Updated pricing guide
GitHub Copilot Pricing: What Each Plan Costs and Who Should Pay
GitHub Copilot is no longer a simple free-versus-paid decision. The real cost depends on whether you need only basic completions, regular agent and chat usage, more premium model requests, or organisation-level controls. Start with Free, move to Pro only when limits interrupt real work, and use Business or Enterprise only when central administration and policy controls are required.
Our verdict
For most individual developers, Copilot Pro is the sensible paid tier. Free is enough for occasional use, while Pro+ is justified only when premium-model and agent usage is consistently high. Business and Enterprise should be bought for governance and organisational controls—not merely because a team has several developers.
Plans compared
Copilot Free
$0Best for: Occasional coding assistance and testing the workflow before paying.
Watch for: Usage limits can interrupt daily development and agent-heavy work.
Copilot Pro
Individual paid planBest for: Developers using Copilot most working days for completions, chat and coding assistance.
Watch for: Premium-model requests and advanced agent use may still be capped.
Copilot Pro+
Higher-cost individual planBest for: Power users who regularly consume premium requests or use advanced models and agents.
Watch for: Do not upgrade merely for model variety; measure whether the extra requests save meaningful time.
Copilot Business
Per user/monthBest for: Teams needing central billing, policy management and organisation controls.
Watch for: The governance premium is wasted if the team does not actively manage policies and adoption.
Copilot Enterprise
Per user/monthBest for: Larger organisations requiring deeper enterprise controls and GitHub-native context.
Watch for: Validate security, repository access, data handling and measurable adoption before broad rollout.
Frequently asked questions
Is GitHub Copilot free?
Yes. Copilot Free is suitable for trying the product and occasional use, but daily developers may hit its limits.
Is GitHub Copilot Pro worth it?
Usually yes for developers who use Copilot on most workdays and can show that it reduces coding, debugging or test-writing time.
What is the difference between Copilot Pro and Pro+?
Pro+ is aimed at heavier use of premium models and advanced agent capabilities. Upgrade only after reviewing actual premium-request consumption.
Should a company buy Copilot Business?
Buy Business for central administration, policy enforcement and organisational governance. A collection of individual subscriptions may be cheaper when those controls are not required.
How should teams evaluate Copilot cost?
Track active users, accepted suggestions, completed development tasks, premium-request consumption and time saved. Remove unused seats before upgrading plans.