GitHub has unveiled GitHub Copilot Free, offering a free tier of its popular AI-based coding assistant for developers using Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code (VS Code) editor. Announced on December 18, this new offering aims to broaden access to Copilot’s AI-powered code completions and chat capabilities, further integrating AI tools into the development workflow. By providing 2,000 code completions and 50 chat messages per month, GitHub is making Copilot more accessible to developers of all experience levels, whether they are building simple projects or tackling complex software development tasks.
To use Copilot Free, developers must sign in with their personal GitHub account or create a new one. The service allows them to choose between two powerful models for code assistance: Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet or OpenAI’s GPT-4o. These models power Copilot’s ability to help with a variety of coding tasks, such as answering programming-related questions, identifying bugs, and even searching through multiple files to find relevant code snippets. Additionally, developers can access third-party agents integrated into Copilot or create their own extensions to tailor the tool to their specific needs.
The integration of Copilot Free into VS Code is seamless. Users can quickly start using the tool by clicking on the Copilot icon within VS Code, where they will be prompted to sign in to their GitHub account. Once signed in, the tool will automatically install and connect to GitHub Copilot, giving developers immediate access to its features. This streamlined setup process ensures that developers can start benefiting from AI-assisted coding without complex configurations or additional setup steps.
GitHub’s launch of Copilot Free comes at a significant moment, as the platform recently surpassed 150 million developers. This milestone highlights the growing need for accessible, AI-driven development tools. With the free tier, GitHub aims to lower the barrier for entry, making Copilot’s capabilities available to even more developers. The initiative reflects GitHub’s commitment to enhancing developer productivity and providing innovative solutions to coding challenges.