GitHub Copilot AI credits and usage limits explained
GitHub Copilot is one of the few tools that states a number: "Every plan includes a monthly allowance: 1 AI credit = $0.01 USD".
Checked 2026-10-18: Copilot Free $0/month ("Free plan Limited chat and agent usage"); Copilot Pro $10/month ("Total monthly AI credits: $15 per month"); Copilot Pro+ $39/month ("Total monthly AI credits: $70 per month"); Copilot Max $100/month ("Total monthly AI credits: $200 per month").
Copilot vs Cursor →Copilot plans and stated allowances
From github.com/features/copilot/plans, re-read daily.
GitHub Copilot
Every plan includes a monthly allowance: 1 AI credit = $0.01 USD.source
| Plan | Price | What the vendor says about limits | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0per month | Free plan Limited chat and agent usagesource |
price verified |
| Pro | $10per month | Total monthly AI credits: $15 per monthsource |
price verified |
| Pro+ | $39per month | Total monthly AI credits: $70 per monthsource |
price verified |
| Max | $100per month | Total monthly AI credits: $200 per monthsource |
price verified |
How AI credits work: base + flex
This total is converted into AI credits (1 AI credit = $0.01 USD)
docs.github.comBase credits: These are included with your plan subscription each month
docs.github.comFlex allotment: This is an additional monthly amount on top of your base credits. The flex allotment is a variable part of your included usage
docs.github.com
| Plan | Price | Base + flex AI credits (GitHub Docs) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copilot Pro | $10per month | 1,000 base + 500 flex | 1,500 credits = $15 |
| Copilot Pro+ | $39per month | 3,900 base + 3,100 flex | 7,000 credits = $70 |
| Copilot Max | $100per month | 10,000 base + 10,000 flex | 20,000 credits = $200 |
When Copilot credits reset
Included AI credits do not carry over between months. Unused credits are forfeited, and your allowance resets to the full monthly amount at 00:00:00 UTC on the first day of each calendar month
docs.github.comThis reset date is fixed and does not change based on your subscription billing date
docs.github.com
What is free and what uses credits
Code completions and next edit suggestions are not billed in AI credits and remain unlimited for all paid plans
docs.github.comCopilot Free includes 2000 code completions per month
docs.github.comCopilot features that use AI models consume AI credits, such as: Copilot Chat, Copilot CLI, Copilot cloud agent, Copilot Spaces, Spark, Third-party coding agents
docs.github.com
Running out, and what happened to premium requests
The upgrade cost is only the price difference between your current plan and the new plan, not the full price of the new plan
docs.github.comIf your included credits are exhausted, you can continue working by setting a budget for additional usage
docs.github.comAlternatively, wait until the next monthly cycle when your included usage resets
docs.github.comStarting June 1, premium request units (PRUs) will be replaced by GitHub AI Credits
github.blogUsers on annual Pro or Pro+ plans will remain on their existing plan with premium request-based pricing until their plan expires
github.blogCode completions and Next Edit suggestions remain included in all plans and do not consume AI Credits
github.blog
Compare Copilot with other tools
FAQ
Straight answers from today's data (2026-10-18) and the vendor's own help pages.
How many AI credits does GitHub Copilot include?
Checked 2026-10-18: Copilot Free $0/month ("Free plan Limited chat and agent usage"); Copilot Pro $10/month ("Total monthly AI credits: $15 per month"); Copilot Pro+ $39/month ("Total monthly AI credits: $70 per month"); Copilot Max $100/month ("Total monthly AI credits: $200 per month"). GitHub Docs breaks this into base credits plus a flex allotment: Copilot Pro 1,000 + 500 = 1,500; Copilot Pro+ 3,900 + 3,100 = 7,000; Copilot Max 10,000 + 10,000 = 20,000. 1 AI credit = $0.01.
Is GitHub Copilot Pro worth it?
By the numbers: Pro: $10/month includes $15 of AI credits (1.5x the price); Pro+: $39/month includes $70 of AI credits (1.79x the price); Max: $100/month includes $200 of AI credits (2x the price). "Code completions and next edit suggestions are not billed in AI credits and remain unlimited for all paid plans" (docs.github.com), while "Copilot Free includes 2000 code completions per month" (docs.github.com). Part of the allowance is the flex allotment, which GitHub calls "a variable part of your included usage". Whether it is worth it depends on how many credits your chat and agent use burns; GitHub's usage dashboard shows that.
When do Copilot AI credits reset?
"Included AI credits do not carry over between months. Unused credits are forfeited, and your allowance resets to the full monthly amount at 00:00:00 UTC on the first day of each calendar month" (docs.github.com). "This reset date is fixed and does not change based on your subscription billing date" (docs.github.com).
What happened to Copilot premium requests?
"Starting June 1, premium request units (PRUs) will be replaced by GitHub AI Credits" (github.blog) (that was June 1, 2026). "Users on annual Pro or Pro+ plans will remain on their existing plan with premium request-based pricing until their plan expires" (github.blog).
What uses Copilot AI credits?
"Copilot features that use AI models consume AI credits, such as: Copilot Chat, Copilot CLI, Copilot cloud agent, Copilot Spaces, Spark, Third-party coding agents" (docs.github.com). "Code completions and next edit suggestions are not billed in AI credits and remain unlimited for all paid plans" (docs.github.com).
What happens when I run out of Copilot AI credits?
"The upgrade cost is only the price difference between your current plan and the new plan, not the full price of the new plan" (docs.github.com). "If your included credits are exhausted, you can continue working by setting a budget for additional usage" (docs.github.com). "Alternatively, wait until the next monthly cycle when your included usage resets" (docs.github.com).
Copilot Pro vs Pro+ vs Max: which should I pick?
Prices and stated allowances (checked 2026-10-18): Pro $10/month ("Total monthly AI credits: $15 per month"); Pro+ $39/month ("Total monthly AI credits: $70 per month"); Max $100/month ("Total monthly AI credits: $200 per month"). Credit value vs price: Pro: $10/month includes $15 of AI credits (1.5x the price); Pro+: $39/month includes $70 of AI credits (1.79x the price); Max: $100/month includes $200 of AI credits (2x the price). Free: "Free plan Limited chat and agent usage".
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