What is GitHub Copilot? Free plan, pricing and AI Credits, models, students, data and cancellation

You open GitHub Copilot in your editor, on github.com or in the terminal; it makes suggestions as you write code, answers your questions and carries out multi-step tasks. It is GitHub's AI coding assistant. There is a free plan (2,000 completions a month, model Auto only); Pro is $10 a month with 1,500 AI Credits. On June 1, 2026 the “premium request” system was retired and replaced by token-based AI Credits. On Free, Pro, Pro+ and Max, the use of your data for model training has been on by default since April 24, 2026; you can turn it off in settings. It is a different product from Microsoft Copilot.

What it does: Suggests code in the editor and handles coding tasks
Students: Free for verified students
Training data: On by default on individual plans
Turkish: Primary language is English; no Turkish interface
Free plan: Yes: 2,000 completions a month, model Auto
Price: Pro $10 · Pro+ $39 · Max $100 (per month)

What does GitHub Copilot do?

GitHub Copilot is not the same as Microsoft's Copilot inside Windows and Office (or Microsoft 365 Copilot on work accounts); it is a separate product just for people who write code.

While you code, it gives autocomplete and next-edit suggestions in the editor, answers questions about your code in chat, and in agent mode carries out multi-step work across several files. On github.com it reviews pull requests; when you assign an issue to Copilot, it writes code in the background and opens a pull request (cloud agent). It also works in the terminal through Copilot CLI.

Get code suggestions as you typeWhat you get: Code suggestionNeeds a separate setup Have Copilot do multi-step workWhat you get: File changesNeeds a separate setup Assign an issue to CopilotWhat you get: Pull requestNeeds a connection

Who it is for: developers who write code, students and teams. Custom instruction files, MCP tools and repository rules are available on all plans.

Which models does GitHub Copilot use?

Copilot is not a single model; it offers models from several providers, and the catalog changes often. Which model is available on which plan is listed in the plans table; the free and Student plans only have Auto.

Free and StudentPartly	No model choice, Auto only.
ProPartly	A selection of models; according to the plans table, some of the most advanced premium models are not available on Pro. For the current table, see the plans page on docs.github.com.
Pro+ and MaxYes	Premium models; priority access on Max.

The marketing page lists models without showing the differences between plans and still counts retired models. For example, Claude Sonnet 4.6 was retired on September 1, 2026 and remains only for annual Pro and Pro+ subscribers.

The model list changes often; this section was checked on October 14, 2026. The official sources do not compare the models' speed or which one is better for which task.

Is GitHub Copilot free? Plans, pricing and AI Credits

Free$0

2,000 completions a month
Limited chat and agent
Model Auto only
Cloud agent
Full code review

Pro$10 /month (1,500 AI Credits)

Unlimited completions
Cloud agent, third-party agents
A selection of models
Some of the most advanced premium models

Pro+$39 /month (7,000 AI Credits)

Premium models
GitHub Spark (preview)

Max$100 /month (20,000 AI Credits)

Priority access to premium models

Student (for verified students) is $0, model Auto only. Business is $19 per seat per month, Enterprise $39 (requires GitHub Enterprise Cloud). Prices are in US dollars; local-currency prices and VAT details are not on the official pages.

What are AI Credits?

1 AI Credit = $0.01. On June 1, 2026 the “premium request” system was retired; the cost of an interaction now depends on the model and the number of tokens used. Your allowance resets on the 1st of every month and does not roll over. Inline completions and next-edit suggestions do not use credits. When credits run out, you upgrade your plan, set a dollar budget for “Additional usage”, or wait for the next month. On paid plans, Auto model selection gives a 10% discount on model cost.

Students, teachers, open source

Verified students (GitHub Education) get the Student plan; after approval it can take a few days for Copilot to be activated. Verified teachers and maintainers of popular open-source projects can get Pro for free. Eligibility is re-evaluated every month; this free access cannot be canceled.

Official pricing page last checked on October 28, 2026.

