GitHub Copilot is a code-focused IDE extension that auto-completes code in real-time within your editor, while ChatGPT is a general-purpose conversational AI accessible via web/API that excels at explaining concepts and broader problem-solving. Copilot costs $10/month or free for students, while ChatGPT Plus costs $20/month.
GitHub Copilot vs ChatGPT — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
AI-powered code completion tool that integrates into code editors and IDEs.
General-purpose conversational AI accessible via web, mobile, and API.
Primary Use Case. Monthly Subscription Cost. Code Generation Accuracy. Integration Method. Context Window. Supported Programming Languages. Response Latency
Choose GitHub Copilot if you write code regularly and want real-time, context-aware suggestions integrated directly into your editor—it's faster, cheaper, and more specialized for development. Choose ChatGPT if you need a versatile AI for writing, research, debugging explanations, learning concepts, or tasks beyond code generation, and prefer a general-purpose assistant with longer context windows.
GitHub Copilot: 2-3 minutes | ChatGPT: 5-10 (account creation, app download)
GitHub Copilot: Very Large | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 3+ model choices | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Minimal (extension) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Copilot Pro $10/mo | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Free tier with limited completions/chat, plus free for verified students, teachers, and OSS maintainers | ChatGPT: GPT-5.5 mini (rate-limited)
GitHub Copilot: Business $19/user/mo (Enterprise $39) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Plugin/extension installed into your existing IDE | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini (model picker in chat/agent) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Agent mode + Copilot Workspace + coding agent (issue-to-PR); strong but tighter loop trails Cursor | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Repository context, @workspace search, and Enterprise knowledge bases; less aggressive auto-indexing | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Very fast, low-latency completions; category pioneer and still excellent inline | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Org policy management, SSO, audit logs, content exclusion, data residency, IP indemnification | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 128,000 tokens | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Unlimited completions | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, Visual Studio, Sublime | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Copilot (GPT-based, Good) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Limited to current + adjacent files | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 5 major IDEs | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Not available | ChatGPT: Limited (enterprise only)
GitHub Copilot: Not available | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 2 days for new accounts | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: October 2023 (~27 months old) | ChatGPT: Current (December 2024)
GitHub Copilot: ~1,200,000 | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Yes (OpenAI servers) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Deep (PR, commits, issues) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 180 code completions | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 15+ editors (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim, etc.) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Suggestion-based only, no autonomous execution | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: OpenAI GPT-4 / Anthropic Claude | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: ~1200ms average completion | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: $10/month individual, $19/month business | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: ~5-10 visible files in editor | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: GitHub Copilot (proprietary, Codex-based) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 5+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Vim, Neovim) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: No—suggestions only, manual edit required | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 1 (IDE-native, like autocomplete) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: No (cloud-only) | ChatGPT: N/A
Average Response Time for Code Suggestion
GitHub Copilot: 0.5-1 (inline suggestion) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 4+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Neovim) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Native PR reviews, CLI, GitHub.dev, Copilot X | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Data exclusion available (enterprise only) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: $252/year | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: $10/month | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: $120 (monthly) or $100 (annual with 17% discount) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Up to 150 lines | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: April 2024 | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: $10 | ChatGPT: $20 (ChatGPT Plus)
GitHub Copilot: ~15 MB extension | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 27% of developers | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 2-5 seconds per suggestion | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 5 IDE integrations | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 20-40% faster on routine tasks | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Yes (GitHub Copilot Free) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 2 (GPT-4, Claude) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 4 major (VS Code, Visual Studio, GitHub.com, JetBrains Beta) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 1.5+ million (GitHub official, 2024) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Yes (GitHub Enterprise available) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 2–5 min (GitHub sign-in) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Mandatory (cloud-based) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 30-day trial only | ChatGPT: Available (full GPT-3.5)
GitHub Copilot: 27 million | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 4+ years (2021) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Plugin only (requires VS Code/JetBrains) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Limited to referenced files | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 5+ (VS Code, JetBrains suite, GitHub.com, etc.) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: $20/month | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 10+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Neovim, etc.) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: GPT-4o / o1 (OpenAI) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: $10 or free with GitHub Pro | ChatGPT: $20/month (Plus tier)
GitHub Copilot: 150-250ms per suggestion | ChatGPT: 1,200-2,000ms (requires API call and context setup)
GitHub Copilot: 80+ languages | ChatGPT: 20+ languages
GitHub Copilot: 8,000 tokens (~6,000 words) | ChatGPT: 128,000 tokens (~96,000 words)
