GitHub Copilot review

What GitHub Copilot is

GitHub Copilot is the AI coding assistant built by GitHub. It started as autocomplete for code and has grown into a platform of agents: it suggests code as you type, answers questions in chat, reviews pull requests, and its cloud agent can take an issue, write the code and open a pull request for you to review.

Copilot works in VS Code, Visual Studio, Xcode, on GitHub.com and in other supported environments. Paid plans also give you access to third-party agents, including Claude Code and Codex, and let you choose among models.

Key features

Code completion and next edit

Inline suggestions and predicted next edits; unlimited on Business plans.

Copilot Chat

Ask questions about code, errors or your repository.

Cloud agent

Assign work and let Copilot implement it in the background, then review the pull request.

Code review

AI review comments on pull requests.

Models and third-party agents

Pick models per task; Pro+ adds premium models such as Opus.

Governance

Access controls, budget controls, audit logs and IP indemnity for organizations.

Pricing breakdown

From github.com/features/copilot, checked October 16, 2026 (USD per user per month).

Plan	Price	Included usage	Highlights
Free	$0	2,000 completions/mo	Haiku 4.5, GPT-5 mini
Pro	$10	$15 monthly credits	Cloud agent, code review, 3rd-party agents
Pro+	$39	$70 monthly credits	Premium models incl. Opus, audit logs
Max	$100	$200 monthly credits	Priority access to new models
Business	$19	1,900 credits per user	Pooled credits, governance, IP indemnity
Enterprise	$39	1,900 + 2,000 credits per user	Priority access to new features

Best use cases

• Daily coding: speed up boilerplate, tests and refactors with completions.
• Issue backlog: assign small bugs to the cloud agent.
• Code review: get a first-pass review before human reviewers.
• Onboarding: ask chat to explain an unfamiliar codebase.

How to get started

1. Sign in to GitHub and enable Copilot Free.
2. Install the Copilot extension in VS Code, Visual Studio or Xcode.
3. Start typing and accept suggestions with Tab.
4. Open Copilot Chat and ask about your project.
5. Upgrade to Pro to try the cloud agent and code review.

Tips and tricks

• Write descriptive comments and function names to guide suggestions.
• Give the agent well-scoped issues with clear acceptance criteria.
• Watch credit usage when using premium models.
• Always run tests on AI-generated changes.

Example agent task:

Add input validation to the signup form: email must be valid, password at least 12 characters with one number. Show inline error messages, add unit tests for each rule, and don’t change the API.

Pros and cons

👍 Pros

• Works in the most popular IDEs and on GitHub
• Affordable Pro plan with agents included
• Free plan and student access
• Choice of models and third-party agents
• Enterprise governance and IP indemnity

👎 Cons

• Credit system adds complexity
• Premium models require Pro+ or higher
• Agent output still needs careful review
• Best experience assumes GitHub-hosted code

Who should (and shouldn't) use GitHub Copilot

✅ A good fit if you…

• Host code on GitHub
• Want AI help inside your current editor
• Need team controls and IP indemnity

⛔ Look elsewhere if you…

• Want an AI-first editor experience (consider Cursor)
• Prefer terminal-based agents (consider Claude Code or OpenAI Codex)
• Use other code hosts exclusively

GitHub Copilot alternatives

• Cursor — AI coding agent and code editor that builds, tests and ships software from the desktop, CLI, Slack and GitHub. (from $8/mo (Plus); $80/yr)
• Claude Code — Anthropic's agentic coding tool that plans, edits, tests and ships code from your terminal, IDE, Slack or the web. (from $17/mo (Claude Pro, annual; $20 monthly))
• OpenAI Codex — OpenAI's coding agent across the ChatGPT desktop app, CLI, IDE extension, web and cloud. (from Free; Plus $20/mo for full Codex)
• Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) — Cognition's AI IDE, the successor to Windsurf, with an agent command center for Devin and third-party coding agents. (from $20/mo (Pro))
• Replit — Build and publish apps by describing them to Replit Agent, all in the browser. (from See replit.com/pricing (price not confirmed))

FAQ

Is GitHub Copilot free?

Yes. Copilot Free includes 2,000 completions per month and access to models such as Haiku 4.5 and GPT-5 mini, with no credit card required. Verified students can get the Copilot Student plan.

How much does GitHub Copilot Pro cost?

Copilot Pro is $10 per user per month and includes the cloud agent, code review, third-party agents, model selection and $15 in monthly credits.

What's the difference between Pro+ and Max?

Pro+ ($39/month) adds premium models like Opus, audit logs and $70 in monthly credits. Max ($100/month) adds priority access to new models and $200 in monthly credits.

How much is Copilot Business?

Business is $19 per user per month with access controls, budget controls, IP indemnity and 1,900 credits per user. Enterprise is $39 per user per month with 2,000 more credits per user.

Can Copilot use Claude Code and Codex?

Yes. Paid plans include access to third-party agents, including Claude Code and Codex.

Sources

This is an editorial review based on research of official GitHub Copilot pages and documentation, not hands-on benchmark testing. Prices are in USD and were checked on October 16, 2026; vendors change plans often, so confirm on the official pricing page before buying.

1. GitHub Copilot features and plans
2. GitHub Copilot documentation