PE Collective
GitHub Copilot Pricing: Every Plan Compared (April 2026)
GitHub Copilot now has five tiers, from a useful free plan to Enterprise at $39/user. The pricing revolves around 'premium requests', a currency that powers Chat, Agent mode, code review, and model selection. The free tier's 50 premium requests per month is enough to test but not to rely on. This page breaks down every plan, what premium requests actually buy, and which tier fits different developer workflows.
Free
- ✓ 2,000 code completions per month
- ✓ 50 premium requests per month
- ✓ Access to Claude Sonnet 4.6 and GPT-4.1
- ✓ Works in VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim
- ✓ Good for evaluation, not daily use
Pro
- ✓ Unlimited code completions
- ✓ 300 premium requests per month
- ✓ Copilot coding agent access
- ✓ All premium AI models in Chat
- ✓ Best value for individual developers
Pro+
- ✓ 1,500 premium requests per month (5x Pro)
- ✓ Access to ALL models including Claude Opus 4.6 and o3
- ✓ Full Agent mode capabilities
- ✓ Priority access to new features
- ✓ For power users who hit Pro's limits
Business
- ✓ Everything in Pro for each user
- ✓ Organization-wide policy controls
- ✓ Audit logs and IP indemnity
- ✓ SSO (SAML) integration
- ✓ File exclusion controls
Enterprise
- ✓ 1,000 premium requests per user
- ✓ Knowledge bases for codebase context
- ✓ GitHub.com Chat integration
- ✓ Custom model fine-tuning options
- ✓ Requires GitHub Enterprise Cloud
Premium Requests: The Hidden Unit That Controls Your Bill
Premium requests are GitHub Copilot's currency for AI-powered features beyond basic code completion. Chat messages, Agent mode actions, code reviews, and manual model selection all consume premium requests.
The cost per premium request varies by feature and model. A simple Chat question using the default model costs 1 premium request. Selecting a more expensive model like Claude Opus 4.6 may cost more per request. Agent mode sessions consume multiple premium requests as the agent iterates through steps.
Your premium request quota resets on the 1st of each month. Unused requests don't roll over. If you exceed your quota, additional requests cost $0.04 each, billed to your account automatically.
Code completions (Tab autocomplete) are separate from premium requests. Free tier gets 2,000 completions per month. All paid plans get unlimited completions. This distinction matters, the core autocomplete experience works even when your premium requests are exhausted.
How Fast Will You Burn Through the Free Tier?
GitHub Copilot's free tier launched as a way to get developers hooked before they pay. It works. 2,000 code completions per month covers light coding, maybe 1-2 hours of active development per day. 50 premium requests per month is about 2-3 Chat interactions per day.
The free tier includes access to Claude Sonnet 4.6 and GPT-4.1 in Chat. You don't get the full model lineup (no Opus 4.6 or o3), but the available models handle most coding questions well.
The limitation that bites first is usually premium requests, not completions. 50 per month means you have to be intentional about when you use Chat or Agent mode. If you're the type of developer who asks the AI a question every 10 minutes, you'll exhaust 50 requests in a single day.
The free tier works in VS Code, JetBrains, and Neovim. There's no feature lockout on IDE support, the limitation is purely on usage volume.
Pro ($10/Mo) vs Pro+ ($39/Mo): Is 4x the Price Worth It?
Pro at $10/month gives 300 premium requests. Pro+ at $39/month gives 1,500. The 5x increase costs 3.9x the price, so Pro+ is better value per request if you need the volume.
The breakeven math: if you'd use more than ~725 premium requests per month on Pro (paying $0.04 each for the overage), Pro+ saves money. That's about 36 premium requests per working day, heavy but not extreme for a developer who uses Chat frequently.
Pro+ also unlocks access to all available models, including Claude Opus 4.6 and o3. Pro gives access to premium models but not the full lineup. If you specifically need Opus 4.6's reasoning quality for complex architecture questions, Pro+ is the only individual plan that provides it.
Most developers should start with Pro. Track your premium request usage for 2-3 months. If you're consistently hitting 250+ requests before month-end, the upgrade to Pro+ pays for itself.
Copilot vs Cursor vs Windsurf: Which Saves You More?
The three leading AI code editors take different approaches to pricing. Here's how they compare.
Business vs Enterprise: What Does $20/User Extra Actually Get You?
Business ($19/user/month) and Enterprise ($39/user/month) share most features. The key differences are knowledge bases, GitHub.com Chat, custom models, and the Enterprise Cloud requirement.
Business adds organization-wide policy controls, audit logs, IP indemnity, SAML SSO, and file exclusion (prevent Copilot from accessing certain files). For most teams under 100 developers, Business has everything you need.
Enterprise adds knowledge bases, the ability to index your organization's repositories so Copilot can answer questions with full codebase context. It also includes GitHub.com Chat (use Copilot on github.com, not just in your IDE) and options for custom model fine-tuning.
