GitHub Copilot
by GitHub (Microsoft)
AI pair programmer inside your code editor.
Overview
GitHub Copilot suggests code as you type and offers a chat assistant in popular code editors. It can also work as an agent that makes changes across files and opens pull requests.
What it does
Copilot completes lines and functions, explains code, writes tests, suggests fixes, and in agent mode can carry out multi-step coding tasks you review.
Main features
- Inline code suggestions
- Copilot Chat
- Agent mode for multi-file changes
- Code review suggestions
- Choice of models (plan dependent)
Pricing
Free tier with monthly limits. Paid individual and business plans add more usage and features. Verified students, teachers and popular open-source maintainers may get free access.
Prices vary by country, currency and billing period and change often, so we don't quote figures. See current prices on the official pricing page.
Strengths and limitations
Our view — editorial assessment, not a claim by the developer.
Advantages
- Works in the editors developers already use
- Free tier and free education access
- Deep GitHub integration
Limitations
- Suggestions can be wrong or insecure; review everything
- Advanced models consume premium requests
- Organisation policies may restrict it
Best for
- Professional developers
- Students learning to code
- Teams on GitHub
Alternatives to GitHub Copilot
Cursor
Anysphere
AI-first code editor built on VS Code.
- Codebase-aware chat
- Agent for multi-file edits
- Tab completion that predicts edits
Replit
Replit
Build and deploy apps in your browser with an AI agent.
- Replit Agent builds apps from prompts
- Browser IDE for many languages
- One-click deployment
Claude
Anthropic
AI assistant known for long documents, careful writing and coding help.
- Analysis of long PDFs and documents
- Projects for organising files and instructions
- Artifacts for documents, code and interactive pages
GitHub Copilot FAQs
Is GitHub Copilot free for students?
Verified students can get Copilot free through GitHub Education.
Will Copilot write secure code?
Not reliably. Review suggestions, run tests and use security scanning.
Learn more
How to Use AI for Programming: A Practical Workflow
Use AI coding assistants to learn, write, debug and review code — and avoid shipping bugs and security holes.
2 min read
GitHub Copilot vs Cursor: Which AI Coding Tool Is Right for You?
Compare GitHub Copilot and Cursor on editor support, agent features, pricing structure and team use.
2 min read