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Short answer: In the Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot choice, pick GitHub Copilot if you want AI inside the editor you already use, with paid plans from $10 a month. Pick Claude Code if you want an agent that takes a whole task in your terminal, with paid plans from $20 a month billed monthly. Copilot now bills by usage credits, and Claude Code draws on a plan allowance, so the sticker price is only the start.
Both tools write and change code for you, but they work in different places. You can read more on our Claude Code page and our GitHub Copilot page. This post puts them side by side so you can see what each plan buys. If you are also weighing an AI editor, our Cursor vs Claude Code comparison covers that angle.
Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot at a glance
| Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files and runs commands | An AI assistant that works inside your editor, on github.com and in the terminal |
| Free plan | No, Claude Code needs a paid plan | Yes, with 2,000 completions a month |
| Cheapest paid plan | Pro, $20 a month billed monthly or $17 billed yearly | Pro, $10 a month |
| Top individual plan | Max, from $100 a month | Max, $100 a month |
| How usage is measured | A rolling five-hour window plus weekly limits | Monthly AI credits, then a budget you set |
| Where it runs | Terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, desktop app and the web | VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim and the terminal |
| Background agents | Cloud sessions on the web | Cloud agent on Pro and above |
| Team plans | Team and Enterprise | Business and Enterprise |
What is Claude Code?
Anthropic describes Claude Code as an agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands and connects to your development tools. You describe a goal in plain language. It plans the work, changes several files and checks the result.
It runs in the terminal, in VS Code and JetBrains, in a desktop app and in the browser. It also works with git: it can stage changes, write commit messages, create branches and open pull requests. You extend it with a CLAUDE.md file, skills, hooks and MCP servers. Our MCP servers directory lists servers you can add.
What is GitHub Copilot?
GitHub Copilot is the assistant from GitHub. It is an extension for Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, Vim, Neovim and the JetBrains IDEs, so you keep the editor you know. GitHub says chat is available in Visual Studio Code, JetBrains and Visual Studio.
Beyond the editor, Copilot has a command line tool, a cloud agent that works on assigned tasks in the background, and code review on github.com. GitHub says it is powered by models from GitHub, OpenAI and Microsoft. The Pro+ plan adds premium models.
Claude Code vs Copilot pricing
Both vendors changed how they meter use, so read the plan before you subscribe.
Claude Code pricing
Claude Code comes with Anthropic’s paid Claude plans.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | No Claude Code |
| Pro | $20 a month billed monthly, $17 a month billed yearly | At least 5x the Free usage per 5-hour session |
| Max | From $100 a month | 5x or 20x the Pro usage per 5-hour session |
| Team Standard | $25 per seat a month, $20 billed yearly | More usage than Pro |
| Team Premium | $125 per seat a month, $100 billed yearly | 5x the Standard seat |
| Enterprise | $20 per seat a month, billed yearly, 20-seat minimum | Usage billed at API rates on top |
Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour window, and paid plans add weekly limits. Claude Code shares that pool with your chats. You can also run it with an Anthropic Console account, where it is billed by token. Anthropic says the average across enterprise deployments is around $13 per developer per active day, so a heavy API user can pay far more than a subscriber.
GitHub Copilot pricing
| Plan | Price | Monthly AI credits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Limited chat and agent use, 2,000 completions |
| Pro | $10 a month | 1,500 (1,000 base plus 500 flex) |
| Pro+ | $39 a month | 7,000 (3,900 base plus 3,100 flex) |
| Max | $100 a month | 20,000 (10,000 base plus 10,000 flex) |
| Business | $19 per user a month | 1,900 per user |
| Enterprise | $39 per user a month | 3,900 per user |
One AI credit equals $0.01. Chat, agent mode, the CLI and the cloud agent use credits. Code completions and next edit suggestions do not, and they stay unlimited on paid plans. Unused credits do not roll over: the allowance resets on the first day of each month. When it runs out you can upgrade, set a dollar budget for extra use or wait.
