GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot is the IDE-native default: free for personal use, Pro at $10 a month, Pro+ at $39 and Max at $100, with a separate credit meter for agent usage on top of the plan price.
Verified against: github.com as of 2026-09-30
Quick verdict: Copilot is the default pick for teams already living in GitHub: the free tier is real, Pro at $10 is the cheapest paid entry here, and Business at $19 per seat includes pooled org credits and admin controls. Buy Pro+ only if your agents regularly draw down the base credits, and Max at $100 only if you are running sustained agent workflows — at that tier the effective ceiling is $200 in credits. Choose Cursor when frontier-model agent depth matters more than GitHub integration, Claude Code if you work in a terminal and want the API path, and Kiro if your org is on AWS.
- Our rating: 4.4/5
- Strongest dimension: Functionality (5/5, research only)
- Weakest dimension: Collaboration (4/5, research only)
- Pricing: Free plan · $10/mo (Pro)
- Verification: Research-only pass over official sources, last checked 2026-09-30. Sources: github.com
GitHub Copilot pricing details
- Free plan available
- paid plans from $10/mo (Pro)
- free $0 · Pro $10/mo · Pro+ $39/mo · Max $100/mo · Business $19/seat/mo · Enterprise $39/seat/mo
- no annual subscription advertised on the plans page; team plans bill monthly or through an annual organization agreement
Usage is metered on a two-track credit system: each plan carries base credits (Pro $10/mo, Pro+ $39/mo, Max $100/mo) plus a variable flex allotment (Pro $5, Pro+ $31, Max $100), so the Pro+ total reaches $70 and the Max total $200 in monthly AI credits. One AI credit equals $0.01. Pooled organization credits are included on team tiers.
In our index: Free plan $0 (CLI + agent mode) · Pro $10 · Pro+ $39 · Max $100 · Business $19/seat · Enterprise $39/seat; credit pools add $5/$31/$100 flex
How GitHub Copilot scores across our 6 index dimensions
- Functionality: 5/5 (research only)
- Usability: 5/5 (research only)
- Stability: 5/5 (research only)
- Collaboration: 4/5 (research only)
- Localization: 4/5 (research only)
- Value: 5/5 (research only)
Score rationale: The most integrated option in the class: it ships inside the IDE, the CLI and the GitHub agent platform, and the free tier is the most generous here. The catch is the two-track credit meter, where the effective Pro+ month reaches $70 and the Max month $200 in base plus flex credits, so the sticker price understates heavy agent use.
What GitHub Copilot does well
- The only tool in this class with a free personal tier that includes CLI and agent mode, and IDE + JetBrains + VS Code integration out of the box
- Cheapest real seat price in the class: Pro at $10 a month and Business at $19 per seat, the same figure a Codex or Kiro Pro seat costs
- Credit system is transparent: 1 credit = $0.01, base plus flex shown per plan, and budgets can be set so spend stops rather than surprises
Where GitHub Copilot falls short
- The advertised plan price understates the bill: Pro+ carries $31 of flex allotment and Max carries $100, so heavy months reach $70 and $200 in credits
- Flex allotments are described as variable and can change over time, which makes long-term forecasting soft
- Agent depth trails Cursor and Claude Code on frontier-model work; Copilot is a completion tool first and an agent second
How GitHub Copilot compares to other AI Coding Assistants tools
Our index tracks 5 AI Coding Assistants tools. GitHub Copilot sits at 4.4/5, with no annual subscription advertised on the plans page; team plans bill monthly or through an annual organization agreement. Here are the 4 closest alternatives we hold pricing and scoring evidence for.
- Claude Code (Anthropic) — 4.5/5 · Free plan · $17/mo annual (Pro)
Claude Code is the model-native terminal agent: it runs inside Claude Pro at $20 a month, Claude Max from $100, or straight off the API at per-token rates with no seat fee. - Cursor — 4.5/5 · Free plan · $20/mo (Individual)
Cursor is the agentic editor: a free Hobby tier, Individual from $20 a month across Pro, Pro+ and Ultra, Teams at $40 per user, and usage-based billing above the limits. - Windsurf (Cognition) — 4.0/5 · Free plan · $20/mo (Pro)
Windsurf, now part of Cognition, is the quota-priced editor: free with a light agent quota, Pro at $20, Max at $200, and Teams at $80 plus $40 per full developer seat. - Kiro (AWS) — 3.9/5 · Free plan · $20/user/mo (Pro)
Kiro is AWS's spec-driven IDE: free with 50 credits a month, then Pro at $20, Pro+ at $40, Pro Max at $100 and Power at $200 per user, with overage at $0.04 per credit.
Frequently asked questions about GitHub Copilot
How much does GitHub Copilot cost?
Free plan available; paid plans from $10/mo (Pro); free $0 · Pro $10/mo · Pro+ $39/mo · Max $100/mo · Business $19/seat/mo · Enterprise $39/seat/mo; no annual subscription advertised on the plans page; team plans bill monthly or through an annual organization agreement. Billing detail: Usage is metered on a two-track credit system: each plan carries base credits (Pro $10/mo, Pro+ $39/mo, Max $100/mo) plus a variable flex allotment (Pro $5, Pro+ $31, Max $100), so the Pro+ total reaches $70 and the Max total $200 in monthly AI credits. One AI credit equals $0.01. Pooled organization credits are included on team tiers. Figures verified 2026-09-30.
Does GitHub Copilot have a free plan?
Yes. GitHub Copilot has a free tier; paid plans start at $10/mo (Pro).
What is GitHub Copilot rated in our index?
GitHub Copilot sits at 4.4/5 in our index, strongest on functionality (5/5, research only) and weakest on collaboration (4/5, research only). Copilot is the default pick for teams already living in GitHub: the free tier is real, Pro at $10 is the cheapest paid entry here, and Business at $19 per seat includes pooled org credits and admin controls. Buy Pro+ only if your agents regularly draw down the base credits, and Max at $100 only if you are running sustained agent workflows — at that tier the effective ceiling is $200 in credits. Choose Cursor when frontier-model agent depth matters more than GitHub integration, Claude Code if you work in a terminal and want the API path, and Kiro if your org is on AWS.
What are the drawbacks of GitHub Copilot?
The advertised plan price understates the bill: Pro+ carries $31 of flex allotment and Max carries $100, so heavy months reach $70 and $200 in credits Flex allotments are described as variable and can change over time, which makes long-term forecasting soft Agent depth trails Cursor and Claude Code on frontier-model work; Copilot is a completion tool first and an agent second.
What does GitHub Copilot do well?
The only tool in this class with a free personal tier that includes CLI and agent mode, and IDE + JetBrains + VS Code integration out of the box Cheapest real seat price in the class: Pro at $10 a month and Business at $19 per seat, the same figure a Codex or Kiro Pro seat costs Credit system is transparent: 1 credit = $0.01, base plus flex shown per plan, and budgets can be set so spend stops rather than surprises.
How was GitHub Copilot verified?
Research-only pass over official sources, last checked 2026-09-30. Sources: github.com.
What are the alternatives to GitHub Copilot?
We track Cursor, Claude Code (Anthropic), Windsurf (Cognition), Kiro (AWS) as the closest alternatives in our AI Coding Assistants index, and 4 head-to-head comparisons against GitHub Copilot are available.