Cursor
Coding & Developer Tools
AI-first code editor built on VS Code
Free plan available
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9.0/10
Updated Sep 9, 2026
Reviewed by TopSaver Editorial
Code completion
IDE integration
Copilot Chat
Agent mode
PR summaries
Visit GitHub Copilot · Free tier; Pro from $10/mo
Affiliate link, see our disclosure.
GitHub Copilot is the safest default AI coding assistant: it lives in the editor you already use and the suggestions are consistently good.
It integrates cleanly with VS Code, Visual Studio, the JetBrains IDEs and Neovim, and the free tier is enough for light use. Cursor offers a more aggressive AI-native workflow and dedicated CLI agents go deeper on multi-file changes, but Copilot's editor reach and clear enterprise data and IP terms are hard to beat.
Overview
GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant from GitHub and OpenAI that suggests code as you type, answers questions about your project in Copilot Chat, and can make small multi-file edits in agent mode. It installs as an extension for VS Code, Visual Studio, the JetBrains IDE family and Neovim, and also summarizes pull requests on GitHub.com. A free tier with monthly caps covers occasional use; Copilot Pro is $10/mo or $100/yr, and Business and Enterprise plans are priced per user with added data controls and IP indemnity.
Suggestion quality and editor integration
Inline completions are fast and rarely disruptive, and acceptance quality is high in mainstream languages such as JavaScript, Python, TypeScript, Go and Java. Quality drops in niche languages and against private frameworks the model has not seen. Copilot Chat and agent mode handle explanation, test generation and small refactors well, but it is less willing to rewrite across a whole project than Cursor. The strongest reasons to pick it are breadth of editor support and GitHub's enterprise terms: an optional filter that blocks suggestions matching public code, plus IP indemnification on paid business plans.
How it works
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1
Install the Copilot extension in your IDE
Available for VS Code, Visual Studio, the JetBrains IDEs and Neovim.
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2
Sign in with GitHub
The free tier activates automatically; paid plans raise the limits.
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3
Write code as usual
Greyed-out suggestions appear inline; press Tab to accept.
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4
Open Copilot Chat for bigger tasks
Ask about the repo, generate tests, or run agent mode for multi-file edits.
What you can do with GitHub Copilot
- Autocompleting boilerplate and repetitive code
- Writing unit tests from an existing implementation
- Explaining unfamiliar code in chat
- Drafting pull request descriptions
- Small multi-file changes with agent mode
- Translating code between languages
Pros & cons
Pros
- Free tier covers occasional use with no card required
- First-class extensions for VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains and Neovim
- Inline completions are fast and rarely get in the way
- Chat, agent mode and PR summaries are included in one price
- Backed by GitHub with clear enterprise data and IP-indemnity terms
Cons
- Free tier caps completions and chat messages per month
- Less aggressive at whole-project edits than Cursor
- Suggestion quality falls off in niche languages and private frameworks
- Best features assume a GitHub-centric workflow
- Model choice is narrower than in editor-agnostic tools
Pricing
Freemium
Free tier; Pro from $10/mo
Alternatives to GitHub Copilot
Same-purpose swaps in this category.
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Frequently asked questions
Is GitHub Copilot free?
There is a free tier with monthly caps on completions and chat. Copilot Pro is $10/mo or $100/yr. Business and Enterprise are priced per user.
Which editors does Copilot support?
VS Code, Visual Studio, the JetBrains IDE family, Neovim and the GitHub.com web editor.
Will Copilot suggest licensed code verbatim?
GitHub offers an optional filter that blocks suggestions matching public code, and paid business plans add IP indemnification.
Is my code sent to GitHub?
Prompts and surrounding context are sent for processing. Paid business and enterprise plans exclude your data from training and add retention controls.
Copilot or Cursor?
Copilot is lighter and works in more editors. Cursor is a full editor built around AI with stronger whole-project editing. Teams usually standardize on one.