GitHub Copilot Shifts to Token-Based Pricing: New AI Credit System to Replace Premium Requests

Breaking: GitHub Copilot Overhauls Pricing Model

GitHub today announced a sweeping change to its Copilot pricing model, moving from a flat premium request system to a usage-based billing structure featuring AI Credits. The transition, effective June 1, 2026, will calculate costs based on token consumption — including input, output, and cached tokens — at published API rates for each model.

"This change aligns Copilot pricing with actual usage and is an important step toward a sustainable, reliable Copilot business and experience for all users," said a GitHub spokesperson. The move comes as Copilot evolves from a simple code completion tool into an agentic platform that can run lengthy, multi-step coding sessions.

Key Details of the New Billing System

Starting June 1, premium request units (PRUs) will be replaced by GitHub AI Credits. Each Copilot plan will include a monthly allotment of credits, with paid plans offering the option to purchase additional usage. Credits will be consumed based on token usage, including input, output, and cached tokens, at the listed API rates per model.

Base plan pricing will remain unchanged: Copilot Pro stays at $10/month, Pro+ at $39/month, Business at $19/user/month, and Enterprise at $39/user/month. Code completions and Next Edit suggestions will continue to be included in all plans and will not consume AI Credits.

What Else Changes?

• No More Fallback: Currently, users who exhaust PRUs can fall back to a lower-cost model. Under the new system, usage will be governed by available credits and admin budget controls.
• Code Review Now Uses Actions Minutes: Copilot code review will consume GitHub Actions minutes in addition to AI Credits. These minutes are billed at the same per-minute rates as other GitHub Actions workflows.
• Preview Bill Experience: Starting in early May, users and admins will see projected costs on their Billing Overview page at github.com, helping them prepare before the June 1 transition.

Background: Why the Change Now?

GitHub introduced Copilot as an in-editor assistant for code completions. Over the past year, it has transformed into an agentic platform capable of running long, 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," the company noted.

Under the old model, a quick chat question and a multi-hour autonomous coding session cost the same. GitHub absorbed much of the escalating inference cost, but the premium request structure became unsustainable. Usage-based billing aligns pricing with actual usage, maintains long-term service reliability, and reduces the need to gate heavy users.

What This Means for Users

For light users, the monthly allotment of AI Credits may still cover typical usage, especially since code completions remain free. Heavy users — those running agentic sessions regularly — could see higher costs as they consume tokens representing input and output across multiple model calls.

Administrators gain more control through budget caps and visibility into projected spending. However, the removal of fallback experiences means that once credits are exhausted, usage will stop unless additional credits are purchased or budgets are adjusted. The preview bill in May will help users assess their likely costs and avoid surprises.

Timeline and Preparations

GitHub has already rolled out temporary changes to Copilot Individual plans (Free, Pro, Pro+, Student) and paused self-serve Copilot Business plan purchases. These were reliability measures as the company prepares for the broader transition. Usage limits will be loosened once usage-based billing is fully implemented.

The company encourages all users to review their billing overview starting in early May and adjust usage patterns or budgets accordingly. For more information, visit the key details section above.