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 $39 per user/month as of May 2026. 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: No free tier available
Yes, GitHub Copilot offers a forever free plan as of May 2026. The free tier includes 5 features with limits on agent_requests and completions. Paid plans start at $10/user/month (Pro). Pricing verified from 3 sources by CostBench.
GitHub Copilot's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- 50 agent mode/chat requests per month
- 2,000 code completions per month
- Access to Claude Haiku 3.5 and GPT-4o mini
- Copilot CLI included
- Works in VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- Unlimited agent mode and chat requests
- Unlimited inline code completions
- 300 premium model requests per month
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet and GPT-4o access
- Code review assistance
- Cloud agent tasks
Free Plan Limits
| Limit | Free Plan | Paid Plans |
|---|---|---|
| agent_requests | 50 | Unlimited/Higher |
| completions | 2000 | Unlimited/Higher |
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like Unlimited agent mode and chat requests or Unlimited inline code completions
- 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 | 5 included | 6+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | GitHub Copilot branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Developers trying AI coding assistance | Individual professional developers |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is GitHub Copilot free?
Yes, GitHub Copilot offers a forever free plan with 5 core features included. However, there are limits on agent_requests, completions that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in GitHub Copilot's free plan?
GitHub Copilot's free plan includes: 50 agent mode/chat requests per month, 2,000 code completions per month, Access to Claude Haiku 3.5 and GPT-4o mini, Copilot CLI included, Works in VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim. Key limits include agent_requests: 50, completions: 2000.
03 What's NOT included in GitHub Copilot's free plan?
The free plan excludes: Unlimited agent mode and chat requests, Unlimited inline code completions, 300 premium model requests per month, Claude 3.5 Sonnet and GPT-4o access, Code review assistance. 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 agent mode and chat requests or Unlimited inline code completions, 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.