AI coding · Ranked 5 of 9 in Best AI coding assistants
What is GitHub Copilot?
Short answer
GitHub Copilot is a AI coding assistant from GitHub, best for IDE autocomplete and agents inside GitHub. It has a free plan (limited chat and agent usage); paid plans start at $10 / seat / mo.
| Fact | GitHub Copilot | AI coding median (3 tools) |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, limited chat and agent usage | 8 of 9 have one |
| Entry price | $10 / seat / mo | $10 / seat / mo |
| Top plan | $100 / seat / mo | $25 / seat / mo |
| 1st year | $600 | $600 |
| Paid plans | 3 | 2 |
| Platforms | Web, Chrome extension, API, macOS, Windows, Linux | — |
What does GitHub Copilot do?
GitHub Copilot covers these jobs, as listed on GitHub's pricing and feature pages.
- Code completion in IDEs
- Chat and agent mode
- Code review
- Copilot CLI
- Usage via GitHub AI Credits
How much does GitHub Copilot cost?
Free, then $10 / seat / mo to $100 / seat / mo.
| Plan | Price | Billed monthly | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free | Limited chat and agent usage; no credit card |
| Pro | $10 / seat / mo | — | Free for verified teachers and popular open source maintainers |
| Pro+ | $39 / seat / mo | — | — |
| Max | $100 / seat / mo | — | — |
What are the best GitHub Copilot alternatives?
Closest on first-year cost: JetBrains Junie, Devin, Gemini CLI.
| Alternative | Free plan | From |
|---|---|---|
| JetBrains Junie | Yes | $100 / seat / yr |
| Devin | Yes | $20 / mo |
| Gemini CLI | Yes | $19.99 / mo |
Is GitHub Copilot better than Cursor?
GitHub Copilot is best for IDE autocomplete and agents inside GitHub; Cursor for AI-first code editor. First year: $600 vs $96.
Sources
| Vendor page | URL | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot pricing | github.com/features/copilot/plans | 27 Oct 2026 |
Prices in USD as published by each vendor, billed yearly where offered. How we compare