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What Is GitHub Copilot? A Beginner's Guide to the AI Pair Programmer

GitHub Copilot is an AI assistant from GitHub that suggests code as you type, answers questions in chat, edits files in agent mode, and can even take a GitHub issue and open a pull request. What it does, where it works, what it costs and when to use it.

GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant made by GitHub (owned by Microsoft). It started in 2021 as autocomplete for code and has grown into a set of tools: chat, agents that edit many files, and an agent that works directly on GitHub.

What Copilot does

Code completions

As you type, Copilot suggests the next line or a whole block in grey text. Press Tab to accept. This is the original feature and still the one most people use all day.

Chat

Ask questions in a side panel: "what does this function do?", "why is this test failing?", "write a regex for UK postcodes". It can see the file you're in and, with your permission, more of the project.

Agent mode

Describe a task and Copilot works across multiple files: it plans the change, edits files, runs terminal commands and fixes errors it finds. You review the result.

The coding agent on GitHub

You can assign an issue to Copilot on github.com. It works on it in the cloud and opens a pull request for you to review. It can also review pull requests and suggest changes. (What is a pull request?)

Copilot CLI

A terminal version for working from the command line.

Where it works

Copilot plugs into editors you probably already use: VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Xcode, Neovim and others, plus github.com and GitHub Mobile. You don't have to switch editors — that's the main difference from Cursor, which is its own editor.

Which models does it use?

Copilot offers models from several providers, including OpenAI, Anthropic's Claude and Google's Gemini. You can choose per conversation; premium models use more of your allowance.

How much does it cost?

As of October 2026 (GitHub's plans page):

  • Free — limited completions and chat.
  • Pro — $10/month.
  • Pro+ — $39/month.
  • Max — $100/month.
  • Business and Enterprise for organisations.

Since June 2026, paid plans use AI credits: completions are unlimited, while agent sessions, premium models and the CLI use up a monthly credit allowance. Students, teachers and maintainers of popular open-source projects can often get Copilot free.

What Copilot is good at

  • Writing the boring parts: boilerplate, tests, repetitive code
  • Explaining unfamiliar code
  • Quick, focused edits inside a file you're working on
  • Working through GitHub issues as pull requests

What to watch out for

  • It can be confidently wrong. Suggested code looks plausible even when it isn't. Read it, and run the tests. (Why does AI hallucinate?)
  • It can suggest packages that don't exist. (AI hallucinated packages)
  • It doesn't deploy anything. Getting the app online is a separate job.

Copilot vs other tools

The summary

  • Copilot = GitHub's AI assistant: completions, chat, agent mode, and an agent that turns issues into PRs.
  • Works inside your existing editor and on github.com.
  • Free tier; paid from $10/month with credit-based usage.

EasySpawn gives the code Copilot helps you write somewhere to run: a server with your app, database and HTTPS, open from VS Code over SSH. See how it works or join the waitlist.

Related: What Is an AI Coding Agent? · Git and GitHub for Beginners · VS Code for Beginners · Cursor vs GitHub Copilot

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