GitHub Copilot Free Access Now Offered in Visual Studio Code

GitHub Achieves 150 Million Developers Milestone and Introduces Free Copilot for VS Code

GitHub, the leading platform for software development and collaboration globally, has marked an impressive achievement with over 150 million developers now using its services. To honor this remarkable milestone, Microsoft has announced that GitHub Copilot will now be available for free to users of Visual Studio Code (VS Code). This complimentary version comes packed with a variety of robust features including intelligent chat capabilities, code completion, multi-file edits, and the ability to utilize third-party extensions such as Perplexity and Stack Overflow.

GitHub Copilot Free for VS Code has arrived. pic.twitter.com/DVChR5Shub

— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) December 18, 2024

Limitations of the Free GitHub Copilot Edition

While the GitHub Copilot Free edition offers many valuable features, it does come with certain limitations when compared to the full GitHub Copilot Pro version. Here’s what you need to know:

Users can send a maximum of 50 messages and interactions per month.
Real-time code suggestions are limited to 2,000.
Additionally, the following advanced features are not included:

Summaries for pull requests, issues, and discussions are unavailable.
The Java Upgrade Assistant in VS Code is excluded.
Code review functionalities on GitHub cannot be accessed.
Copilot Workspace in pull requests is not available.
Access to Technical Preview for Copilot Workspace is restricted.
GitHub Mobile features are not included.
Usage of GitHub CLI and Windows Terminal is prohibited.

To benefit from the full capabilities of GitHub Copilot, developers have the option to upgrade to the Pro plan priced at $10 per month. It is important to note, however, that this new free tier is intended solely for individual developers; users associated with Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise plans do not qualify for the free access.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMbOh114Vd4

How to get started with GitHub Copilot Free in Visual Studio Code (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMbOh114Vd4)

Insights from GitHub’s Leadership

In a recent statement, Thomas Dohmke, the CEO of GitHub, elaborated on the significance of this new offering:

GitHub has a long history of offering free products and services to developers. Starting with free open-source and public collaboration, we added free private repos, free minutes for GitHub Actions and GitHub Codespaces, and free package and release storage. Today, we are adding GitHub Copilot to the mix by launching GitHub Copilot Free.

Enhancing Developer Experience with Copilot Chat

Alongside the launch of GitHub Copilot Free, Microsoft has also unveiled the general availability of Copilot Chat for all users on GitHub. This enhancement eradicates previous limitations on repository indexing, empowering developers to leverage Copilot Chat across their entire codebase seamlessly.

The introduction of the free Copilot tier and the widespread release of Copilot Chat underscores GitHub’s dedication to enhancing accessibility and utility in AI-driven development tools.

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