GitHub Copilot: 8+ (VS Code, JetBrains Suite, Vim, Visual Studio, etc.) | ChatGPT: 0 (web and API only)
GitHub Copilot: April 2024 | ChatGPT: April 2024
GitHub Copilot: 72% correct on HumanEval benchmark | ChatGPT: 67% correct on HumanEval benchmark
GitHub Copilot: 2-5 seconds (in-editor, no switching) | ChatGPT: 15-30 seconds (copy code, switch tabs, paste results)
GitHub Copilot: 8,000 tokens | ChatGPT: 200,000 tokens (GPT-4o Turbo)
GitHub Copilot: Code may be retained (opt-out available) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Limited (logs code references) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Limited (generic suggestions) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: $100/year or $120 with GitHub Pro | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Cloud-only | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 2,000 completions | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 340ms average | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 8,000 | ChatGPT: 128,000 tokens (GPT-4o Pro)
GitHub Copilot: Cloud (GitHub servers) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 250,000,000 | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 100 chat prompts | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 2-3 minutes | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 1-2 (GPT-4o primary) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: No, single-file awareness | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: $10 (Pro) or $0 (Limited) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 0.5 minutes | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 90+ languages | ChatGPT: 95+ languages
GitHub Copilot: Integration with VS Code | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 50-100ms per suggestion | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Fixed $10 (Copilot Individual) or $19 (Copilot Pro) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Single file at a time | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: None: requires manual git commands outside Copilot | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: No: GitHub Copilot model is fixed and proprietary | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: ~8,000 (estimated Copilot context) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Available in all tiers | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-3.5 (basic)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Not favored
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Broader ecosystem
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Conversational assistance & content generation
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: o1/o3 advanced reasoning series
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Hundreds of plugins and integrations
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Knowledge cutoff with occasional browsing
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Projects feature
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Limited or subscription-only
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Available but not primary focus
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Custom GPTs with established ecosystem
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Single model per session
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-5.2 advanced context
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Web access in Plus tier
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Superior synthesis and judgment
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-4, GPT-4o, o1, and newer models
Minimum Monthly Cost for Advanced Features
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: $20 (Plus tier)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes; extensive custom GPT ecosystem
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Thousands via Zapier and API
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes, via GPT-4 Vision in Plus/Pro tiers
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes (ChatGPT Enterprise custom terms)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: $0.05-3.00 (varies by model)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Strong (GPT-4o/5.4 capable)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Text, image, voice, video
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: $5 (ChatGPT Go)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Consumer-friendly, polished
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: November 2022
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: No (knowledge cutoff)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Web, iOS, Android, API
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: $240 (ChatGPT Plus)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Very Strong (GPT-4o)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: $20 (Plus) / $200 (Pro)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Advanced (image, video, text, document analysis)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 1 (standalone web/app)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-4o: Superior accuracy on technical/logic problems
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Excellent - follows detailed creative prompts precisely
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: $240 (Plus annually)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: $20/month
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Manual copy-paste only
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Thousands via Zapier
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Separate application
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Processes public web data only
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 3 (text, image, voice)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-5.5 (Plus/Pro)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Strong (GPT-5.5)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes (browse mode)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Strong across 50+ languages
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Strict JSON mode + tool calling
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: ~2025 (browse compensates)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes (DALL-E 3)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes — Advanced Voice
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Operator agent
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Largest (GPTs, Operator)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Polished, top-rated
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Automatic on supported models
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-5.5-class + 4o-mini
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Cloud-only (Azure OpenAI closest)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: ~500 RPM / 90K TPM (GPT-5.5)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: ChatGPT Plus $20/mo
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Pro $100/mo · Pro Max $200/mo
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: ~$30/user/mo
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-5.5: ~$2.50
