GitHub Copilot
GitHub's AI coding assistant for editors, the CLI and github.com
Last verified DocumentedBased on official sources; we have not tested this tool ourselves.
At a glance
GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI coding assistant. It gives inline code suggestions and chat in supported editors, and it also offers agent mode, code review, a cloud agent and a command-line tool, with individual, business and enterprise plans.
Best for
Developers and teams that want AI suggestions, chat and agents inside their editor and GitHub workflow, and that can plan around a monthly AI credit allowance.
Not for
Not a fit if you need GitHub Enterprise Server support (the docs say Copilot is not currently available for it) or a fixed price with no usage-based credits.
- Vendor
- GitHub
- Pricing model
- Free tier
- Free tier
- Yes
- Open source
- No
- MCP support
- Yes
- Platforms
- Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Neovim, Eclipse, Xcode, CLI, github.com, GitHub Mobile, Windows Terminal
- Category
- AI Coding & App Builders
Features
- Inline suggestions and next edit suggestions in supported IDEs (the plans docs say they are not billed in AI credits on paid plans).
- Copilot Chat in IDEs, on github.com, in GitHub Mobile and in Windows Terminal, with inline chat and slash commands.
- Agent mode, Copilot CLI, Copilot cloud agent and Copilot code review, as listed in the plans docs.
- Support for Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, custom instructions and prompt files.
- Choice of models from several providers, depending on plan; the plans page lists Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, xAI, Microsoft and Kimi models (as of 2026-10-03).
- Copilot Pro+ and Max can delegate tasks to third-party coding agents such as Claude by Anthropic and OpenAI Codex (Preview), per the plans page.
- Usage is measured in GitHub AI Credits: 1 AI credit = $0.01 USD, per the plans page FAQ.
Limitations
- Usage-based: chat, agent mode, code review, cloud agent, CLI and apps consume GitHub AI Credits, and the number used depends on the model and task (plans page FAQ).
- Copilot Free is limited: auto model selection only, limited agent usage, and 2000 completions per month (docs).
- Copilot is not currently available for GitHub Enterprise Server (plans docs note).
- For Free, Pro and Pro+ subscribers, GitHub states it may use Copilot interaction data to train models unless the user opts out.
- The plans page FAQ and the docs differ on some details (for example a stale Free-plan chat figure on the marketing FAQ); the docs plans page was used for plan facts.
Plans and pricing
Prices exactly as stated on the vendor's pricing page, each with the date we checked it.
| Plan | Price | Billing | Limits | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copilot StudentAvailable to verified students (docs). | Free | Free |
| Official pricing pageChecked |
| Copilot FreeOnly available to individual developers who do not have access to Copilot through an organization or enterprise (docs). | Free | Free |
| Official pricing pageChecked |
| Copilot EnterpriseDesigned for enterprises using GitHub Enterprise Cloud; includes all Copilot Business features (docs). | $39 USD per granted seat per month | Monthly |
| Official pricing pageChecked |
| Copilot BusinessEach license contributes AI credits to a shared enterprise pool; usage beyond the pool is charged at $0.01 USD per AI credit (docs). | $19 USD per granted seat per month | Monthly |
| Official pricing pageChecked |
| Copilot MaxPlans page: "built for heavy Copilot usage, including sustained agent-driven workflows". | $100 USD per month | Monthly |
| Official pricing pageChecked |
| Copilot Pro+The plans page lists delegating tasks to third-party coding agents such as Claude by Anthropic and OpenAI Codex (Preview) as included on Pro+ and Max, not on Pro. | $39 USD per month | Monthly |
| Official pricing pageChecked |
| Copilot ProThe pricing table also says "(free for some users)". Verified teachers and maintainers of popular open source projects may be eligible for free access to Copilot Pro (docs). | $10 USD per month | Monthly |
| Official pricing pageChecked |
Prices change. Confirm the current price on the official page before you buy.
Check GitHub Copilot pricingPlatforms and integrations
Platforms
- Visual Studio Code
- Visual Studio
- JetBrains IDEs
- Neovim
- Eclipse
- Xcode
- CLI
- github.com
- GitHub Mobile
- Windows Terminal
Integrations
- GitHub
- MCP servers
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Jira
- Linear
- Azure Boards
- Raycast
Quick answers
- Who is GitHub Copilot for?
- Developers and teams that want AI suggestions, chat and agents inside their editor and GitHub workflow, and that can plan around a monthly AI credit allowance. Not a fit if you need GitHub Enterprise Server support (the docs say Copilot is not currently available for it) or a fixed price with no usage-based credits.
- What does GitHub Copilot cost?
- Copilot Student: Free. Copilot Free: Free. Copilot Enterprise: $39 USD per granted seat per month. Copilot Business: $19 USD per granted seat per month. Copilot Max: $100 USD per month. Copilot Pro+: $39 USD per month. Copilot Pro: $10 USD per month. Verified Oct 3, 2026 against the official pricing page; prices change, so check it before you buy.
- Is there a free plan?
- Yes: Copilot Student, with these limits: An allowance of GitHub AI Credits; Excludes third-party agents; Auto model selection only.
- Does GitHub Copilot support MCP?
- Yes, according to the vendor documentation (see the sources on this page). MCP lets AI assistants connect to the tool.
- What are the limitations of GitHub Copilot?
- Usage-based: chat, agent mode, code review, cloud agent, CLI and apps consume GitHub AI Credits, and the number used depends on the model and task (plans page FAQ). Copilot Free is limited: auto model selection only, limited agent usage, and 2000 completions per month (docs). Copilot is not currently available for GitHub Enterprise Server (plans docs note). For Free, Pro and Pro+ subscribers, GitHub states it may use Copilot interaction data to train models unless the user opts out. The plans page FAQ and the docs differ on some details (for example a stale Free-plan chat figure on the marketing FAQ); the docs plans page was used for plan facts.
- Which data does GitHub Copilot access or keep?
- Vendor states (GitHub Copilot plans page FAQ, 2026-10-03): GitHub does not use Copilot Business or Enterprise data to train its models. For individual subscribers, GitHub may use interactions from users with a Copilot Free, Copilot Pro or Copilot Pro+ subscription, including inputs, outputs, code snippets and associated context, to train and improve its AI models unless they have opted out; individual subscribers can opt out at github.com/settings/copilot/features. Default retention for Business and Enterprise: prompts and suggestions are not retained for IDE chat and completions; for all other access they are retained for 28 days; user engagement data is kept for two years.
- Can I use GitHub Copilot and its outputs commercially?
- Unknown. Not reviewed in the sources fetched; see the GitHub Terms of Service and Copilot product terms.
- Is there an API?
- Yes. GitHub docs list a Copilot SDK and a way to use the cloud agent via the API (documentation navigation, 2026-10-03). Details were not reviewed.
Sources
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