Is my code used for training? Data and privacy

Training permission

Since April 24, 2026, on Free, Pro, Pro+ and Max, inputs, outputs, code snippets and context can be used to train and improve GitHub's models unless you turn it off. To turn it off: github.com/settings/copilot › “Allow GitHub to use my data for AI model training” › Disabled.

Business and Enterprise

Data on these plans is not used for training; the option does not appear. Content exclusion is only available on these plans, not on individual plans.

Retention

For Business and Enterprise, prompts and suggestions in the IDE are not retained; for other access methods, 28 days. The retention period for individual plans is not clear in the official sources. CLI and app sessions are stored locally and sync to the account by default; cloud agent sessions are visible to anyone with access to the repository.

KVKK

There is no specific statement on KVKK (Turkey's Personal Data Protection Law); the account deletion steps are not clear in the official sources.

Common problems and fixes

What happens	What to do
I paid, but the account still shows Free	Check the plan under Settings then Billing & licensing; if payment verification failed, try again, and if it persists, contact GitHub Support.
Student status was approved, but a payment page appears	Approval and Copilot activation are separate steps and can take days; check github.com/settings/copilot, and do not buy if only paid options are shown.
Payment could not be renewed and the plan was canceled	Updating the payment method alone does not bring back a canceled plan; you need a new subscription.
“You are not eligible to sign up for Copilot Free” error	This can be a managed user, an organization seat or an existing plan; if not, Support needs to review the account.

How do you cancel GitHub Copilot, and are there refunds?

There are no refunds on monthly plans; when you cancel, you drop to Free at the end of the billing period. In the June 1, 2026 transition, annual Pro and Pro+ subscribers were offered the options to “stay, cancel with a prorated refund, or upgrade”. Free access for students, teachers and open-source maintainers cannot be canceled. If the account shows Free even though you paid, check the plan under Settings then Billing & licensing.

Frequently asked questions

What is GitHub Copilot and what does it do?

GitHub's AI coding assistant: it suggests code in the editor, answers questions in chat, carries out multi-step work in agent mode, and can code an issue in the background and open a pull request.

Is GitHub Copilot free?

Yes, the Free plan has 2,000 completions a month and limited chat and agent use; the model is Auto only. Verified students get the Student plan for free.

How much does GitHub Copilot cost?

Pro is $10 a month (1,500 AI Credits), Pro+ $39 (7,000), Max $100 (20,000). Business is $19 per seat, Enterprise $39. Prices are in US dollars.

What are AI Credits?

1 credit is $0.01. Since June 1, 2026 the cost of an interaction is calculated by model and tokens; the “premium request” system was retired. Completions do not use credits.

Is GitHub Copilot free for students?

Yes, the Student plan is free for students verified through GitHub Education. Verified teachers and maintainers of popular open-source projects can get Pro for free.

Does GitHub Copilot use my code for training?

Since April 24, 2026, on Free, Pro, Pro+ and Max it can be used unless you turn it off; turn it off at github.com/settings/copilot. Business and Enterprise data is not used for training.

Are GitHub Copilot and Microsoft Copilot the same?

No. GitHub Copilot is for people who write code; Microsoft Copilot is the general assistant in Windows, Office and on the web.

Does GitHub Copilot work in Turkish?

The primary supported language is English; the documentation is not in Turkish. There is no separate statement on the quality of answers in Turkish.

How do you cancel GitHub Copilot?

You cancel in the billing settings; there are no refunds on monthly plans and you drop to Free at the end of the period. Free access for students, teachers and open-source maintainers cannot be canceled.

Tasks and setup kits that use GitHub Copilot

For students

Related guides

Sources

Not clear in the official sources: Credit allowance on the Free and Student plans · local-currency pricing and VAT · Turkish interface and voice · retention period and account deletion on individual plans · system requirements of the Copilot app · IP indemnity on individual plans (the marketing page says two different things) · a live table of which model is available on which plan. Each is covered in the relevant section along with what you can do.