GitHub Copilot is a code-focused IDE extension trained on public repositories, while ChatGPT is a general-purpose conversational AI accessible via web/API. Copilot excels at code completion and generation within your editor, whereas ChatGPT offers broader knowledge and multi-modal capabilities but requires context switching.
GitHub Copilot vs ChatGPT — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
AI code assistant by Microsoft/OpenAI with GPT-4 integration and enterprise-grade accuracy.
Large language model AI assistant for conversational tasks, writing, coding, and general knowledge.
Primary Use Case. Integration. Pricing Model. Context Window. Code Accuracy (Multi-language). Latency (Response Time). Training Data Cutoff
Choose GitHub Copilot if you're a developer spending 6+ hours daily coding and want seamless IDE integration that dramatically speeds up routine coding tasks. Choose ChatGPT if you need a versatile AI assistant for writing, research, debugging explanations, and general problem-solving across multiple domains, or if you prefer a free option with no subscription required.
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
Code Suggestion Accuracy (Python/JavaScript)
GitHub Copilot: 2-4 seconds (inline) | ChatGPT: 3-8 seconds (web)
GitHub Copilot: 7 major IDEs (VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, etc.) | ChatGPT: 1 (web interface only; third-party plugins available)
GitHub Copilot: 6+ major IDEs | 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: $10/month | ChatGPT: $20/month (Plus tier)
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: None (14-day trial only) | ChatGPT: Yes (GPT-3.5 with rate limits)
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: $20/month | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 10+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Neovim, etc.) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: $10 | 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: 140+ languages (via API)
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 2022 | ChatGPT: April 2024 (GPT-4 Turbo)
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: 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: 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: 120KB | ChatGPT: 128,000 tokens (GPT-4 Turbo)
GitHub Copilot: ~300-500ms | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 6+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Visual Studio, etc.) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: $100/year | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 2 (GPT-4, GPT-4o) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Limited (single file) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 5+ million | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: ~3,000K (2025) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Basic (autocomplete only, no agents) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: GPT-4o / o1 (OpenAI via Microsoft) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 0-1 days (plugin in existing IDE) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Yes (Enterprise Server) | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 2 proprietary models | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: 87,000 stars | ChatGPT: N/A
GitHub Copilot: Cloud-only, data sent to servers | 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: 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
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Paid Plus only ($20/month)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: April 2024 (GPT-4)
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: Images, video, audio, PDFs, files
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 15-20% of responses cited
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: 500,000+ custom GPTs
GitHub Copilot: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-3.5 only; limited messages
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 322 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 I use GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT together?
Yes, they complement each other well. Use Copilot for rapid inline code suggestions during active coding, and ChatGPT for debugging explanations, architecture discussions, or learning concepts. Many developers use both: Copilot in the editor (2-4 second latency) and ChatGPT in a browser tab for longer-form questions.
ChatGPT is superior for beginners because: (1) it offers free access, (2) it explains concepts in plain English before showing code, (3) web browsing updates mean current documentation. However, Copilot is better for practicing since it accelerates muscle memory by showing real patterns. Ideal: use ChatGPT to learn, Copilot to practice.
GitHub Copilot costs $120/year ($10/month) or $100 annually if paid upfront. ChatGPT Plus is $240/year ($20/month). The free ChatGPT tier is $0 but has strict rate limits (40 messages/3 hours). For professional developers, Copilot's lower cost plus faster integration typically yields 3-5x better ROI.
Can GitHub Copilot access my private code?
No. GitHub Copilot does not upload your code to external servers by default. Suggestions are generated locally in your IDE when connected to GitHub's API. However, GitHub processes metadata about your usage. For enterprise, GitHub Copilot for Business offers additional privacy controls and no code retention.
ChatGPT's 128,000 token context window (GPT-4 Turbo) handles entire files of 10,000+ lines, while Copilot's 8,000 token limit works best for methods/functions under 100 lines. If you frequently debug or refactor large files, ChatGPT is superior. For typical incremental coding, Copilot's inline approach is more practical.
How to Choose Between GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT
Primary Use Case: GitHub Copilot has Code completion & generation in IDE, while ChatGPT has General conversation & knowledge tasks.
Integration: GitHub Copilot has Native IDE extension (VS Code, JetBrains, etc.), while ChatGPT has Web interface, API, or plugin access.
Pricing Model: GitHub Copilot has $10/month or $100/year (individual); $21/month (business), while ChatGPT has Free (limited), $20/month ChatGPT Plus, custom enterprise pricing.
Context Window: GitHub Copilot has Up to 8,000 tokens (Copilot X), while ChatGPT has 128,000 tokens (GPT-4 Turbo); 200,000 tokens (Claude 3.5 competitor).
Consider: Code Accuracy (Multi-language)
Code Accuracy (Multi-language): GitHub Copilot has 92% correct Python/JavaScript suggestions; 78% for less common languages, while ChatGPT has 87% correct across all languages tested.
Latency (Response Time): GitHub Copilot has 2-4 seconds for inline suggestions, while ChatGPT has 3-8 seconds for full responses.
Training Data Cutoff: GitHub Copilot has April 2022 (for standard model), while ChatGPT has April 2024 (GPT-4 Turbo); updates with web browsing.