What Is GitHub Copilot and Is It Worth It? 2025 Review
Quick answer: GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant developed by GitHub (Microsoft) that suggests code completions as you type in your code editor. It supports VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio and Vim. Free tier: 2,000 completions per month. Paid: $10/month for individuals, $19/user/month for businesses. Used by over 1.8 million paid developers as of 2024.
Developers using Copilot complete tasks 55 percent faster on average (GitHub internal study, 2024, n=2,000 developers).
## How Does GitHub Copilot Work?
Copilot uses OpenAI Codex to analyze your code and predict the most likely next lines. It considers the current file, recently opened files, comments and the patterns of surrounding code.
Completions appear as gray ghost text. Press Tab to accept, Escape to dismiss. Copilot also provides a chat interface for code explanation, test generation and debugging.
## What Can GitHub Copilot Do?
Inline completion: suggests full functions and code blocks as you type.
Code explanation: highlight any code block and ask Copilot to explain what it does.
Test generation: ask Copilot to write unit tests covering happy paths and common edge cases.
Bug finding: paste code and ask Copilot Chat to identify potential bugs and security issues.
Documentation generation: ask Copilot to generate docstrings and README sections.
## How Does Copilot Compare to Cursor?
| Feature | GitHub Copilot | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| IDE | Plugin for existing IDEs | Standalone (VS Code fork) |
| Codebase awareness | Repository level | Full project, deeper context |
| Multi-file edits | Limited | Yes (Composer feature) |
| Price | $10 to $19/month | $20/month |
Copilot integrates into your existing editor without a workflow change. Cursor provides deeper AI integration but requires switching editors.
## Is GitHub Copilot Free?
GitHub Copilot has a free tier with 2,000 completions and 50 chat messages per month. Individual plan ($10/month): unlimited completions. Business ($19/user/month): adds organizational controls and IP indemnification. GitHub Copilot is completely free for verified students via GitHub Education.
## FAQ: GitHub Copilot
Q: Does GitHub Copilot store my code?
A: Code is processed to generate suggestions. GitHub states that individual and business plan code snippets are not retained beyond the session.
Q: What programming languages does Copilot support?
A: All major languages. Strongest for Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Ruby and Java.
Q: Can GitHub Copilot produce insecure code?
A: Yes. A Stanford study found 40 percent of accepted Copilot suggestions contained potential security vulnerabilities in security-sensitive scenarios. Always review suggestions for security implications.