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-4o / o1 (advanced)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 40 messages (GPT-4); unlimited (GPT-3.5)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: No—manual upload required
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: No—requires web/app
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes—Custom GPTs
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Basic (via API keys)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: No - requires manual import
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Full API with fine-tuning
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 3-6 seconds average
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Advanced custom instructions system
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 200+ million
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Limited messages (no dedicated search)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: No (Plus only)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-4o & o1 reasoning
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Available (not default)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 5,000+ verified GPTs and plugins
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 78% accuracy
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Not supported (text/images only)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Text, images, voice (limited)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 1,200-1,800ms average
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Advanced (GPT-4V with OCR, charts, diagrams)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: $20 (ChatGPT Plus)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 8-12 seconds
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Available (vision-enabled)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: External (API + plugins)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 200M+ weekly users
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: April 2024 cutoff
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Strict safety guidelines
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: $15 (GPT-4 Turbo)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes (voice input/output)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-4o mini (capable)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 128,000 tokens
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: ChatGPT Plus subscribers only
Coding Task Accuracy (HumanEval Benchmark)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 40-50 (approximate)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 12,000 tokens (GPT-4 Turbo)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: No (requires Plus)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: $20 (Plus)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: DALL-E 3 (free + paid)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 86% (GPT-4 on AIME problems)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: ~15% of edge-case queries
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: $0.03 (GPT-4 Turbo)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Text, images, PDFs, audio, video
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes (Plus/Pro users)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes (GPT-3.5 free tier with limited queries)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 1,000+ (via API, Zapier, Make, native integrations)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Advanced (multi-file, architecture design, debugging)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 120 MB per file (ChatGPT Plus)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 2-5 seconds (depends on query complexity)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 50+ programming and markup languages
How to choose between GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT
GitHub Copilot vs ChatGPT — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for GitHub Copilot vs ChatGPT. Contains 293 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
GitHub Copilot vs ChatGPT — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for GitHub Copilot vs ChatGPT.
Can ChatGPT replace GitHub Copilot for coding?
Partially, but not ideally. ChatGPT can generate code and explain concepts, but it lacks real-time IDE integration and has 72% first-attempt accuracy vs. Copilot's 87%. ChatGPT excels at debugging explanations and architecture discussions, while Copilot is better for inline suggestions during active coding. Many developers use both: Copilot for fast coding, ChatGPT for complex problem-solving.
Is GitHub Copilot worth the $10/month cost?
Yes, for professional developers and students. At $10/month, it costs $120/year vs. ChatGPT Plus at $240/year. Studies show Copilot reduces coding time by 35-40%, making it profitable if you save 2-3 hours/month. Students and open-source maintainers get it free, making the ROI even stronger. Free tier users should evaluate if they code frequently enough to justify the cost.
Can I use both GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT together?
Absolutely, and many developers do. Use Copilot for inline code suggestions to maximize coding speed (saves 35-40% time), and use ChatGPT in a browser tab for debugging explanations, architecture advice, learning new frameworks, and general knowledge questions. Combined, they cost $30/month—expensive but powerful for serious developers or teams.
ChatGPT is better for beginners because it explains concepts in detail, answers follow-up questions interactively, and handles non-code topics (like math or writing). Copilot is better for intermediate/advanced learners who want to practice by seeing real-time suggestions. Ideally, beginners should pair ChatGPT (for learning) with Copilot (for practice).
Does GitHub Copilot have privacy concerns?
GitHub Copilot sends code snippets to Microsoft servers for processing. Microsoft pledged not to train on user code, but you must trust their privacy policy. ChatGPT has similar concerns with OpenAI. For sensitive/proprietary code, use Copilot's local model (GitHub Copilot for VS Code with offline mode available for Enterprise customers) or self-hosted alternatives like Ollama.
How to Choose Between GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT
Primary Use Case: GitHub Copilot has Code generation and IDE auto-completion, while ChatGPT has General conversation and multi-domain Q&A.
Monthly Subscription Cost: GitHub Copilot has $10 (or free for students/verified teachers), while ChatGPT has $20 (ChatGPT Plus).
Code Generation Accuracy: GitHub Copilot has 87% functional code suggestions on first attempt, while ChatGPT has 72% functional code on first attempt.
Integration Method: GitHub Copilot has IDE extension (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim), while ChatGPT has Web browser, mobile app, or API.
Context Window: GitHub Copilot has Up to 8,000 tokens (file context), while ChatGPT has 128,000 tokens (GPT-4 Turbo) / 200,000 tokens (GPT-4o).
Consider: Supported Programming Languages
Supported Programming Languages: GitHub Copilot has 40+ languages (Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Rust, C++, Java, etc.), while ChatGPT has Understands code but not IDE-optimized; supports 50+ languages in discussion.
Response Latency: GitHub Copilot has 150-300ms inline code suggestions, while ChatGPT has 2-8 seconds per response.