Our GitHub Copilot review
GitHub Copilot is a strong AI coding option: strongest at feature development, weakest on agent slower than rivals.
We score GitHub Copilot 4.6 out of 5 — strong ease of use, strong performance and excellent value for money.
What GitHub Copilot is
GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI coding product, launched in 2021. In-editor AI pair programmer with chat, agent mode and pull request reviews across every major IDE.
It is aimed at intermediate users — the learning curve is moderate. Day one you would use it for feature development, test generation and code review. It runs on VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim and Visual Studio, with no mobile app, and there is no public API.
Where it shines
The core strengths are easy to state: works in every IDE and great enterprise controls. The feature set behind that is inline completion, agent mode, PR reviews and multi-model.
We rate performance 4.4/5 and answer accuracy around 89% for the tasks in this category, which is why it holds up for feature development and test generation.
Where it falls short
The honest downsides: agent slower than rivals.
Expect a real ramp-up — we rate the learning curve moderate. Budget time for it before judging the tool.
Pricing and value for money
Pricing is Free · Pro $10/mo · Pro+ $39/mo · Business $19/user/mo. At $10 a month that is $120 a year per person, cheaper than most of its category (the category median is about $20). A free tier exists, so you can test it properly before paying.
If budget is the constraint, look at the free tiers of the alternatives below. Our cost calculator will show what adding GitHub Copilot does to your monthly stack before you commit.
Who should use GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot is the right call for feature development, test generation and code review. Look elsewhere if agent slower than rivals is a bigger problem for you than works in every IDE is a benefit.
The alternatives worth comparing are Cursor ($20/mo), Windsurf ($15/mo) and Replit ($25/mo). Put them side by side before you buy.
Recommended: GitHub Copilot at $10/mo is best used for feature development and test generation, and it earns 4.6/5 from us.