GitHub Copilot starts at $10/mo, Microsoft Copilot at $9.99/mo. Both have a free plan. Every plan from both vendors, the limits each one actually publishes, and what changed recently, with a source on every line.
Pick Microsoft Copilot if you want the lowest monthly bill. Beyond price and free access, the deciding factor is which models and features you need; we track the money, not the model quality.
| Fact | GitHub Copilot | Microsoft Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free tier | Free tier |
| Cheapest plan | Pro · $10/mo | Microsoft 365 Personal · $9.99/mo |
| Top plan | Max · $100/mo | Microsoft 365 Premium · $19.99/mo |
| Plans tracked | 3 | 4 |
| Yearly discount | None shown | up to 17% |
| Allowance periods | Monthly | Not stated |
| Latest change | billing model | None logged |
| Last checked |
| Tool | Plan | Price | Limits as stated & source |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | Pro | $10/mo | Unlimited completions/next-edit suggestions; 1,500 monthly AI credits ($15 value: $10 base + $5 flex); medium-complexity models; third-party agents (Claude Code, Codex). Chat, agent mode, code review, cloud agent and CLI consume credits. Source: github.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| GitHub Copilot | Pro+ | $39/mo | $70/month total AI Credits ($39 base + $31 flex); frontier models; audit logs; 'over 4.6x included monthly credits than Pro'. Source: github.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| GitHub Copilot | Max | $100/mo | $200/month total AI Credits ($100 base + $100 flex); 'over 13.3x included monthly credits than Pro'; early access to frontier models. Source: github.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99/mo | 1 person; 1 TB; Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote with 'higher usage than free' (not quantified). Source: microsoft.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99/mo | 1-6 people (AI for subscription owner only); up to 6 TB; same Copilot usage as Personal. Source: microsoft.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 Premium | $19.99/mo | 'Extensive usage'; AI agents (research reports, data analysis); advanced Copilot features. Source: microsoft.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 Copilot Business (add-on) | $18/mo billed yearly | Business add-on to existing Microsoft 365 plans. Source: microsoft.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Tool | Free? | What you get for $0 & source |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | Free tier | Free $0: 2,000 completions per month; 'limited chat and agent usage'; 'access to entry level models'; Free plan supports CLI and agent mode. No credit card. Verified students get a free Copilot Student plan; verified teachers and popular OSS maintainers may get Pro free. Source: github.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Free tier | Microsoft Copilot app is free; paid Microsoft 365 plans give 'higher usage than free' (Personal/Family) or 'extensive usage' (Premium). Free usage limits not published on this page. Source: microsoft.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
Premium requests replaced by AI Credits billed at model API rates. Pro $10 includes $15 total ($10 base + $5 flex), Pro+ $39 includes $70, new Max $100 includes $200. Flex allotments may change over time.
Microsoft Copilot is cheaper to start: Microsoft 365 Personal costs $9.99/mo, against $10/mo for GitHub Copilot Pro. At the top end, GitHub Copilot Max is $100/mo and Microsoft 365 Premium is $19.99/mo.
GitHub Copilot: Yes. Free $0: 2,000 completions per month; 'limited chat and agent usage'; 'access to entry level models'; Free plan supports CLI and agent mode. No credit card. Verified students get a free Copilot Student plan; verified teachers and popular OSS maintainers may get Pro free. Microsoft Copilot: Yes. Microsoft Copilot app is free; paid Microsoft 365 plans give 'higher usage than free' (Personal/Family) or 'extensive usage' (Premium). Free usage limits not published on this page.
GitHub Copilot Pro ($10/mo): Unlimited completions/next-edit suggestions; 1,500 monthly AI credits ($15 value: $10 base + $5 flex); medium-complexity models; third-party agents (Claude Code, Codex). Chat, agent mode, code review, cloud agent and CLI consume credits. Microsoft 365 Personal ($9.99/mo): 1 person; 1 TB; Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote with 'higher usage than free' (not quantified).
GitHub Copilot: no yearly discount on the plans we track. Microsoft Copilot: up to 17% off when billed yearly (Microsoft 365 Personal: $8.33/mo instead of $9.99).
1 Jun 2026, GitHub Copilot: GitHub Copilot switches to usage-based GitHub AI Credits; Max plan ($100) launches.