Anthropic's AI assistant for writing, analysis and coding
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GitHub Copilot
AI pair programmer for code completion and chat
Freemium
Free trial
Overview
Overview
GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant built by GitHub, now powered by models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. It plugs straight into editors such as Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Neovim, and the GitHub web interface. As you type, it offers inline code suggestions, and a chat panel handles questions, code generation, and explanations of existing code.
What it does
At its core sit autocomplete-style suggestions that range from single lines to whole functions, drawn from the context of your open files and comments. Copilot Chat adds conversational help for debugging, writing tests, generating documentation, and refactoring. The assistant also reaches into the terminal (Copilot CLI) and across pull requests for code review and summaries.
Models and agents
Requests can be routed to several underlying models, and an agent mode handles multi-step coding tasks across a workspace. Which features and models you get depends on your plan, with the more capable models and higher usage limits sitting on paid tiers.
Who it is for
Individual developers, teams, and enterprises use Copilot to speed up routine coding work and cut down on context switching. It is free for individuals at limited monthly usage; paid tiers open up unlimited completions, additional models, and administrative controls.
Pricing and access
A free tier with capped usage sits alongside paid individual and organization plans billed monthly or annually. Verified students, teachers, and maintainers of popular open-source projects may qualify for free Pro access.
Pros
- ✓Deep integration across the most popular editors and IDEs
- ✓Free tier lets individuals try it without paying
- ✓Strong autocomplete and chat for everyday coding tasks
- ✓Backed by GitHub with enterprise controls and policy management
- ✓Free Pro access for students and open-source maintainers
Cons
- ✕Suggestions can be inaccurate and need careful review
- ✕Most capable models and unlimited usage require a paid plan
- ✕Quality varies by language and codebase context
- ✕Cloud-based processing may raise concerns for sensitive code
Key features
Inline code completion
Suggests single lines through whole functions based on file context and comments as you type.
Copilot Chat
Conversational assistant for explaining code, debugging, writing tests, and generating documentation inside the editor.
Agent mode
Carries out multi-step coding tasks across a workspace, editing files and running through changes iteratively.
Multi-model support
Routes requests across multiple underlying AI models, with more options available on paid plans.
Broad IDE integration
Works inside VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Neovim, and the GitHub web and CLI.
Pull request assistance
Generates summaries and supports AI-assisted code review within GitHub pull requests.
GitHub Copilot alternatives
See all →Frequently asked questions
- There is a free tier for individuals with capped monthly completions and chat requests. Paid Individual and Business plans remove those limits and add more models and controls.
- It works in Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Neovim, the GitHub web interface, and the terminal via the Copilot CLI.
- Verified students, teachers, and maintainers of popular open-source projects can qualify for free Copilot Pro access.
- Agent mode can attempt multi-step tasks across a workspace, but output should always be reviewed and tested by a developer before use.
Editor’s note
GitHub Copilot remains the default AI coding assistant for many developers thanks to its tight editor integration and GitHub backing. The free tier makes it easy to try, though heavy users and teams will want a paid plan for unlimited usage and the strongest models.