Copilot wins on breadth: unlimited completions, five IDEs, native GitHub issues and PRs, and a free tier. Claude Code wins for heavy agent work on Opus 5.5, which Copilot bills per token and only offers from Pro+ at $39.
Pick Claude Code if
- You run long agent sessions on Opus 5.5 and want a flat monthly price
- You want cloud runs longer than Copilot's 59-minute cap
- You want mature orchestration (dynamic workflows are GA)
- You want Claude chat and coding in one subscription
Pick GitHub Copilot if
- You want inline completions in your current IDE
- Your team lives in GitHub issues, PRs and Actions
- You want many model vendors (Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok) in one plan
- You want a free tier or a $10 entry plan
At a glance
Claude Code
Anthropic- What it is
- Agentic coding tool that reads your repo, edits files and runs commands
- Where it runs
- Terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, desktop app, web (cloud sessions), iOS and Android
- Models
- Claude: Opus 5.5 (default on paid plans), Sonnet 5.5, Haiku 5.5, Fable 5.1
- Starts at
- Pro $20/mo ($17/mo billed yearly). The Free plan does not include Claude Code
- Best for
- Hard multi-file work, long autonomous runs, heavy customization with hooks, skills and subagents
GitHub Copilot
GitHub (Microsoft)- What it is
- Assistant with completions, chat, local agents, a cloud agent and code review
- Where it runs
- VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Xcode, Eclipse, CLI, desktop app, github.com, mobile
- Models
- Claude (11 models), GPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi K3, MAI, plus Auto routing
- Starts at
- Free tier; Pro $10/mo with $15 of AI Credits
- Best for
- Completions in your IDE, GitHub-native teams, model choice in one plan
Feature by feature
Basics
| Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Terminal agent, plus VS Code, JetBrains, desktop, web and mobile | Completions and chat in 5 IDEs, plus CLI, desktop app, cloud agent and code review |
| Owner | Anthropic | GitHub (Microsoft) |
| Open source | No. The GitHub repo holds docs and plugins; the code is all rights reserved | CLI is proprietary. VS Code chat, Eclipse and Xcode plugins and the SDK are MIT |
| Platforms | macOS 13+, Windows 10+ (native or WSL), Ubuntu 20.04+ and other Linux | CLI, desktop app and sandboxing on macOS, Windows, Linux |
Models & context
| Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Models | Claude: Opus 5.5 default, Sonnet 5.5, Haiku 5.5, Fable 5.1 | 11 Claude models, GPT-6.x, Gemini, Grok, Kimi K3, MAI. Auto routing |
| Opus 5.5 access | Default on Pro and up, inside the flat price | Pro+ ($39) and up only, billed per token at $4/$20 per 1M |
| Context window | 1M tokens by default on current models, 200K opt-out | 1M on supported models. Default size not stated |
| Inline completions | None. It is an agent, not autocomplete | Unlimited completions and Next Edit Suggestions on paid plans, no credits used |
Agent features
| Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Local agent | Terminal, IDE and desktop agent with plan mode and auto mode | CLI with plan mode, autopilot, /fleet parallel subagents, rewind |
| Cloud agent | Cloud sessions on Anthropic VMs keep running after you disconnect (Pro and up) | One repo, one branch, one PR per task. 59-minute max per session. Not on Free |
| Orchestration | Dynamic workflows GA since May 2026, agent teams (experimental) | Dynamic workflows (preview, Oct 2026), HydraFusion multi-model picker (preview) |
| Hooks, skills, plugins, MCP | Hooks, skills, plugins with marketplaces, MCP with tool search | Hooks, skills, Agent Plugins 1.0 spec, MCP with the GitHub server built in |
| Instruction files | CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md (since Sept 2026), auto memory | Reads AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md and copilot-instructions.md. Copilot Memory |
| Sandbox | Sandboxed Bash on Linux, macOS, WSL2 | Local sandboxing GA on Windows, macOS, Linux (Oct 2026) |
Workflow & integrations
| Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| IDEs | VS Code extension (also installs in Cursor), JetBrains plugin | VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Xcode, Eclipse |
| GitHub integration | GitHub Action: @claude in issues and PRs, issue to PR | Native: assign issues, PR @mentions, Agents tab, code review that can approve PRs |
| Team chat and trackers | Slack (@Claude, Claude Tag for orgs) | Slack (Business/Enterprise preview), Teams, Linear, Jira |
| Other agents | Runs its own agent only | Runs Claude (via Claude Agent SDK) and Codex agents, public preview |
Pricing & limits
| Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Pro $20/mo. No Claude Code on Free | Free tier. Pro $10/mo with $15 of credits |
| Top individual plan | Max 20x $200/mo | Max $100/mo with $200 of credits |
| Usage model | Flat price with 5-hour and weekly caps | AI Credits at model list price since June 2026. Extra credits $0.01 each |
Privacy & licensing
| Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Training on your data | Consumer plans: you choose. 5-year retention if training is on, 30 days if off | Free, Pro, Pro+, Max: used for training unless you opt out (since Apr 24 2026) |
| Chat retention | Local transcripts 30 days. Server retention 30 days if training is off | github.com and Mobile chat kept for the life of the account (from Sept 2026) |
Pricing
Claude Code
GitHub Copilot
Copilot bills Claude at the same per-token list price as Anthropic's API, with a monthly credit bundle. Claude Code is a flat price with rate limits. Heavy Opus users report Copilot credits running out fast.
