Question 1

What Is GitHub Copilot and How Is It Priced?

Accepted Answer

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered code completion tool that assists developers by suggesting lines of code or entire functions as they type. Developed by GitHub in collaboration with OpenAI, Copilot leverages a large dataset of public source code and other resources to offer contextually relevant suggestions within the integrated development environment (IDE). Copilot can generate code for a variety of languages and frameworks, making it a versatile tool for a wide range of software development projects. It's integrated directly into popular editors like Visual Studio Code and Intellij IDEA, allowing developers to use it as part of their regular workflow.  GitHub Copilot has a monthly subscription cost, which differs between three plans: Individual, Business, and Enterprise. Pricing starts from $10 per month and there is no free tier (except for students and some open source contributors). We’ll cover each plan in more detail below.

Question 2

Does GitHub Copilot Have a Free Tier?

Accepted Answer

As of the time of this writing, GitHub Copilot does not have a free tier. It is not included in the GitHub free tier and is not available for free to the general public.  However, a free subscription of GitHub Copilot Individual is available for two special audiences:   • Verified students and teachers:: • Github Global Campus program: • Maintainers of popular open-source repositories on GitHub: : • If you meet the criteria, you are automatically notified when visiting the GitHub Copilot subscription page. • Verified students and teachers:: • Github Global Campus program: • Maintainers of popular open-source repositories on GitHub: : • If you meet the criteria, you are automatically notified when visiting the GitHub Copilot subscription page.;Note: GitHub Copilot pricing is subject to change. Pricing information in this article is correct as of the time of this writing. For up-to-date pricing and further information refer to the official pricing page.

Question 3

GitHub Copilot Individual Tier: Pricing and Features

Accepted Answer

Monthly cost: $10 USD / user / month Annual cost: $100 USD / user / year The GitHub Copilot Individual tier is a subscription intended for individual developers, freelancers, students, and educators who want to enhance their coding experience. Coding features:  • Chat: : • Unlimited messages and interactions for context-aware coding support and explanations.; • Debugging and security remediation: : • Assistance is provided to help debug issues and remediate security vulnerabilities.; • Code completion: : • Real-time code suggestions to streamline writing code, with ability to add comments to code directly.; • Smart actions: : • Inline chat and dynamic prompt suggestions to interact directly with Copilot, slash commands and context variables to quickly execute actions within the chat.; • Automated commit messages: : • Generation of commit messages, facilitating better version control practices.; • Supported environments: : • Compatibility with IDEs, CLI, and GitHub Mobile. Does not include support for GitHub.com. • Chat: : • Unlimited messages and interactions for context-aware coding support and explanations.; • Debugging and security remediation: : • Assistance is provided to help debug issues and remediate security vulnerabilities.; • Code completion: : • Real-time code suggestions to streamline writing code, with ability to add comments to code directly.; • Smart actions: : • Inline chat and dynamic prompt suggestions to interact directly with Copilot, slash commands and context variables to quickly execute actions within the chat.; • Automated commit messages: : • Generation of commit messages, facilitating better version control practices.; • Supported environments: : • Compatibility with IDEs, CLI, and GitHub Mobile. Does not include support for GitHub.com.;Management and policy features:  • Public code filter: : • A feature to ensure that the public code is appropriately managed. • Public code filter: : • A feature to ensure that the public code is appropriately managed.;

Question 4

GitHub Copilot Business Tier: Pricing and Features

Accepted Answer

Monthly cost: $19 USD / user / month The GitHub Copilot Business tier is intended for businesses, and includes all the features of the Individual tier with some additions that cater to organizational needs. It adds security, manageability, and enhanced coding support tailored to organizational workflows. Features:  • User management:: • Data excluded from training by default:: • IP indemnity: : • Businesses receive indemnity protection, offering peace of mind regarding intellectual property concerns.; • SAML SSO authentication:: • Supported environments: : • Compatibility with IDEs, CLI, and GitHub Mobile. Does not include support for GitHub.com. • User management:: • Data excluded from training by default:: • IP indemnity: : • Businesses receive indemnity protection, offering peace of mind regarding intellectual property concerns.; • SAML SSO authentication:: • Supported environments: : • Compatibility with IDEs, CLI, and GitHub Mobile. Does not include support for GitHub.com.;Management and policy features:  • User management: : • Tools to manage access and permissions for different users.; • Data privacy: : • Data excluded from training by default, protecting the privacy of your code.; • IP indemnity:: • User management: : • Tools to manage access and permissions for different users.; • Data privacy: : • Data excluded from training by default, protecting the privacy of your code.; • IP indemnity::

