The cheapest way to try an AI pair programmer if you already live on GitHub. GitHub Copilot Free gives any developer a limited slice of GitHub's AI coding assistant at no cost. The plans page lists 2,000 completions a month, access to models such as Haiku 4.5 and GPT-5 mini, Copilot CLI and community support. When the plan launched in December 2024, a Reddit post summarising it also listed 50 chat requests a month, a cap the current plans page does not repeat. Pro costs $10 per user per month and adds unlimited code completion and next edit suggestions, the cloud agent, code review, third-party agents such as Claude Code and Codex, and model selection. Reddit threads treat the 2,000 completions as the limit that matters, which one commenter worked out at about 100 a day over 20 working days. A r/github user called the new credit-based pricing highway robbery. It suits people who want to try an assistant inside their editor before paying for one.
Free tier quotas
Plan
Free, $0 USD
Completions
2,000 per month
Models
Haiku 4.5, GPT-5 mini and more
Copilot CLI
Included
Support
Community support
Chat requests
Not listed on the current plans page. A Reddit post at launch reported 50 per month
Not on Free
Cloud agent, code review, third-party agents, model selection (Pro and above)
Pro plan
$10 USD per user per month
Last sniffed Oct 4, 2026. Always confirm on the official pricing page.
👍 Good boy
+The Free plan costs $0 and includes 2,000 completions a month, enough to judge whether the assistant fits how you work.
+A r/dotnet commenter worked out that 2,000 completions is about 100 a day over a 20 day working month, so light users may stay under the cap.
+Free includes access to models such as Haiku 4.5 and GPT-5 mini, so you are not tied to a single model.
+Copilot CLI is included on the Free plan, so terminal use does not need a paid tier.
+Pro at $10 per user per month adds unlimited code completion and next edit suggestions, which is a clear next step if you hit the cap.
+A r/GithubCopilot commenter said Copilot is super worth the money, while advising newer developers to learn more about coding first.
👎 Watch out
−The 2,000 completions a month cap is the limit people discuss most, and a r/dotnet commenter called it the big limitation.
−The cloud agent, code review, third-party agents such as Claude Code and Codex, and model selection are listed under Pro, not Free.
−The current plans page lists no chat limit for Free, while a Reddit post at launch reported 50 chat requests a month, so check your own account for the real cap.
−A r/github user called the new credit-based pricing highway robbery and said high token usage makes it feel not worth asking questions or having the AI adjust code.
−Free support is community support only.
−Premium models such as Opus need Pro+ at $39 per user per month, and Max is $100 per user per month.
The catch
The cap that matters is 2,000 completions a month. A heavy day of typing in an editor can use a large share of that, and Reddit commenters did the same arithmetic at launch. When it runs out you wait for the next month or move to Pro at $10.
The current plans page lists no chat limit for Free. A Reddit post from the December 2024 launch said 50 chat requests a month. I could not confirm whether that number still applies, so check inside your own account before you rely on chat.
GitHub has moved paid plans to monthly credits ($15 for Pro, $70 for Pro+, $200 for Max). One r/github user was angry about how fast tokens burn under that system. I could not tell from the search snippet whether the complaint covers Free users. I also found no G2 or Capterra review text for the Free plan, so the pros and cons rest on the plans page and Reddit threads.
What’s included
✓2,000 completions per month
✓Access to Haiku 4.5, GPT-5 mini and more models
✓Copilot CLI
✓Free access in VS Code
✓Community support
✓Upgrade path to Pro, Pro+ and Max with monthly credits
Free tier value
Generosity
B
Estimated value
$10/mo (Pro plan)
Feature parity
Free: limited completions, no cloud agent or code review. Pro is $10 a month.
Screenshots
GitHub Copilot homepageGitHub Copilot plans and pricing page
Paid plans
Pro, $10 per user per month
Everything in Free plus the cloud agent and code review, unlimited code completion and next edit suggestions, third-party agents (Claude Code and Codex), model selection and $15 of monthly credits.
Pro+, $39 per user per month
Everything in Pro plus premium models including Opus, audit logs, four times or more included usage than Pro and $70 of monthly credits.
Max, $100 per user per month
Everything in Pro+ plus priority access to new models and features, 2.9 times or more included usage than Pro+ and $200 of monthly credits.
Common questions
Is GitHub Copilot free?
Yes, there is a Free plan at $0 with 2,000 completions a month, access to models such as Haiku 4.5 and GPT-5 mini, Copilot CLI and community support.
How many completions does the free plan include?
2,000 a month according to the plans page. One r/dotnet commenter calculated that as about 100 a day over 20 working days.
Is there a chat limit on Free?
The plans page does not list one. A Reddit post at the December 2024 launch said 50 chat requests a month. Check your account for the current number.
What does Pro add?
Unlimited code completion and next edit suggestions, the cloud agent, code review, third-party agents, model selection and $15 of monthly credits, for $10 per user per month.
Can I use it for work?
I did not find a commercial-use statement for the Free plan in the pages I read. Read GitHub's terms before using it on company code.
Change history
Checked October 22, 2026
The plans page lists Free at $0 with 2,000 completions a month, Pro at $10, Pro+ at $39 and Max at $100 per user per month, with monthly credits on paid plans.
December 2024 launch
A Reddit post summarising the launch listed 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests a month for the new Free plan.
