GitHub Copilot
Verdict
Evidence: Editorial assessmentGitHub Copilot is the lowest-cost paid coding assistant from a major vendor and the most natural fit for teams that live in GitHub. The free plan is usable for light work. The plan line-up grew in 2026 (Pro+, Max), so check which plan includes the agent and model access you need; Business and Enterprise prices are no longer on the public plans page.
Quick facts
| GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|
| Maker | GitHub |
| Category | AI Coding Assistants |
| Pricing model | Free plan available |
| Status | Active |
| Official site | github.com |
| Data last checked | 5 October 2026 |
Key facts and sources
| Claim | Detail | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans and prices | Free $0 (2,000 completions and 50 chat requests a month); Pro $10/month; Pro+ $39/month; Max $100/month including $100/month in GitHub AI Credits. Business and Enterprise prices are not listed on the plans page. | Verified | GitHub Copilot plans, 5 October 2026 |
Pricing
GitHub Copilot plans
Evidence: Verified| Plan | Price | Billing | Key limit | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | — | 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests a month | 5 October 2026 |
| Pro | $10 / month | Monthly | Individual plan | 5 October 2026 |
| Pro+ | $39 / month | Monthly | Individual plan with higher limits | 5 October 2026 |
| Max | $100 / month | Monthly | Includes $100 a month in GitHub AI Credits | 5 October 2026 |
Who should use it
- Individual developers who want a low-cost paid plan ($10 a month)
- Teams whose code review and issues already run on GitHub
- Developers who use several editors, including JetBrains and Vim
Who should skip it
- You want a dedicated AI-first editor (compare Cursor)
- You need a terminal-first agent (compare Claude Code or Codex)
Limitations and risks
- Free plan: 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests a month.
- Business and Enterprise prices are not listed on the public plans page; ask GitHub sales.
- GitHub's plans page notes that it may use interactions from Free, Pro and Pro+ users to train models unless you opt out in settings.
How it compares: GitHub Copilot alternatives
Cursor
An AI code editor built on VS Code, with in-editor chat, multi-file agent edits and background agents.
Claude Code
Anthropic's agentic coding tool that works in the terminal, in IDEs and on GitHub, editing files, running commands and handling git workflows.
OpenAI Codex
OpenAI's coding agent; the open-source Codex CLI runs in the terminal and is included with paid ChatGPT plans or usable with an API key.
Blackbox AI
An AI coding assistant with chat, code search and autocomplete in editors and on the web.
Gemini CLI
Google's open-source AI agent that brings Gemini models into the terminal for coding, file and shell tasks.
Rating
Not yet rated. We show a rating only when at least four of six criteria have documented evidence. How we rate AI tools
Common questions
How much is GitHub Copilot in 2026?
Copilot Free is $0, Pro is $10 a month, Pro+ is $39 a month and Max is $100 a month, which includes $100 a month in GitHub AI Credits. Prices checked on github.com/features/copilot/plans on 5 October 2026.
What does the Copilot free plan include?
The free plan includes 2,000 code completions and 50 chat requests a month, according to GitHub's plans page. It is enough to try Copilot on a side project, not for daily professional use.
Copilot or Cursor?
Copilot costs less at the entry tier ($10 vs $20 a month) and works across many editors and GitHub itself. Cursor is a separate editor built around AI editing and agents. Teams on GitHub usually start with Copilot; developers wanting an AI-first editor try Cursor.
Sources
- GitHub Copilot plans · checked 5 October 2026
- GitHub Copilot official site