GitHub Copilot is an AI assistant for software development. It can suggest code, explain unfamiliar files, answer questions about a repository, edit and refactor code, review changes, and carry out multi-step tasks through agent workflows. What you can use depends on your Copilot plan, development surface, IDE, and organization policies.
What GitHub Copilot does
Copilot works alongside a developer rather than replacing the developer. In an assistive workflow, you ask a question or describe code and Copilot proposes an answer, completion, or change that you inspect and apply. In an agentic workflow, you describe a broader goal and Copilot can research a repository, create a plan, edit files, use development tools, and prepare work for review.
GitHub’s documented examples include:
- Explaining a file, function, or repository
- Planning and implementing a development task
- Writing code from inline suggestions or natural-language prompts
- Building an application from a description
- Refactoring or changing existing code
- Reviewing code and pull requests
Generated code can be incomplete, insecure, incompatible with your project, or simply wrong. The developer remains responsible for checking the output, running appropriate tests, and approving any change before it is merged or shipped.
How GitHub Copilot works in practice
Inline completion
As you type, Copilot can offer proposed lines or blocks of code. You can accept, reject, or modify a suggestion. This is the closest experience to traditional autocomplete, but the suggestions can use surrounding code and natural-language comments as context.
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Chat and explanations
Copilot can answer questions about programming concepts, explain selected code, and help investigate an unfamiliar codebase. The quality and scope of repository answers depend on the client and whether that environment supports features such as workspace indexing.
Edits and refactoring
You can describe a change in natural language and ask Copilot to modify code. Review the resulting diff rather than accepting a broad edit blindly, especially when it touches configuration, authentication, database access, or public APIs.
Agent workflows
An agent can handle a sequence of steps instead of returning one suggestion. GitHub’s Copilot cloud agent runs in an ephemeral development environment powered by GitHub Actions. It can explore a repository, make changes, and run automated tests and linters, then provide work for a human to review. GitHub documents the cloud agent as available on paid Copilot plans.
Where you can use GitHub Copilot
GitHub supports Copilot across several development surfaces, but support is not identical everywhere. The IDE quickstart names:
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- Visual Studio Code
- Visual Studio
- JetBrains IDEs
- Eclipse
- Xcode
GitHub’s feature matrix also lists Neovim for code completion. The matrix is marked public preview and subject to change, so check your IDE and the exact feature you need before subscribing.
Copilot also appears in GitHub’s website and mobile experiences, terminal and CLI workflows, and a dedicated app. A practical division is:
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- IDE: interactive coding, completion, chat, and edits while you work locally.
- GitHub website: planning work that begins with an issue, pull request, or unfamiliar repository.
- CLI and terminal: command-line development and repository tasks.
- App and other surfaces: workflows supported by the current Copilot product and your account.
Feature availability can differ by surface. For example, chat, code completion, agent mode, code review, and workspace indexing may each have separate support requirements.
What you need to get started
Individual developers
Most individual developers can begin with Copilot Free, although some account situations may make that plan unavailable. For an IDE setup, GitHub lists three practical requirements:
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- The Copilot extension for your IDE.
- Sign-in to GitHub from the IDE.
After installation, open a supported project, sign in, and test a completion or Copilot chat request. If a feature is missing, verify the IDE version, extension state, plan entitlement, and the current feature matrix.
Organization-managed accounts
An organization can control Copilot access and individual feature availability through administrative policies. You may need an assigned seat or administrator approval even when the feature exists in your IDE. Ask your organization’s GitHub administrator which plan, policies, and data controls apply to your account.
Copilot plans and current prices
GitHub’s plan page lists Copilot Free and Copilot Student, plus the paid individual tiers Copilot Pro, Copilot Pro+, and Copilot Max. The following monthly prices were listed when checked on September 30, 2026, in U.S. dollars:
| Plan | Monthly price listed | What varies by plan |
|---|---|---|
| Copilot Free | Limited free allowance | Inline completions, requests, and other entitlements are limited by the current plan terms. |
| Copilot Student | Plan-specific | Eligibility and included capabilities are determined by GitHub’s current student offer. |
| Copilot Pro | $10 USD | AI credits or request limits, model access, agent features, and customization differ from free and higher tiers. |
| Copilot Pro+ | $39 USD | Higher or broader allowances and access than Pro under the current plan table. |
| Copilot Max | $100 USD | The highest listed individual tier, with plan-specific allowances, models, and agent capabilities. |
These are volatile subscription terms, not productivity measurements. Prices, credits, model access, and feature entitlements can change; compare GitHub’s current plan table before choosing a tier. For an informed comparison, check five items: monthly price, included AI credits or request limits, model access, agent availability, and any administrative or customization controls.
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Copilot agents and human review
Copilot’s assistive and agentic modes have different risk profiles. A completion is usually a small proposed change that you inspect immediately. An agent may modify several files, invoke tools, and produce a larger change set. Treat both as suggestions, but apply a stricter review process to agent output.
- Read the complete diff, including generated configuration and dependency changes.
- Run the project’s tests, linters, formatters, and security checks.
- Check behavior at error boundaries and with untrusted input.
- Confirm that secrets, credentials, and private data were not exposed.
- Review license and dependency implications before distribution.
- Keep the change in a branch or pull request until a human approves it.
GitHub also lists Anthropic Claude and OpenAI Codex as supported third-party coding agents that can work asynchronously on development tasks alongside Copilot cloud agent. The supported-agent list and plan requirements can change.
Choosing the right Copilot surface
Start with the task rather than assuming one interface provides every feature:
| Your goal | Most suitable starting point | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Write and refine code interactively | Your supported IDE | Completion, chat, edit, and agent support for that IDE. |
| Understand an unfamiliar repository or plan issue work | GitHub website | Repository context, indexing, and account permissions. |
| Run commands and work in a terminal | GitHub CLI or terminal workflow | CLI feature support and authentication. |
| Delegate a multi-step change | Copilot cloud agent or another supported coding agent | Paid-plan eligibility, repository permissions, and review controls. |
Is GitHub Copilot for everyone?
Copilot is broadly useful for people who write, maintain, review, or learn software, but “for everyone” does not mean every feature is available to every account. Your IDE, plan, organization policy, region or eligibility status, and the particular Copilot surface all matter. A free plan may be enough to try inline assistance; larger projects or agent workflows may require a paid plan and administrative approval.
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