GitHub Copilot

What GitHub Copilot does

GitHub Copilot started as inline code completion and now covers chat, an agent mode inside the editor, a terminal agent and a cloud agent. It runs in VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Xcode, Neovim, Eclipse and Zed, on github.com and in GitHub Mobile. Copilot CLI runs on macOS, Linux and Windows, and a desktop Copilot app runs parallel sessions, each in its own git worktree.

GitHub Copilot's cloud agent takes an issue or a task, works on a branch inside a temporary GitHub Actions environment and opens a pull request for review. Copilot code review comments on pull requests. On Pro+ and higher, tasks can also be handed to third-party agents such as Claude and OpenAI Codex (in preview).

GitHub Copilot offers models from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, xAI and others, and paid plans now meter use in GitHub AI Credits. Code completions and next edit suggestions stay unlimited on paid plans. Bring-your-own-key works in VS Code, JetBrains, Xcode, the CLI and the app.

Who GitHub Copilot is for

• Teams whose code already lives on GitHub and who want agents that open pull requests there
• Developers who use several editors, including Visual Studio, Xcode, Eclipse or Neovim
• Organizations that want per-seat billing with pooled credits and admin controls
• Students and open source maintainers who may qualify for free access

Who should pick something else

• Teams on GitLab or Bitbucket who want a cloud agent; Copilot's cloud agent runs on GitHub
• Heavy agent users who want flat pricing; usage past included credits is billed per credit
• People who want an open source tool; Cline, OpenCode and Kilo Code are open source

GitHub Copilot: one strength, one limit

Strength. GitHub Copilot runs in more editors than most tools here (VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Xcode, Neovim, Eclipse and Zed) and has a free plan with limited chat, agent use and inline suggestions.

Limit. GitHub Copilot's cloud agent and code review need a paid plan, and agent work is metered in AI Credits, so cost depends on how much you use it.

What GitHub Copilot costs

Copilot Free has limited chat, agent use and inline suggestions; paid plans add the cloud agent, code review and more AI Credits, and verified students get free access.

Current prices: github.com ↗. We do not list prices: vendors change them often, so check the maker's own page before you buy.

GitHub Copilot with agent skills and MCP servers

Skills. GitHub Copilot supports Agent Skills natively since 2025-12-18, in the cloud agent, code review, Copilot CLI, the Copilot app and agent mode in VS Code and JetBrains. It reads project skills from .github/skills, .claude/skills and .agents/skills, and personal skills from ~/.copilot/skills and ~/.agents/skills. The open skills CLI installs Copilot skills into .agents/skills.

MCP. GitHub Copilot connects MCP servers differently per surface. In VS Code, add them to .vscode/mcp.json under the servers key, or search @mcp in the Extensions view (VS Code 1.99 or later). In Copilot CLI, run /mcp add or copilot mcp add <name> -- <command>, saved in ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json. For the cloud agent, paste JSON under mcpServers in the repo's Settings, Copilot, MCP servers.

Browse agent skills and MCP servers that work with GitHub Copilot.

Alternatives to GitHub Copilot

• Cursor: Cursor is an AI code editor by Anysphere that pairs a desktop editor with an agent, a CLI and cloud agents, using models from several vendors plus its own Composer models.
• Claude Code: Claude Code is a terminal coding agent by Anthropic that reads a codebase, edits files and runs commands, and also works in VS Code, JetBrains, a desktop app and the web.
• OpenAI Codex: OpenAI Codex is a coding agent by OpenAI that runs as an open source CLI on your machine and as a cloud agent in ChatGPT, editing code, running commands and opening pull requests.
• Cline: Cline is an open source coding agent by Cline Bot Inc. that runs as a VS Code or JetBrains extension and a CLI, using your own model keys or local models.
• Junie: Junie is a coding agent by JetBrains that runs as a CLI on macOS, Windows and Linux, inside JetBrains IDEs and in GitHub or GitLab pipelines, with any model you choose.