GitHub Copilot Updates: Price Hike Looms for Some Users

On Apr 5, 2025

GitHub, the Microsoft-owned platform, has announced changes to its AI-powered coding assistant, GitHub Copilot, that could make the tool more expensive for some users.

This just in…

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— GitHub (@github) April 4, 2025

The new system, dubbed “premium requests,” places usage limits on advanced AI models starting in May.

Limits Introduced on Advanced AI Usage

While users will still enjoy unlimited access to the base AI model (OpenAI’s GPT-4o), tasks that require more powerful models—such as Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet—will be restricted under a monthly quota.

These premium requests will apply to tasks like:

Multi-file edits
Agentic coding (tasks where the AI operates autonomously across files)
Usage of models beyond the base GPT-4o

New Monthly Premium Request Allotments

GitHub will roll out the following monthly request limits starting in May:

Copilot Pro ($20/month): 300 premium requests (starting 5 May)
Copilot Business: 300 premium requests (starting between 12–19 May)
Copilot Enterprise: 1,000 premium requests (starting between 12–19 May)

Additional Requests and Pro+ Plan

Users requiring more than the allotted number of premium requests will have two options:

Purchase additional requests: $0.04 per request

Upgrade to Copilot Pro+:

$39 per month
Includes 1,500 premium requests
Access to GitHub’s most advanced models, including OpenAI’s GPT-4.5

Rising Costs Reflect Increased Compute Demand

The change comes just a day after AI coding rival Devin raised its prices, pointing to a wider trend of cost adjustments across AI development tools.

The premium request system may reflect the higher compute costs associated with more sophisticated reasoning models like Claude 3.7 Sonnet, which require more processing time for accuracy and reliability.

Copilot Remains a Major Revenue Driver

Despite the pricing shift, GitHub Copilot remains highly profitable. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed in August that Copilot was responsible for over 40% of GitHub’s revenue growth in 2024, and has become a larger business than GitHub itself was at the time of its acquisition seven years ago.