GitHub Copilot Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
GitHub Copilot costs Free to $100 per user/month as of September 2026, with 4 plans available including a free tier. Plans: Free (free), Pro at $10/user/month, Pro+ at $39/user/month, and Max at $100/user/month. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: Yes
GitHub Copilot offers 4 pricing tiers: Free, Pro, Pro+, Max. A free plan is available. Paid plans include Pro at $10/user/month, Pro+ at $39/user/month, Max at $100/user/month. The Pro plan is individual professional developers doing everyday coding with agents.
Yes, GitHub Copilot offers a forever free plan as of September 2026. The free tier includes 6 features with limits on completions and chat_agent. Paid plans start at $10/user/month (Pro). Pricing verified from 4 sources by CostBench.
GitHub Copilot's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- 2,000 code completions per month
- Access to Haiku 4.5, GPT-5 mini, and more
- Copilot CLI
- Agent mode in supported editors
- MCP server integration
- Community support
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- Unlimited code completions and next edit suggestions
- Cloud agent and code review access
- Access to 3rd-party agents (Claude Code and Codex)
- Model selection across all supported models
- $15/month GitHub AI Credits (base $10 + $5 flex allotment)
- Copilot CLI with agent delegation
- App modernization for Java and .NET
Free Plan Limits
| Limit | Free Plan | Paid Plans |
|---|---|---|
| completions | 2000 | Unlimited/Higher |
| chat_agent | limited (credit-based) | Unlimited/Higher |
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like Unlimited code completions and next edit suggestions or Cloud agent and code review access
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- GitHub Copilot branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs Pro Plan Comparison
| Free $0 | Pro $10/user/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 6 included | 7+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | GitHub Copilot branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Developers getting started with AI coding assistance | Individual professional developers doing everyday coding with agents |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is GitHub Copilot free?
Yes, GitHub Copilot offers a forever free plan with 6 core features included. However, there are limits on completions, chat_agent that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in GitHub Copilot's free plan?
GitHub Copilot's free plan includes: 2,000 code completions per month, Access to Haiku 4.5, GPT-5 mini, and more, Copilot CLI, Agent mode in supported editors, MCP server integration, and 1 more features. Key limits include completions: 2000, chat_agent: limited (credit-based).
03 What's NOT included in GitHub Copilot's free plan?
The free plan excludes: Unlimited code completions and next edit suggestions, Cloud agent and code review access, Access to 3rd-party agents (Claude Code and Codex), Model selection across all supported models, $15/month GitHub AI Credits (base $10 + $5 flex allotment). You'll also have GitHub Copilot branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from GitHub Copilot's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like Unlimited code completions and next edit suggestions or Cloud agent and code review access, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $10/user/month.
05 Is GitHub Copilot's free plan really free forever?
Yes, GitHub Copilot's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.
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