Which one costs less?
Copilot Pro is half the monthly price of Claude Code Pro, and it keeps autocomplete unlimited. If most of your day is completions and short chat, Copilot is the cheaper habit. If most of it is long agent runs, both get expensive: Copilot’s $15 of credits on Pro goes quickly on big tasks, and Claude Code Pro users who hit the five-hour limit often look at Max. Compare the top of each range too: Copilot Max is $100 a month and Claude Max starts at $100 a month.
Where Claude Code wins
- Agent first. The product is built around handing over a task, not around adding chat to an editor.
- Many surfaces, one engine. Terminal, IDE, desktop and web sessions share the same settings, CLAUDE.md files and MCP servers.
- Git and automation. It commits, branches and opens pull requests. It can also run in CI with GitHub Actions or GitLab CI/CD.
- Scheduled work. Anthropic lists routines that run in the cloud on a schedule.
Where GitHub Copilot wins
- Your editor stays. It works in VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Vim and Neovim, so there is nothing to switch.
- Lower entry price and a free plan. Pro is $10 a month, and Free gives you completions to try.
- GitHub native. Assign work to the cloud agent or have Copilot review a pull request on github.com.
- Unmetered autocomplete. Completions do not use credits on paid plans.
- Team controls. Business at $19 per user a month adds central policy control.
How to test both fairly
Do not judge either tool on one easy prompt. Pick one real task from your own repository, such as fixing a failing test and adding a small feature beside it. Run it in each tool. Then compare four things: how many rounds it took, how much of your allowance it used, whether the diff was easy to read and whether the tests passed without help.
Watch the meter as you go. A long agent run can look cheap on day one and expensive by day ten. Teams should test on a repository that is not a toy, because large codebases and slow test suites show the differences faster.
What neither does
Neither tool replaces review. Both can write code that looks right and is wrong, so run the tests and read the diff before you merge. Claude Code has no free plan, and Copilot’s chat is not available in every editor it supports. Both vendors change plans often, which is why we link their pricing pages below. If you prefer an editor built around an agent, see our Cursor vs GitHub Copilot post.
Which should you choose?
- You live in VS Code or JetBrains and want to keep it: GitHub Copilot.
- You want to hand over whole tasks from the terminal: Claude Code, on Pro or Max.
- You mostly want autocomplete at a low price: GitHub Copilot Pro.
- You work in a company on GitHub: Copilot Business, for the policy controls.
- You are not sure: try Copilot Free and one real task in each tool, then compare how much each needed from you.
FAQ
Is Claude Code better than GitHub Copilot?
Neither is better for everyone. Claude Code suits people who want an agent to take whole tasks. Copilot suits people who want AI inside the editor they already use, at a lower starting price.
Is Claude Code or Copilot cheaper?
Copilot Pro is $10 a month and Claude Pro is $20 a month billed monthly, so Copilot is cheaper at the start. Heavy agent use costs more on both: Copilot adds extra usage past its credits and Claude Code moves heavy users toward Max.
Does Claude Code have a free plan?
No. Anthropic’s pricing page lists Claude Code on Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise but not on Free. GitHub Copilot does have a Free plan with 2,000 completions a month.
Can I use Claude Code and GitHub Copilot together?
Yes. Claude Code installs in VS Code and JetBrains, and Copilot is an extension in the same editors. You pay for each plan separately, so test them one at a time first.
Does GitHub Copilot use credits?
Yes. Chat, agent mode, the CLI and the cloud agent use AI credits, and one credit equals $0.01. Code completions and next edit suggestions do not use credits on paid plans.
What else should I look at?
Our best AI coding agents page ranks the options by job. Our Codex vs Claude Code post covers the two terminal agents.
Prices here come from Anthropic and GitHub, checked in October 2026. For setup steps, read the Claude Code overview.