GitHub Copilot Pricing 2026: Plans, Costs & Best Value
Quick answer: Students/OSS maintainers may qualify for Free. Most solo developers should budget Individual at $10/mo ($100/yr). Teams usually need Business at $19/user/mo. Enterprise at $39/user/mo adds knowledge bases / deeper org controls.
Checked against GitHub’s public Copilot pricing in August 2026.
Compare: Cursor AI vs GitHub Copilot. Also GitHub Copilot alternatives, GitHub Copilot review, Codeium pricing, Tabnine pricing.
Pick a plan in 30 seconds
- Student / eligible OSS → Free.
- Solo pro developer → Individual ($10/mo).
- Company team needing policy / indemnity → Business ($19/user/mo).
- Fine-tune / knowledge base / SSO-heavy → Enterprise ($39/user/mo).
- Air-gapped only → Copilot will not fit — see Tabnine pricing.
Pricing table
| Plan | Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | Limited completions/chat for eligible users |
| Individual | $10/mo ($100/yr) | Unlimited-class completions/chat, multi-model options |
| Business | $19/user/mo | Org policies, audit logs, IP indemnity class features |
| Enterprise | $39/user/mo | Knowledge bases, deeper customization, SSO |
Individual annual billing (~$100/yr) beats 12×$10.
Free / trial
Eligible Free is real but capped. Pros should use the Individual trial (~30 days class) on a real repo before buying.
Hidden costs
- Seats you forget to remove still bill on Business/Enterprise.
- Premium model usage can have separate allowances — watch the usage UI.
- Needs internet — no air-gap mode.
- Editor support is strongest in VS Code / JetBrains / GitHub.com — exotic IDEs vary.
- Two AI coding tools per seat (Copilot + Cursor) doubles spend fast.
Who should pay
Free — Eligible students/maintainers.
Individual ($10/mo) — Best default for freelancers and solo engineers on GitHub.
Business ($19/user/mo) — Minimum for most companies that care about admin and indemnity language.
Enterprise ($39/user/mo) — When knowledge bases / org customization justify 2× Business.
When to skip Copilot
Skip if:
- You prefer Cursor’s agent workflow — Cursor AI vs GitHub Copilot.
- Code cannot leave the building — Tabnine.
- Budget is $0 and you are ineligible for Free — try Codeium.
Final Verdict
Individual at $10/mo is still one of the clearest coding-AI deals for people in the GitHub ecosystem. Companies should start at Business, not Individual shared logins. Buy Enterprise only with a concrete knowledge-base or compliance reason.
Pricing checked August 2026. Verify on github.com/features/copilot. See our affiliate disclosure.
How GitHub Copilot compares to alternatives
Next: Cursor AI vs GitHub Copilot, GitHub Copilot alternatives, GitHub Copilot review.