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GitHub, owned by Microsoft, announced a major update on Wednesday: its popular Copilot AI coding tool will now be available for free to all developers. Copilot, a widely used AI pair programming assistant, will also come pre-installed with Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code editor.
Previously, most users paid $10 per month to access Copilot, with free access limited to verified students, teachers, and open-source maintainers.
Expanding Access to Copilot
GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke shared the company’s journey toward making its tools more accessible.
“My first project in 2018 was free private repositories, and since then, we’ve introduced free features like private organizations, GitHub Actions, and Codespaces,” said Dohmke. “Offering a completely free version of Copilot feels like the natural next step.”
The free version of Copilot comes with some limitations. Developers on the free plan can use up to 2,000 code completions per month, with each suggestion counting toward this limit. Users will also have access to AI models from Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet and OpenAI’s GPT-4o but won’t get premium models available on paid plans.
For Copilot Chat, a tool that allows developers to interact conversationally with AI, the free plan allows up to 50 chat messages per month. Despite these restrictions, free users still enjoy access to all Copilot extensions and features across platforms like Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, and GitHub.com.
A Global Vision
This move aligns with GitHub’s mission to reach a billion developers worldwide. Dohmke emphasized the importance of accessibility, particularly in regions where subscription costs are significant relative to local income.
“Our goal is to empower more people globally, from students to aspiring developers in countries like Brazil, South Africa, and India,” Dohmke said.
The simplified access process for Copilot Free is expected to attract more students, who previously had to verify their eligibility for the free version.
A Competitive Market
Since its launch in 2021, Copilot has set the standard for AI coding tools. However, with competitors like Tabnine, Qodo, and AWS offering free plans, GitHub’s decision to adopt a freemium model further strengthens its position.
“By making Copilot free, we’re not just offering a tool; we’re enabling anyone to experience the joy of creating software,” Dohmke said. “This is a big step toward our vision of one billion developers worldwide.”
GitHub currently boasts 150 million developers on its platform, a significant jump from 100 million in early 2023.
GitHub’s new approach aims to make coding accessible to more people, fostering innovation and inclusivity in the global developer community.