GitHub Copilot
AI pair programmer in VS Code, JetBrains, the CLI and github.com: inline suggestions, chat and agent mode.
Is GitHub Copilot free?
Copilot Free costs $0 and gives 2,000 inline code completions a month, plus a small monthly allowance of GitHub AI Credits for chat and agent use (GitHub does not publish its size). It includes agent mode, MCP servers, custom instructions, Copilot Spaces and the Copilot CLI, with automatic model selection.
The catch
Chat and agent use is capped by a credit allowance whose size GitHub doesn't publish, so heavy sessions can hit the cap with little warning. PR code review and the cloud agent are not included.
Best for
- Trying AI completions in your current editor without paying
- Light chat and quick explanations while coding
- Short agent-mode edits and MCP tool use
- Side projects that stay under 2,000 completions a month
How to start
- Sign in to GitHub and open github.com/features/copilot
- Choose Copilot Free; no card is needed
- Install the GitHub Copilot extension in VS Code or JetBrains, or the Copilot CLI
- Sign in from the editor and start typing or open chat
Since June 2026, GitHub meters chat and agent use with GitHub AI Credits instead of premium requests. Copilot Pro costs $10/month with unlimited inline suggestions, a monthly credit allowance, code review and the cloud agent. Verified students get Copilot Student for free, and verified teachers and maintainers of popular open source projects may get Copilot Pro for free.
Free plans change often. Confirm the current limits on GitHub Copilot's own pricing page before you rely on them.
GitHub Copilot: common questions
Is GitHub Copilot free?
Yes. Copilot Free costs $0, needs no card and works in VS Code, JetBrains, the CLI and github.com. Paid plans start at $10/month for Copilot Pro.
What are the Copilot Free limits?
2,000 inline completions a month and a small allowance of AI Credits for chat and agent use. GitHub does not publish how many credits that allowance holds.
Is GitHub Copilot free for students?
Yes. Verified students get Copilot Student for free, which adds the cloud agent and code review on top of Free.
Checked against: github.com, docs.github.com, docs.github.com