What it does

Copilot is the AI pair programmer that started it all: completions as you type, chat about your code, agent mode that takes on multi-step tasks, code review, even a CLI. And it lives in basically every IDE — VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, Visual Studio. No switching editors, no new workflow. It just shows up where you already work.

Pricing that matters

Free gets you 2,000 completions a month plus limited chat and agent usage — a real free tier. Pro is $10 a month ($100 a year), the cheapest paid door in the category, with unlimited completions. The big 2026 change: chat, agent mode, and code review now draw from a metered AI-credit allowance (about $15 worth on Pro). GitHub added a $0 spending cap you can set — and the default is NOT capped, so set it to $0 on day one. As of Oct 2026.

Best for

Developers who want AI help without changing editors, and anyone who wants the lowest-cost entry into serious AI coding. Ten bucks is an easy yes.

The honest take

Best value in the category, and the IDE ubiquity is a genuine advantage — your workflow doesn't change. The catch is the June 2026 metering: completions are unlimited, but the interesting stuff (agent mode, chat) now sips from a credit pool. Set the spending cap, watch the meter your first month, and you'll be fine.

Alternatives

Cursor: pick this instead if you want the AI-native editor experience and the best free agent trial. Tabnine: pick this instead if code privacy is the top requirement.