GitHub Copilot Shifts to Usage-Based Billing
GitHub revealed plans to switch all Copilot subscriptions to usage-based billing effective June 1, 2026. Users will draw from a monthly supply of GitHub AI Credits rather than premium requests. Paid plans can add more credits as needed. Billing tracks token use, covering input, output, and cached tokens at rates tied to each model's API.
This update matches costs to real activity. It supports a stable Copilot service for everyone. A preview billing tool arrives in early May. Admins and users can check expected expenses on the Billing Overview page at github.com.
Reasons Behind the Shift
Copilot has grown beyond simple editor help. Now it acts as an agent platform for extended coding tasks, multi-step sessions, new models, and full repository work. Such agentic features demand far more computing power.
Right now, a short query costs the same as hours of independent coding. GitHub covered rising inference expenses, but premium requests no longer work for this scale. The new credit system ties fees to usage. It ensures service reliability and avoids limits on heavy users.
Key Changes Ahead
Premium request units disappear on June 1, replaced by GitHub AI Credits. Consumption follows token counts per model API rates.
Plan prices stay fixed: Copilot Pro at $10 per month, Pro+ at $39 per month, Business at $19 per user per month, Enterprise at $39 per user per month.
Code completions and Next Edit suggestions come free in every plan, without using credits.
Fallback to cheaper models ends. Once credits run out, work stops unless admins approve more spend.
Copilot code review now draws GitHub Actions minutes alongside AI Credits, at standard workflow rates.
Last week brought temporary limits to Individual plans like Free, Pro, Pro+, and Student, plus a pause on self-serve Business buys. These steps ensured reliability during prep. Limits ease after the billing switch.
Impact on Individual Users
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Pro and Pro+ monthly users get credits matching their fees: $10 for Pro, $39 for Pro+.
Annual Pro or Pro+ subscribers keep request-based billing until renewal. Model multipliers rise June 1 per the table. Post-expiration, they move to Copilot Free or upgrade monthly. Early switch to monthly prorates remaining annual value into credits.
Impact on Businesses and Enterprises
Business and Enterprise seats hold steady: $19 per user monthly with $19 credits, $39 per user with $39 credits.
Current customers receive extra credits June through August: $30 monthly for Business, $70 for Enterprise.
Organizations now pool credits company-wide, avoiding waste from unused individual allotments.
Admins set budgets at enterprise, cost center, or user level. Exhausted pools prompt choices: pay extra at set rates or halt spending.
Final Details
Subscription costs remain the same. Users control expenses with tracking tools and extra credit buys.
Check documentation for individuals, businesses, enterprises, plus FAQ and discussions for questions.
GitHub, owned by Microsoft since 2018, powers millions of developers worldwide. Copilot, launched in 2021, uses AI to assist coding. Mario Rodriguez, the announcement's author and Chief Product Officer, oversees GitHub's product team and led Copilot's expansion to thousands of organizations and millions of users.