Building with Claude? Get paid for it.
Forward Deployed Engineers ship AI agents inside real customer systems. Open roles at Anthropic, OpenAI, Cognizant and more.
The same job in both
How a typical task plays out in each tool. This is where the difference in approach shows.
No completions. You describe the change to the agent and review its diff.
Completions and Next Edit Suggestions appear as you type, unlimited on paid plans and free of credits.
Mention @claude on the issue and the GitHub Action opens a PR, using an API key or your subscription's OAuth token.
Assign the issue to Copilot. The cloud agent works on one branch and opens one PR, within a 59-minute session.
Plan mode, then /batch worktree subagents on Opus 5.5 with 1M context, all inside the flat plan.
CLI /fleet or autopilot across subagents. Opus 5.5 needs Pro+ and bills per token, so a long refactor draws down credits.
The GitHub Action or a cloud session picks up the failure and auto-fixes the PR.
"Agent merge" in VS Code (preview) handles failed checks and review comments; the cloud agent can push the fix.
What developers say
Claude Code
- Works repo-wide on its own; Copilot needs file-by-file direction (Reddit, via blog)
- "Handles context better" (Reddit, via blog)
- Flat $100-$200 plans seen as better value for heavy use (blog)
- Weekly caps drain fast on heavy Opus use
- No fixed message count, so limits feel opaque
- Closed source, Anthropic models only
GitHub Copilot
- "Best in term of value" (r/GithubCopilot, via blog)
- Many models, including Claude, in one subscription
- Native PR, issue and Actions integration
- Usage-based billing backlash: 767-point HN thread
- Credits burn fast with Opus, no discount vs API prices
- Copilot CLI has little mindshare (HN)
Switching, or using both
Moving from GitHub Copilot to Claude Code
- 1.Install: curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash, then log in with Pro or Max.
- 2.Copy .github/copilot-instructions.md into CLAUDE.md, or keep shared rules in AGENTS.md, which both read.
- 3.Move skill files into .claude/skills/. Agent Plugins 1.0 packages need repackaging as Claude Code plugins.
- 4.Add anthropics/claude-code-action to get @claude in issues and PRs.
- 5.Add the GitHub MCP server yourself; Copilot ships it by default.
Running both side by side
Copilot reads CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md, so one instruction file serves both. A common split is Copilot for completions in the IDE and Claude Code for bigger agent tasks. Copilot can also run a Claude agent built on the Claude Agent SDK, but that preview does not list Opus 5.5.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude Code better than GitHub Copilot?
For long autonomous agent work, many developers prefer Claude Code: it works repo-wide on Opus 5.5 under a flat price. Copilot is better for completions, GitHub-native workflows and model choice. Copilot does not appear on the Terminal-Bench 4.0 board or the Artificial Analysis agent index, so there is no independent score to compare.
Claude Code vs Copilot pricing: which is cheaper?
Copilot is cheaper to start: Free, Pro $10 ($15 of credits), Pro+ $39 ($70), Max $100 ($200). Claude Code starts at Pro $20 and goes to Max 20x at $200. Copilot charges per token at list price, so heavy Opus use can cost more there than a flat Claude plan.
Can GitHub Copilot use Claude models?
Yes, 11 of them, including Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5, Haiku 5.5 and Fable 5.1. Opus 5.5 needs Pro+ or higher; Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 5.5 work on Pro. All bill at Anthropic's list price in AI Credits.
Is Claude Code included in Copilot?
Not the full Claude Code. Copilot can run a third-party Claude agent built on Anthropic's Claude Agent SDK, in public preview on paid plans, billed in Actions minutes plus AI Credits. Its model list does not include Opus 5.5 or Sonnet 5.5.
Does Copilot train on my code?
Since Apr 24 2026, interaction data from Free, Pro, Pro+ and Max is used for training unless you opt out in Copilot privacy settings. Business and Enterprise are not affected. Claude consumer plans also let you choose; Team and API plans don't train by default.
Which is better for beginners?
Copilot: there is a free tier, it works inside the editor you already use, and completions need no prompting. Claude Code suits people ready to hand off whole tasks to an agent.
Can I use Claude Code and Copilot together?
Yes. Copilot reads CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md, so your instructions carry over. Use Copilot for completions and GitHub review, Claude Code for longer agent sessions.
- Claude Code overview
- Claude pricing
- Claude Code model config
- Claude Code data usage
- Claude Code license
- Claude Opus 5.5 announcement
- Copilot plans
- Copilot plans docs
- Copilot models and pricing
- Copilot usage-based billing
- Opus 5.5 in Copilot
- About Copilot cloud agent
- Copilot interaction data policy
- Copilot CLI changelog
Prices and features change often. Everything here was checked against official pages on 2026-10-21. Spotted something out of date? Tell us on GitHub.
