Key takeaways
- GitHub announced on October 28 that GitHub Enterprise includes Copilot for every licensed user, starting with account-team customers.
- Usage is metered from the first request against the enterprise budget, with no monthly AI credits per seat.
- Copilot Standalone costs $10 per user per month, and Copilot Business and Enterprise stay on sale.
GitHub Enterprise now includes GitHub Copilot for every licensed user, GitHub said on October 28 in a changelog post. Companies stop buying Copilot seats separately and manage one thing instead: how much AI they use.
It matters because the bill changes shape. Copilot access comes with the Enterprise license, and the cost shows up as metered usage against an enterprise budget.
Who gets it now
The change is open today to customers who work with a GitHub or Microsoft account team, on GitHub Enterprise Cloud. They can ask sales for a new enterprise account on this model or move an existing one. Self-serve customers can't buy it yet. GitHub says it will open it in stages and share dates "in the coming weeks," and that current self-serve subscriptions are unaffected.
People without a GitHub Enterprise license can still get Copilot through Copilot Standalone at $10 per user per month. Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise stay on sale for new and existing customers.
How billing works
Access through GitHub Enterprise and Copilot Standalone carries the same features and models as Copilot Enterprise, but without the monthly AI credits per seat. Usage is metered from the first request against the enterprise budget, so there is no included allowance to track or top up.
Code completion and next edit suggestions keep working even if the budget runs out. Copilot Chat, Copilot code review and Copilot in the cloud need budget available. Running out doesn't remove a seat or the features that don't need budget.
GitHub's Universe announcement says Enterprise customers can use all Copilot features, including the new Copilot app, code review and automations, and pay for the AI credits they use. It lists no prices or credit rates.
What it means for buyers
An enterprise that has been counting seats now has to estimate usage instead, and the post gives no per-request rates to estimate from. Anyone on Copilot Business or Enterprise can stay put or switch when ready.
The details to watch are the self-serve dates and the credit rates, neither of which GitHub has published. For what the individual plans cost today, see what each Copilot costs, and for the model feature released the same day, see Copilot Fusion.