The hidden cost: Enterprise requires GitHub Enterprise Cloud at $21/user/month. Total cost is $60/user/month ($39 + $21). This makes Enterprise 3x the cost of Business when you factor in the prerequisite. Only organizations that already have Enterprise Cloud should consider this tier.
Each Enterprise user gets 1,000 premium requests per month vs Business's standard allocation. For teams doing heavy Agent mode or code review work, this higher quota matters.
4 Ways Copilot Costs More Than the Sticker Price
- ⚠ Premium requests are consumed by Chat, Agent mode, code reviews, and model selection. A simple Chat question and a complex Agent session both use premium requests, but at different rates depending on the model.
- ⚠ Additional premium requests beyond your plan limit cost $0.04 each. A developer who blows through 300 Pro requests and uses 200 more pays $8 extra, at that point, Pro+ at $39/mo is better.
- ⚠ The free tier's 2,000 completions sound generous, but heavy users can hit that in a few days. Code completions on paid plans are unlimited.
- ⚠ Enterprise requires GitHub Enterprise Cloud ($21/user/month separately). Total cost is $60/user/month ($39 Copilot + $21 Enterprise Cloud). This catches teams off guard.
- ⚠ Premium request quotas reset on the 1st of each month regardless of when you subscribed. If you sign up on the 25th, you get 5 days of full quota, then it resets.
- ⚠ Not all models cost the same number of premium requests. Claude Opus 4.6 and o3 consume more per request than GPT-4.1. Using expensive models exclusively burns through your quota faster.
Which Copilot Plan Should You Pick? Quick Decision Guide
Student or hobbyist
Free tier. 2,000 completions + 50 premium requests is enough if you're coding a few hours per week. Upgrade to Pro when the 50 premium requests feel limiting.
Full-time individual developer
Pro at $10/month. 300 premium requests covers typical daily use (10-15 Chat/Agent interactions per day). Unlimited completions means Tab autocomplete never stops. Best value in AI coding tools.
Power user (heavy Agent/Chat use)
Pro+ at $39/month. 1,500 premium requests (5x Pro) plus access to Claude Opus 4.6 and o3 for the hardest problems. Worth it if you consistently exhaust Pro's 300 requests.
Engineering team (5+ developers)
Business at $19/user. Cheaper than Cursor Teams ($40/user) with strong admin controls. Enterprise ($39/user + $21 GitHub Enterprise Cloud) only if you need knowledge bases and custom models.
The Bottom Line
Pro at $10/month is the best value in AI coding tools. 300 premium requests covers daily use for most developers, and unlimited completions means the core autocomplete experience is always on. Pro+ at $39/month is worth it only if you consistently exhaust Pro's limits or need access to the most expensive models. Business at $19/user undercuts Cursor Teams ($40/user) significantly. The free tier is a genuine product now, not a trial, 2,000 completions per month is enough for light use.
Related Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does GitHub Copilot cost?
Free ($0, 2,000 completions + 50 premium requests), Pro ($10/mo, 300 premium), Pro+ ($39/mo, 1,500 premium), Business ($19/user/mo), Enterprise ($39/user/mo + $21 Enterprise Cloud requirement).
Is GitHub Copilot free?
Yes, there's a free tier with 2,000 code completions and 50 premium requests per month. It works in VS Code, JetBrains, and Neovim. It's enough for light coding but not for daily professional use.
What are premium requests?
Premium requests power Chat, Agent mode, code reviews, and model selection. Each interaction consumes one or more premium requests depending on the model and feature. Free gets 50/month, Pro gets 300, Pro+ gets 1,500. Extra requests cost $0.04 each.
Is Copilot Pro worth $10/month?
For full-time developers, yes. Unlimited code completions plus 300 premium requests per month covers typical daily use. At $10/month, it's the cheapest paid AI coding tool. Cursor Pro is $20, Windsurf Pro is $15.
Should I get Pro or Pro+?
Start with Pro. If you consistently use 250+ premium requests per month, upgrade to Pro+ ($39/mo) for 1,500 requests and access to all models including Claude Opus 4.6 and o3. Most developers are fine on Pro.
GitHub Copilot Business vs Enterprise: which do I need?
Business ($19/user) for most teams. Enterprise ($39/user + $21 Enterprise Cloud) only if you need knowledge bases, GitHub.com Chat, and custom models. Enterprise's total $60/user/month cost is 3x Business.
How does Copilot compare to Cursor?
Copilot Pro ($10/mo) is half the price of Cursor Pro ($20/mo). Cursor offers deeper multi-file editing via Composer and full model selection per request. Copilot is better integrated with the GitHub ecosystem. For teams, Copilot Business ($19/user) is significantly cheaper than Cursor Teams ($40/user).
Can I use Copilot with JetBrains or Neovim?
Yes. All Copilot plans (including free) work in VS Code, JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, etc.), and Neovim. Cursor and Windsurf are VS Code forks and don't support other IDEs.