GitHub Copilot vs ChatGPT
For writing code inside your editor, GitHub Copilot is the better pick; for everything else, including explaining code, brainstorming and general writing, ChatGPT is. Copilot lives in your IDE and on GitHub, ChatGPT is a general assistant you talk to in a separate window, and plenty of developers pay for both.
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| GitHub Copilot | ChatGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| Overlord Score | 8.6/10 | 9.2/10 |
| Best for | Developers already on GitHub, Companies that need enterprise procurement | Everyday writing, brainstorming and editing, People who want one AI subscription that does everything |
| Starting price | $10/mo | $8/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Free; Pro $10/mo; Pro+ $39/mo | Free; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo |
| Where it works | VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio and GitHub | Web, desktop and mobile chat apps |
| Coding | Inline completions, chat and a coding agent that opens pull requests | Writes and explains code in chat |
| Beyond code | Focused on software development | Writing, research, images, voice |
| Code review | Code review on GitHub pull requests | Paste code in and ask |
GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT: which should you choose?
Choose GitHub Copilot if…
Choose GitHub Copilot if you write code daily and want suggestions, chat and agent help directly in your editor and repositories.
Try GitHub Copilot →Choose ChatGPT if…
Choose ChatGPT if you want one assistant for writing, research and occasional coding help, and you do not live in an IDE all day.
Try ChatGPT →GitHub Copilot vs ChatGPT pricing
GitHub Copilot
- Free Free
- Pro $10/mo
- Business $19/seat/mo
- Pro+ $39/mo
- Enterprise $39/seat/mo
- Max $100/mo
Yes. Copilot Free includes 2,000 inline suggestions a month plus limited chat and agent usage. Verified students get Copilot Student free, and verified teachers and popular open-source maintainers may get Pro free.
Full GitHub Copilot pricing →ChatGPT
- Free Free
- Go $8/mo
- Plus $20/mo
- Pro 100 $100/mo
- Pro 200 $200/mo
- Pro 500 $500/mo
- Business $25/user/mo
- Business Premium seat $125/user/mo
- Enterprise Custom
Yes. ChatGPT Free covers everyday chat, web search, file uploads and some image generation with tighter limits, and shows ads to logged-in adults in the US and other rollout markets. An ad-free Free option exists with lower limits.
Full ChatGPT pricing →Strengths and weaknesses
GitHub Copilot
The cheapest serious AI coding assistant, and the one your employer probably already pays for. Less adventurous than Cursor or Claude Code, but it lives everywhere your code does.
Strengths
- Low price for Pro
- Works in VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio and more
- Deep GitHub integration
Weaknesses
- Premium request limits on cheaper tiers
- Agent features trail the best standalone tools
ChatGPT
The default AI for most of the Obsolete, and it got there by being good at nearly everything. Pay for Plus if you use it daily. The free and Go tiers now come with ads in the US.
Strengths
- Widest feature set of any consumer AI
- Huge ecosystem of GPTs, guides and integrations
- Usable free tier
Weaknesses
- Free and Go tiers show ads in the US
- Plan lineup and usage limits change often
- Prose defaults to a recognizable house style unless you push it
Questions the Humans Keep Asking
Is GitHub Copilot better than ChatGPT for coding?
For day-to-day coding, usually yes, because it works inside your editor with the context of your files. ChatGPT is still handy for explanations and one-off scripts.
Which is cheaper?
GitHub Copilot Pro is $10/mo versus $20/mo for ChatGPT Plus. Both have free tiers with tighter limits.
Can I use both?
Yes, and many developers do: Copilot in the editor, ChatGPT for planning, writing and general questions.