Software
GitHub Copilot shifts to usage-based pricing model
GitHub Copilot users face significant cost increases as the service moves to a usage-based pricing model, with some burning through monthly credit limits in under a day.
Photo: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels
In April, GitHub announced a shift from request-based billing to a usage-based model for its AI-powered Copilot service. As the new pricing model takes effect, many users are reporting extreme sticker shock, as their previous 'normal' usage is quickly depleting their new monthly AI credit limits. On social media and forums, users are sharing personal statistics showing that just a few hours of AI usage can now consume a large portion of their monthly subscription caps. For some, it reportedly took less than a day to use up a month’s usage quota. This marks a significant change from the previous system, where users were allocated a certain number of 'requests' and 'premium requests' based on their payment tier. GitHub stated that the old system meant 'a quick chat question and a multi-hour autonomous coding session [could] cost the user the same amount,' forcing Copilot to 'absorb much of the escalating inference cost behind that usage.' Some users have shared estimates from GitHub’s own tool indicating their previous monthly usage would result in bills in the thousands of dollars under the new pricing plan. This highlights how GitHub was subsidizing power users’ Copilot habits in the past months. *Source: [arstechnica](https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/ai-costs-how-much-github-copilot-users-react-to-new-usage-based-pricing-system/)*
Key points
- GitHub announced a shift from request-based billing to a usage-based model for its AI-powered Copilot service in April.
- Some GitHub Copilot users reported using up their monthly AI credit limits in under a day under the new pricing model.
- Under the new system, paid Copilot subscriptions grant users a certain number of AI 'credits' each month, with one credit corresponding to $0.01 of usage.
- The $10/month Pro plan includes 1,500 credits ($15 worth), the $39 Pro+ plan includes 7,000 credits ($70 worth), and the $100/month Copilot Max plan includes 20,000 credits ($200 worth).
- The precise number of Copilot credits used by a given prompt is determined by the number of input and output tokens used and the rates charged by the underlying large language model.
- A single complex prompt reportedly burned through 171 Copilot credits, and another spent 700 credits on 'a few prompts.'