In an evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, GitHub Copilot is making waves with new pricing adjustments that affect access to its advanced AI models. Recognized as one of the leading AI coding assistants, GitHub, now owned by Microsoft, is poised to implement premium restrictions that could increase operational costs for many users.
Recently, GitHub revealed its introduction of “premium requests,” a framework that will introduce rate limits when users opt for AI models exceeding the standard base model choices for complex coding tasks, such as agentic coding or modifying multiple files. Subscribers using the base model, which employs OpenAI’s GPT-4o, will retain unlimited capabilities, while operations involving more sophisticated models, like Anthropic’s 3.7 Sonnet, will now face monthly limits.
Starting May 5, GitHub Copilot’s Pro tier users, who pay $20 monthly, will gain access to 300 premium requests. Meanwhile, Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise users will benefit from 300 and 1,000 premium requests, respectively, starting between May 12 and May 19. Additionally, users on these plans will have the option to purchase extra requests priced at $0.04 each or choose to upgrade to the new Copilot Pro+ tier, which starts at $39 per month and offers 1,500 premium requests alongside access to the most advanced AI models, including OpenAI’s GPT-4.5.
Such changes seem to reflect the rising computational expenses associated with running advanced AI models, which tend to demand more extensive resources due to their complexity. Models like 3.7 Sonnet, for instance, take longer to verify their outputs, enhancing reliability but also necessitating greater computational power.
Despite these new pricing structures, GitHub Copilot continues to thrive, having accounted for over 40% of the revenue growth for GitHub in 2024. Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, previously noted that GitHub Copilot has already grown into a more valuable asset than GitHub itself was at the time of its acquisition seven years ago. This upward trajectory showcases not only the increasing demand for AI coding capabilities but also establishes GitHub Copilot as an essential tool within the software development ecosystem.