coding-agents

GitHub Copilot

Name: GitHub Copilot research summary
Author: vibestacklab

Free tierBeginner fit 3/5

Version: Plans page checked 2026-10-15. No IDE extension build number is cited.
Sourced from vendor docs · verified 15 Oct 2026 · hands-on test pending. Affiliate link: no.
Beginner fit is an editorial reading, not a lab score. Copilot sits inside the editor and has a free plan with auto model selection. It helps you write code. It is not a browser that builds the whole app from one prompt.

GitHub Copilot is GitHub's coding assistant. Copilot Free is $0 with auto model selection and 2,000 completions a month. Copilot Pro is $10 a month and includes 1,500 AI credits.

Quick verdict

Copilot Free is $0, limited to auto model selection, with 2,000 code completions a month. Copilot Pro is $10 a month and includes 1,500 AI credits (1,000 base plus a 500 flex allotment). Pro+ is $39 for 7,000 credits. Max is $100 for 20,000 credits. Business is $19 per seat and Enterprise is $39 per seat. Those numbers are from GitHub's plans page on 15 October 2026.

Pricing

Every price links to the vendor page it was read from, with the date that page was checked.
Plan	Price	Interval	Notes	Source	Checked
Copilot Free	$0	month	An allowance of AI credits, auto model selection only, limited agents, and 2,000 completions a month.	Official source	2026-10-15
Copilot Student	$0	month	For verified students. Auto model selection only. Unlimited code completions are described on the same plans page.	Official source	2026-10-15
Copilot Pro	$10	month	1,000 base credits plus a 500 flex allotment, 1,500 total. Free for some verified teachers and popular open-source maintainers.	Official source	2026-10-15
Copilot Pro+	$39	month	3,900 base credits plus a 3,100 flex allotment, 7,000 total.	Official source	2026-10-15
Copilot Max	$100	month	10,000 base credits plus a 10,000 flex allotment, 20,000 total.	Official source	2026-10-15
Copilot Business	$19	seat / month	1,900 AI credits per user per month, pooled. Usage past the pool is $0.01 per AI credit on organization and enterprise plans.	Official source	2026-10-15
Copilot Enterprise	$39	seat / month	3,900 AI credits per user per month on GitHub Enterprise Cloud. Not offered for GitHub Enterprise Server.	Official source	2026-10-15

Vendor: GitHub. Product site: https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/get-started/plans

Who it's for

Someone who already writes code in an editor and wants suggestions and chat in that editor.
A student or a maintainer who may qualify for a free paid plan. GitHub says verified students can use Copilot Student, and verified teachers and popular open-source maintainers may get Copilot Pro free.
An organization that wants a seat price and a shared credit pool, which is the Business and Enterprise shape.

Pros

Published product traits. Not lab findings.

There is a free individual plan, and paid plans keep code completions and next-edit suggestions outside the AI-credit meter.
The plans page says every plan includes Copilot CLI and the Copilot app.
Pro's included credits are printed as a base amount plus a flex allotment, so you can see both numbers instead of one blended slogan.

Cons

Published limits and pricing constraints. Not lab findings.

Copilot Free is only for individuals who do not already get Copilot through an organization, and model choice is auto only.
Copilot is not available for GitHub Enterprise Server, according to the plans page.
The feature tables on the plans page include MCP and agent rows. The checkmarks did not survive a plain-text read of that page, so this summary does not claim which plan includes MCP.

Test log

No hands-on run is recorded. The lab protocol on the methodology page (a CRUD app, a seeded bug, a refactor, and a Vercel deploy) has not been executed for this page. There is no time, success rate, cost, screenshot, or score to show.

What it is

Copilot is the assistant inside GitHub's own surfaces and in editors. The plans overview says every plan includes the CLI and the Copilot app. Free and Student stay on automatic model selection. Paid individual plans add a published credit allowance and a wider model list on the same page.

Flex credits are GitHub's word for a variable extra allowance on top of the base credits that match the subscription price. The plans page says base credits are used first.

What this page does not claim

It does not say Copilot writes better code than another assistant. It does not invent a completion-acceptance rate. The only counts here are the ones printed on the plans page.

Questions

What is an AI credit?

GitHub measures Copilot chat and agent use in AI credits. Paid plans include a monthly allowance. On Business and Enterprise, the plans page says usage past the pool costs $0.01 per credit. Code completions on paid plans are not billed as credits.

Is Copilot the same product as GitHub's coding agent?

The plans page lists agent mode, a cloud agent, and Copilot CLI as features across the plan tables. This page does not turn a blank cell in a converted table into a yes or no. Open the plans page for the current grid.

Did vibestacklab measure Copilot against Cursor?

No. The comparison page lines up the published plans. There is no shared task and no score.

Sources

Plans for GitHub Copilot