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GitHub Copilot

by GitHub/Microsoft

Paid Coding

★★★★½ 4.7 (11,000 reviews)

GitHub Copilot (sometimes searched as "GitHub Copilots") is the original AI coding assistant, now used by millions of developers. It suggests code in real-time as you type, explains code, fixes bugs, and generates tests — integrated into VS Code, JetBrains, and most major IDEs.

How to Get the Most Out of GitHub Copilot

Write Tests Automatically for Existing Functions

Open any function in your codebase, open Copilot Chat (Ctrl+I), and type "Write comprehensive unit tests for this function, including edge cases and error conditions." Copilot generates a full test suite using your project's existing testing framework (Jest, pytest, RSpec, etc.) — it detects the framework from your package files. This turns test-writing from a chore into a one-minute task.

Use Copilot Chat to Explain Legacy Code

Select any confusing block of code, right-click and choose "Copilot: Explain This." It explains what the code does, why each part exists, and flags potential issues — in plain English. For onboarding to a new codebase or working with inherited code, this replaces hours of manual tracing and comment-reading with a 10-second explanation.

Autocomplete Boilerplate Patterns Across Your Entire Project

As you type, Copilot learns the patterns in your specific codebase — your naming conventions, your error handling style, your API call structure. Write a comment describing what you need and Copilot fills in the implementation based on how you've handled similar cases before. This project-aware completion improves significantly over the first week of use.

Our Take

GitHub Copilot is the best choice for developers who want AI assistance without changing their IDE or workflow — it works inside VS Code, JetBrains, and Vim with minimal setup. Its deep GitHub integration (PR summaries, issue to code) is also unique. For a more immersive AI-first coding experience with codebase chat and a richer interface, Cursor is worth the switch. Tabnine is better for teams with strict data privacy requirements since it can run locally. Copilot is free for verified open-source maintainers and students.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GitHub Copilots? (And is it different from GitHub Copilot?)+

"GitHub Copilots" (with an s) is a common misspelling or alternate search for GitHub Copilot — Microsoft's AI coding assistant. There is only one product: GitHub Copilot. It offers Individual ($10/month), Business ($19/user/month), and Enterprise tiers. The core feature is AI code completion and chat inside VS Code, JetBrains, and other editors. The free tier (2,000 completions + 50 chat messages/month) lets you evaluate it without committing.

What is GitHub Copilot and how does it work?+

GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant that provides real-time code suggestions as you type in your IDE. Powered by OpenAI's Codex model, it understands your code context and suggests completions for lines, functions, and entire code blocks. It also includes a chat interface for explaining code, generating tests, and fixing bugs.

How much does GitHub Copilot cost?+

GitHub Copilot Individual is $10/month or $100/year. GitHub Copilot Business is $19/user/month with organization-wide policy management, audit logs, and IP indemnity. GitHub Copilot Enterprise is $39/user/month with personalized suggestions from your organization's codebase. Copilot is free for verified students and open-source maintainers.

Which IDEs does GitHub Copilot support?+

GitHub Copilot supports Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, etc.), Neovim, and the GitHub.com web interface. The VS Code and JetBrains integrations are the most feature-rich. This broad IDE support is one of Copilot's main advantages over Cursor, which is VS Code-only.

Is GitHub Copilot worth it for solo developers?+

At $10/month, Copilot is worth it for most developers who code daily. Even conservative estimates suggest 20-30% faster coding for routine tasks, and the chat interface for debugging and explanation adds significant value beyond autocomplete. The free tier for students makes it essentially risk-free to evaluate for eligible users.

Try GitHub Copilot Today

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Opens official website · Paid · 2021 · 1.3M+ users

Pros & Cons

✓ Pros

Deep GitHub integration
Works in most major IDEs
Large codebase awareness
Microsoft/OpenAI backing
Chat interface available

✗ Cons

Chat less powerful than Cursor
More expensive for teams
Requires subscription for most users
Data used for training by default

Pricing

Free Plan

Yes — for verified students and open source

Paid Plan

From $10/month (Individual)

Who Is It For?

✓ Best For

In-editor code completion, GitHub users

✗ Not Ideal For

Full AI chat, non-VS Code primary users