Reading Time: 3 minutesKey Takeaways
From June 1, 2026, GitHub Copilot will use AI Credits instead of premium request limits.
Costs will be calculated based on tokens (input, output, and cached) similar to standard AI API pricing.
Standard Code Completions and Next Edit Suggestions remain included in all plans and will not consume AI Credits.
Subscription plans will now include a monthly allowance of AI Credits, with “pooled” credits available for Business and Enterprise users.
Starting June 1, 2026, GitHub Copilot will move to a usage based model. Instead of hitting a “premium request” ceiling, users will now manage a balance of GitHub AI Credits. This transition ensures that the service remains sustainable as developers use Copilot for deep logic tasks and large scale code refactoring that require amounts of data processing.
Starting June 1st, GitHub Copilot will move to a usage-based billing model as GitHub Copilot supports more agentic and advanced workflows.
In early May, you’ll see a preview bill experience, giving visibility into projected costs before the transition.
👉 Read more about the…
— GitHub (@github) April 27, 2026
Understanding the AI Credit System
The new model calculates consumption based on tokens, the basic units of text that AI models process. This includes input (your code and prompts), output (the AI’s suggestions), and cached tokens. By using token based pricing, GitHub ensures that costs reflect the actual workload. While advanced features like Copilot Code Review will consume both AI Credits and GitHub Actions minutes, core functions like Code Completions and Next Edit Suggestions will remain unlimited and free of credit charges, it will make sure that the coding experience stays seamless.
Subscription Plan
Monthly Cost
Included AI Credits
Credit Type
Pro
$10/month
$10 AI Credits
Individual
Pro+
$39/month
$39 AI Credits
Individual
Business
$19/user month
$30 AI Credits
Pooled (Org-wide)
Enterprise
$39/user/month
$70 AI Credits
Pooled (Org-wide)
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GitHub’s shift to usage-based billing is a necessary response to the rise of AI Agents. In 2026, we are moving beyond “autocomplete” and into a world where AI can independently plan, write, and review entire modules of code. These “agentic workflows” are much more computationally expensive than simple text suggestions.
Costs will be calculated based on tokens similar to standard AI API pricing
For a developer working on a simple Python script, the $10 Pro plan will cover everything. However, for large teams running automated reviews and complex data modeling, the pooled credits in the Business and Enterprise tiers provide a buffer that allows high activity users to draw from a shared resource. It’s a suitable approach that prepares the platform for a future where AI isn’t an assistant, but a collaborator.
Transition Timeline and What to Expect
For users worried about sudden cost spikes, GitHub will launch a Preview Bill in early May 2026. This tool will allow you to see your estimated usage and costs based on your current activity before the new system goes live.
If users are on a yearly subscription, they will stay on the old billing model until the current term expires. Only after renewal will the account switch to the AI Credit system. With the current pause on new sign ups for Pro and Pro+ plans, GitHub is focusing on a stable migration for millions of existing users before opening the doors to the new era of software development.
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