository context
⚠️ Cons
- ⚠️ Suggestions sometimes include incorrect or outdated code
- ⚠️ Requires internet connection (no offline mode)
- ⚠️ Code suggestions may match public GPL-licensed code
- ⚠️ Enterprise features are relatively expensive
- ⚠️ Can become a crutch that reduces deep learning
Use Cases
Rapid Prototyping
Quickly scaffold new projects and features with AI-generated boilerplate code, letting you focus on architecture and business logic rather than repetitive setup.
Test Writing
Generate unit tests, integration tests, and test fixtures automatically based on your existing code, dramatically improving test coverage with minimal manual effort.
Learning New Languages
Explore unfamiliar programming languages and frameworks with AI-guided suggestions and explanations — like having a tutor available right in your editor.
Alternatives
Frequently Asked Questions
What is GitHub Copilot?
GitHub Copilot is an AI pair programmer that suggests code completions and helps write code across many languages directly in your IDE.
How much does GitHub Copilot cost?
Current individual plans include Free, Pro at $10/month, Pro+ at $39/month, and Max at $100/month. Organization plans include Business at $19/user/month and Enterprise at $39/user/month. Premium model and agent usage is now accounted with GitHub AI Credits rather than the legacy premium-request model.
Is Copilot code safe to use?
GitHub recommends reviewing all AI-generated code. Copilot includes filters to reduce suggestions matching public code, but developers should always verify generated code.