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Token billing begins June 1
GitHub Copilot is moving to usage-based billing on June 1, 2026, replacing premium request units with monthly allocations of AI Credits that are consumed based on token usage, including input, output and cached tokens.
“In April, GitHub announced that it was moving subscribers from request-based billing to a usage-based model for its AI-powered Copilot service”
The new structure keeps base subscription prices unchanged for Copilot Pro at $10 a month and Copilot Pro+ at $39 a month, with each plan including monthly AI Credits equal to its dollar value.
GitHub said the shift is partly about sustainability, framing Copilot as having moved from a simple in-editor assistant into an agentic platform that creates higher compute and inference demand.
Under the new system, once a plan's included credits are used, additional usage can be billed at published rates if the customer allows it, and if credits run out and overage spending is not enabled, the work stops.
TechCrunch described the change as a move from a flat subscription rate to a token-usage system that charges users based on how many tokens they burn through as they work.
Developers react with outrage
As the June 1 switch approached, developers took to Reddit and X to complain about what they described as drastic escalation in costs under token-based billing.
One Redditor wrote, “What a joke,” claiming that while they currently only pay around $29 per month, the new rate will balloon their costs to nearly $750 a month.
Another user posted “WOW, didn’t expect new pricing model to be this ridiculous,” sharing a screenshot that appeared to show costs had shot up from around $50 to some $3,000.
Other Copilot users pushed back, arguing that the people spending that much are “vibe-coders” with little actual development knowledge, and that disciplined use should not regularly consume so many tokens.
TechCrunch reported it reached out to Microsoft for comment but did not hear back by publication time, while the Indian Express similarly said the change is expected to happen from Monday, June 1, onwards.
Budget controls and what’s at risk
GitHub’s pricing change is tied to how Copilot is used, with the new token-based model metering chat interactions, agentic workflows, and code review features while keeping code completions and Next Edit Suggestions unlimited and not metered.
“GitHub no puede asumir el coste de Copilot, así que acaba de presentar las nuevas suscripciones con pago flexible”
MLQ reported that GitHub introduced administrative tools including budget controls at the enterprise, cost center, and individual user levels, along with a preview bill experience that launched in early May to give administrators visibility into projected costs before June 1.
For enterprises, the stakes shift from predictable subscription spend to cloud-cost governance, because the same monthly subscription now represents both a fixed access tier and a finite usage pool.
ZDNET warned that with the new AI credits approach, “once you have no credits left, it is over,” meaning users cannot keep using Copilot after credits are exhausted.
ZDNET also said GitHub would offer promotional credits for June, July, and August 2026, with Business customers receiving $30 per month and Enterprise users $70 per month during the transition.
