GitHub Copilot Adopts Usage-Based Pricing with AI Credits

GitHub has announced a significant shift in how it charges for its AI-powered coding assistant, Copilot. Starting June 1, 2026, all Copilot plans will move to a usage-based billing model, replacing the current system of premium request units with a new currency called GitHub AI Credits. This change aims to align pricing more closely with actual usage, ensuring long-term sustainability and reliability for both users and the platform.

The Shift to Usage-Based Billing

Under the new model, every Copilot plan will include a monthly allotment of GitHub AI Credits. Users on paid plans can purchase additional credits if they exceed their allowance. Credit consumption will be calculated based on token usage, including input tokens, output tokens, and cached tokens, according to the published API rates for each model. This represents a departure from the current flat-rate premium request model, which charged the same amount regardless of the complexity or duration of a session.

Why the Change?

According to GitHub, Copilot has evolved far beyond its original role as an in-editor code completer. It now functions as an agentic platform capable of running lengthy, multi-step coding sessions, using the latest models, and iterating across entire repositories. Agentic usage is becoming the default, and it brings significantly higher compute and inference demands. Under the old system, a quick chat question and a multi-hour autonomous coding session cost the same, leaving GitHub to absorb much of the escalating inference costs. The premium request model was no longer sustainable, making a usage-based approach necessary. This change better aligns pricing with actual usage, helps maintain long-term service reliability, and reduces the need to gate heavy users.

What's Staying the Same?

Despite the billing overhaul, base plan prices remain unchanged. Copilot Pro continues at $10/month, Pro+ at $39/month, Business at $19/user/month, and Enterprise at $39/user/month. Additionally, code completions and Next Edit suggestions are still included in all plans and will not consume AI Credits. These features remain free for all subscribers.

What's Changing: The New Credit System

Starting June 1, 2026, premium request units (PRUs) will be completely replaced by GitHub AI Credits. Credits are consumed based on token usage—input, output, and cached tokens—using the published API rates for each model. Several other adjustments come with this transition:

• No more fallback experiences. Previously, users who exhausted PRUs could fall back to a lower-cost model and continue working. Under the new model, usage is governed solely by available credits and admin budget controls.
• Copilot code review will now consume GitHub Actions minutes in addition to GitHub AI Credits. These minutes are billed at the same per-minute rates as other GitHub Actions workflows.
• Temporary usage limits were recently rolled back for Copilot Individual plans (Free, Pro, Pro+, Student) and self-serve Business plan purchases were paused. These are reliability and performance measures as GitHub prepares for the broader transition. Once usage-based billing is in effect, these limits will be loosened.

Key Details and Implications

Here are the main takeaways for current and prospective Copilot users:

1. Base plan prices are not changing. Individuals and businesses can keep their existing plans without a price increase.
2. Code completions and Next Edit suggestions remain free and do not count toward credit consumption.
3. Heavy users will see costs rise as they pay for the actual compute resources their sessions consume, while light users may pay less or the same.
4. Admins get more control through budget controls to cap credit usage per user or team.
5. Transparency in billing is improved, as token-based charging reflects real resource usage.
6. Fallback to a cheaper model is removed; instead, users must rely on credits or budget limits.

Preparing for the Transition: Preview Bill Experience

To help customers prepare, GitHub will launch a preview bill experience in early May 2026. This tool will give users and administrators visibility into projected costs before the June 1 transition. The preview will be accessible via the Billing Overview page when users log in to github.com. It allows users to see how different usage patterns translate into credit consumption and costs, enabling informed decisions about plan upgrades or budget adjustments.

Conclusion

GitHub's move to usage-based billing for Copilot marks a major evolution in how the AI assistant is priced and consumed. By aligning costs with actual token consumption, the company aims to create a sustainable and reliable service that can support increasingly complex agentic workflows. While the change may increase costs for power users, it also brings transparency and fairness to pricing. With the preview bill experience launching in May, users have a window to assess their usage and adapt before the new model takes effect on June 1, 2026. For more details, visit the official GitHub Copilot documentation.