Update, May 2026: GitHub has announced that Copilot will move from premium requests to usage-based GitHub AI Credits on June 1, 2026. This page has been updated to reflect the new model.
The short answer
Choose GitHub Copilot Pro if you want the cheapest paid Copilot seat, code completions, Next Edit suggestions, and enough included GitHub AI Credits for light agent/chat/CLI use.
Choose GitHub Copilot Pro+ if you want the stronger individual Copilot plan for serious agent work, higher-tier model access, and 3,900 included AI Credits. It is still the safer Copilot choice for heavier work, but it is no longer an all-you-can-eat subscription.
Choose Claude Code if the thing you really want is Anthropic's own terminal product and you are comfortable living inside Anthropic's separate plan and limit model. It is still a useful comparison, but it is not billed through GitHub AI Credits.
What changes on June 1, 2026
GitHub's individual Copilot plans are moving away from the old premium request accounting. Under the new model, GitHub says usage is calculated from token consumption: input tokens, output tokens, and cached tokens. Those tokens are converted into GitHub AI Credits, where 1 GitHub AI Credit = $0.01 USD.
The base plan prices are not changing in GitHub's announcement. Copilot Pro remains $10/month and includes 1,000 AI Credits. Copilot Pro+ remains $39/month and includes 3,900 AI Credits. Code completions and Next Edit suggestions remain included.
The important difference is where usage lands. Agent, chat, CLI, cloud-agent, and Spark-style Copilot usage can consume AI Credits. Agentic project work can burn tokens quickly because every loop can include repository context, tool results, generated patches, follow-up prompts, and model output.
Old model vs new model
| Question | Before June 1 | From June 1 | Practical implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| How was usage counted? | Premium requests, with plan-specific request allowances. | GitHub AI Credits derived from input, output, and cached token usage. | The size of the job matters more than the number of visible prompts. |
| What stayed included? | Code completions and core editor assistance were part of the plan value. | Code completions and Next Edit suggestions remain included. | Light editor usage should still be easy to justify on Pro. |
| What now consumes paid budget? | Premium-model interactions consumed premium requests. | Agent, chat, CLI, cloud-agent, Spark-style work, and similar advanced usage consume AI Credits. | Long autonomous loops need credit discipline, not just request discipline. |
| What about existing subscribers? | Monthly and annual users were on the request-based model. | Existing monthly Pro and Pro+ users migrate automatically on June 1. Existing annual users stay request-based until that annual term expires. | Annual plans are a transition case, but they do not renew into the old model. |
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Dimension | Copilot Pro | Copilot Pro+ | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price shape | GitHub lists Pro at $10/month. | GitHub lists Pro+ at $39/month. | Claude Code comes through Anthropic's own Claude plans, not GitHub billing. |
| Included usage | 1,000 AI Credits from June 1, plus included completions and Next Edit suggestions. | 3,900 AI Credits from June 1, plus included completions and Next Edit suggestions. | Usage follows Anthropic's Claude plan and limit model. |
| Model access | Lower-tier or more limited access to premium Copilot models, depending on GitHub's current model matrix. | Higher-tier model access. As of GitHub's May 2026 docs, Claude Opus is Pro+ only; availability remains model and plan dependent. | Anthropic's own Claude models through Anthropic's own coding tool. |
| Core tradeoff | Low base price, enough credit for light use and testing. | More included credit and better model access for real project work, but metered beyond the included amount. | Anthropic-native terminal workflow, but separate from Copilot's multi-vendor bench. |
| Best fit | You want a low-cost Copilot subscription and moderate agent/chat usage. | You want to run heavier agent loops inside Copilot and care about access to higher-tier models. | You want Claude-native terminal work more than you want Copilot's product surface. |
| Biggest downside | Easier to outgrow if you lean on advanced models or long agent sessions. | Not unlimited. Heavy loops can still push you into usage-based spending. | Your Claude Code economics are governed by Anthropic's own plan rules, not GitHub's. |
If Claude Opus access is your actual question
For many people searching this topic, the practical question is: "Which plan gets me Claude Opus inside a coding workflow?"
GitHub's current model documentation says model availability depends on plan and can change. The current state I found is that Claude Opus is Pro+ only for individual Copilot users. GitHub also says Claude Opus 4.5 and 4.6 are being removed from Copilot Pro+, which is why I would avoid naming one Opus version as a durable buying reason. Treat Opus access as a current Pro+ advantage, then check GitHub's supported-models page before buying.
