Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot
Claude Code is Anthropic's coding agent for the terminal, IDE, desktop and web, included in paid Claude plans or billed per token. GitHub Copilot is GitHub's assistant for many editors, with published Business and Enterprise seat prices of $19 and $39 and a free plan. Copilot is cheaper per seat and wider across editors; Claude Code is documented as a deeper agent.
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Choose Claude Code ifyou want an agent you drive from the terminal or CI, work across surfaces, and prefer seats shared with a chat subscription.
Choose GitHub Copilot ifyour code is on GitHub, you want one low seat price with credits, and developers use VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Xcode or Neovim.
Claude Code and GitHub Copilot side by side
| Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Our AI coding assistants rank | #8 of 13 | #12 of 13 |
| Established in | United States | United States |
| Pricing | Per seat per month on Claude plans, published; or pay-as-you-go API usage | Free plan; per seat per month with AI credit allowance, published |
| List price, 19 October 2026 | Free: no Claude Code; Pro $20 a month ($17 annual); Max from $100; Team Standard $25 a seat monthly ($20 annual); Enterprise $20 a seat annual plus usage | Free; Pro $10; Pro+ $39; Max $100 a month; Business $19 and Enterprise $39 per seat a month |
| Free tier | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Teams that have chosen Claude and want terminal, IDE and CI covered | Organisations on GitHub Enterprise that want procurement and policy in one place |
| Not for | Buyers who want to switch model vendor month to month | Teams hosting code elsewhere or avoiding a single-platform dependency |
Both are reviewed in full in our AI coding assistants ranking: Claude Code and GitHub Copilot.
Where they differ
Claude Code 0 · GitHub Copilot 3 · open 2- 01
Published seat price
Copilot Business is $19 per granted seat per month with 1,900 AI credits, and Enterprise is $39 with 3,900. Claude Team Standard is $20 a seat billed annually ($25 monthly); Premium seats are $100 annually ($125 monthly). At the entry level the two are close, and Copilot Business is the cheapest published team seat here.
Edge: GitHub Copilot
- 02
Editors and surfaces
Copilot lists VS Code, Visual Studio, Xcode, JetBrains IDEs, Neovim, Eclipse, Zed and more, plus GitHub.com, Mobile and a CLI. Claude Code lists a terminal CLI, VS Code, JetBrains, a desktop app and the web. Copilot covers more editors; Claude Code covers more ways of running an agent away from the editor.
Edge: GitHub Copilot
- 03
Individual plans
Copilot has a free plan, Pro at $10, Pro+ at $39 and Max at $100 a month with credit allowances. Claude's Free plan does not include Claude Code; Pro is $20 a month ($17 annual) and Max starts at $100. A solo developer pays less with Copilot, unless they want Claude's usage windows.
Edge: GitHub Copilot
- 04
How usage is metered
Copilot counts AI credits worth $0.01 each, with a flex allotment on individual plans that may change. Claude Code on a plan uses a rolling five-hour and a weekly window, or bills per token on the API; Anthropic states average enterprise cost at $150 to $250 per developer per month. Both vary with use.
Depends on the buyer
- 05
Training on your code
GitHub states it does not use Copilot Business or Enterprise data to train its models; Free, Pro and Pro+ interactions may be used unless you opt out. Anthropic does not train on code under Team, Enterprise or API terms, and Pro and Max follow a setting you control. GitHub names Microsoft as an affiliate. The pattern is the same: commercial plans are protected, individual plans need a setting.
Depends on the buyer
When neither fits
If you want an editor that is built around the agent, look at Cursor. If you want an open-source extension with your own model keys, Cline is in the same category.
Claude Code or GitHub Copilot: questions
4 answersIs Claude Code better than GitHub Copilot?
It depends on where you work. Copilot is priced lower per seat and covers more editors. Claude Code runs as a terminal agent and on desktop and web. Run a pilot with both on your own repository.
How much does GitHub Copilot cost?
Individual plans are Free, Pro $10, Pro+ $39 and Max $100 a month. Business is $19 and Enterprise $39 per granted seat per month.
Does Claude Code train on my code?
Anthropic says it does not train on code or prompts sent under commercial terms (Team, Enterprise, API). On Free, Pro and Max accounts your setting decides.
Can I use both?
GitHub lists Claude as a third-party agent on Copilot Pro+ and Max (Preview), and Claude Code runs separately in the terminal. Each needs its own plan.
Sources
Checked 19 October 2026- Claude pricing: Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise seat prices, Claude Code inclusion, usage windows.
- Claude Code overview: surfaces (terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, desktop, web), account requirements, Cursor extension install.
- Claude Code cost management: token-based billing, seat allowance windows, enterprise average cost, spend limits.
- Claude Code data usage: training policy by plan, retention periods.
- GitHub Copilot plans: individual plan prices, AI credits, editors, agent features, training statements.
- GitHub Docs: Copilot plans: Business and Enterprise seat prices and credits.
- GitHub Terms of Service: Microsoft named as an affiliate of GitHub.