GitHub has introduced GitHub Copilot Free, offering developers a no-cost tier of its AI-powered pair programming assistant. Available through Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code (VS Code) editor, this move aims to make AI coding tools more accessible to a broader audience. The new tier was announced on December 18 and is designed to help developers boost productivity and streamline coding workflows without upfront costs.
Copilot Free provides users with 2,000 code completions and 50 chat interactions per month. Developers can choose between advanced AI models like Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet and OpenAI’s GPT-4o to ask coding questions, debug code, and even perform complex searches across multiple files. Additionally, the free tier supports integration with third-party agents and offers flexibility for developers to build custom extensions, making it a versatile tool for a variety of coding needs.
The service is seamlessly integrated into VS Code. Users can activate Copilot Free by clicking the Copilot icon at the top of the editor and selecting the “Sign in to use Copilot for Free” option. After signing in with a GitHub account, VS Code automatically connects to the account and installs Copilot. This simplified onboarding process ensures developers can quickly start leveraging the tool’s capabilities.
The launch of Copilot Free coincides with GitHub surpassing 150 million developers on its platform, reflecting its commitment to fostering a global developer community. By removing cost barriers, GitHub aims to empower individual developers and small teams to explore the benefits of AI in coding, reinforcing its leadership in developer tools and innovation.