How I would choose in practice
Buy Copilot Pro if you are still validating your workflow
Pro is the sensible first step if you mostly want editor assistance and occasional agent/chat use. It keeps spend low, includes 1,000 AI Credits, and still gives you completions and Next Edit suggestions.
Buy Copilot Pro+ if you want serious Copilot agent work
Pro+ is still the cleaner Copilot answer for people who want planner/coder/reviewer role-splitting across multiple model families. The reason has changed, though. I would no longer frame it as buying a large pile of monthly requests. I would frame it as buying more included credit, better model access, and less friction before usage-based billing starts.
Consider direct API-style spending if your agents run hot
Once Copilot usage is token/credit-based, the economic comparison starts to look more like direct model spending. If your workflow is several active loops, long repository context, and repeated tool calls, the question is not just "Pro or Pro+?" It is whether Copilot's product integration is worth paying through GitHub's credit layer instead of routing more work through your own orchestration and API budget.
The roughly $20 tier is good for testing, not for serious multi-agent project work
From my own usage, the roughly $20/month class of coding subscription is fine for evaluation and light solo work, but it is not where I would want to stay for serious project execution. If you are orchestrating multiple agents, five-hour/window-style limits get tight quickly. In practice, I have hit that ceiling in about an hour once several real loops were active.
My analysis is that GitHub's move to token/credit-based billing is partly about smoothing GPU and inference demand. The old monthly bucket model created obvious incentives to burn remaining allowance near the end of a cycle. OpenAI and Anthropic face the same economic pressure around rolling limits, inference scarcity, and bursty power users. GitHub has not made that exact claim in those words; it is my read of why this billing direction makes product sense.
Where my earlier essay fits
If you want the personal workflow story behind this comparison, read Why I Switched from Claude Code and Google AI Pro to GitHub Copilot Pro+. That page is a March 2026 essay written under the pre-June request model. This page is the updated decision guide for people trying to choose now.
FAQ
What changes on June 1, 2026?
GitHub Copilot individual plans move from premium requests to usage-based GitHub AI Credits. Monthly Pro and Pro+ subscribers migrate automatically. Annual subscribers stay on request-based pricing until their current annual term expires.
What are GitHub AI Credits?
GitHub AI Credits are the usage unit for metered Copilot features. GitHub calculates usage from input tokens, output tokens, and cached tokens, then converts that usage into credits. One GitHub AI Credit equals $0.01 USD.
Is Copilot Pro+ still worth it?
For heavy Copilot users, probably yes. Pro+ includes 3,900 AI Credits and higher-tier model access, which makes it the stronger plan for serious agent work. But it should be treated as a larger included credit bundle, not unlimited usage.
Do premium requests still matter?
They matter historically and for annual users who remain on the old request-based model until their current annual plan expires. For monthly users from June 1 onward, GitHub AI Credits are the relevant unit.
What happens to annual plans?
Existing annual Copilot Pro and Pro+ users remain on request-based pricing until the annual plan expires. GitHub says annual plans do not auto-renew; users receive options before renewal and may otherwise be downgraded to Copilot Free at renewal time.
Does Copilot still include code completions?
Yes. GitHub says code completions and Next Edit suggestions remain included. The usage-based change applies to advanced Copilot usage such as agent, chat, CLI, cloud agent, and similar token-consuming workflows.
Sources and further reading
- GitHubGitHub Copilot is moving to usage-based billing — GitHub's announcement of the June 1, 2026 move from premium requests to GitHub AI Credits.
- GitHubUsage-based billing for individuals — GitHub's docs for credits, token accounting, migration, and annual-plan handling.
- GitHubChanges to GitHub Copilot Individual plans — GitHub's April 2026 note on paused sign-ups and temporary usage changes before usage-based billing.
- GitHubRequests in GitHub Copilot — GitHub's request-era documentation, useful for understanding the pre-June model and annual-plan transition.
- GitHubModels and pricing for GitHub Copilot — current model multipliers and plan/model details.
- GitHubSupported AI models in GitHub Copilot — GitHub's current model matrix and plan availability notes.
- AnthropicUsing Claude Code with your Pro or Max plan — Anthropic's explanation of shared Claude / Claude Code limits.
- RelatedWhy I Switched from Claude Code and Google AI Pro to GitHub Copilot Pro+