Question 5

GitHub Copilot Enterprise Tier: Pricing and Features

Accepted Answer

Monthly cost: $39 USD / user / month The Enterprise tier is tailored for larger organizations. It builds on the features offered in the Business tier and includes additional enhancements that cater to enterprise operations.  Features:  • Conversations tailored to your organization: : • Offers chat conversations that are customized to your organization's repositories.; • Access to knowledge from top open source repositories: : • Businesses gain the ability to integrate insights and knowledge directly from top open source repositories.; • Web search powered by Bing: : • Provides access to a web search within Copilot, powered by Bing, to pull in relevant information and code examples.; • Pull request summarization:: • Fine-tuned models: : • The Enterprise tier will incorporate fine-tuned models, provided as optional add-ons in the Copilot interface. These models will offer more sophisticated and tailored code suggestions, with higher accuracy and relevance to specific coding tasks.; • Supported environments: : • Compatibility with IDEs, CLI, and GitHub Mobile, including support for GitHub.com. • Conversations tailored to your organization: : • Offers chat conversations that are customized to your organization's repositories.; • Access to knowledge from top open source repositories: : • Businesses gain the ability to integrate insights and knowledge directly from top open source repositories.; • Web search powered by Bing: : • Provides access to a web search within Copilot, powered by Bing, to pull in relevant information and code examples.; • Pull request summarization:: • Fine-tuned models: : • The Enterprise tier will incorporate fine-tuned models, provided as optional add-ons in the Copilot interface. These models will offer more sophisticated and tailored code suggestions, with higher accuracy and relevance to specific coding tasks.; • Supported environments: : • Compatibility with IDEs, CLI, and GitHub Mobile, including support for GitHub.com.;Requirements:  • GitHub Enterprise Cloud: : • The Enterprise tier requires organizations to also be users of GitHub Enterprise Cloud, which provides GitHub users with an enterprise account and advanced security features. GitHub Enterprise Cloud costs $21 / user / month, not including the cost of GitHub Copilot Enterprise. • GitHub Enterprise Cloud: : • The Enterprise tier requires organizations to also be users of GitHub Enterprise Cloud, which provides GitHub users with an enterprise account and advanced security features. GitHub Enterprise Cloud costs $21 / user / month, not including the cost of GitHub Copilot Enterprise.;

Question 6

How to Choose a Copilot Pricing Plan

Accepted Answer

Here are the key considerations for selecting a GitHub Copilot pricing plan:  1. Individual / organization: Individual developers, including students and educators, may find the Individual tier's features sufficient. Businesses with multiple developers needing advanced management and security features should consider the Business or Enterprise tier.  2. Feature requirements: For individual developers, basic code completion, debugging, and chat support may be adequate. Teams and organizations might require additional features such as user management and data privacy.  3. Budget: Evaluate the pricing of each plan and the number of users at your organization, taking into account future growth. For large teams the price difference between the plans could be significant.  4. Evaluate the need for IP indemnity and data privacy: For businesses and enterprises, IP indemnity and data privacy might be critical. If your organization handles sensitive information or needs to ensure that proprietary code remains private, prioritize plans that offer these protections. 1. Individual / organization: Individual developers, including students and educators, may find the Individual tier's features sufficient. Businesses with multiple developers needing advanced management and security features should consider the Business or Enterprise tier.  2. Feature requirements: For individual developers, basic code completion, debugging, and chat support may be adequate. Teams and organizations might require additional features such as user management and data privacy.  3. Budget: Evaluate the pricing of each plan and the number of users at your organization, taking into account future growth. For large teams the price difference between the plans could be significant.  4. Evaluate the need for IP indemnity and data privacy: For businesses and enterprises, IP indemnity and data privacy might be critical. If your organization handles sensitive information or needs to ensure that proprietary code remains private, prioritize plans that offer these protections. Related content: Read our guide to GitHub Copilot alternatives

Question 7

Complementing GitHub Copilot with Swimm

Accepted Answer

GitHub Copilot Business provides basic responses to developer inquiries, sourcing its context exclusively from the code editor. GitHub Copilot Enterprise offers more nuanced conversations by integrating customization from your own repositories. However, Copilot’s context remains confined to code, which doesn’t encompass the entire narrative. Swimm, on the other hand, integrates a wide range of organizational knowledge sources, ensuring highly precise and relevant answers. Learn more about Swimm vs. GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot Pricing Plans and How to Get Copilot for Free