GitHub Copilot CLI

Last tested:

GitHub Copilot CLI is gitHub's Copilot coding agent in the terminal, included in Copilot Free (category: Coding Agents (CLI & Cloud)). VibeToolRank agent test score: 9.2/10 (tested 2026-10-17, 3 runs, Copilot Free CLI), T-3 of 15 tested Coding Agents (CLI & Cloud) tools. Pricing: Copilot Free $0 (monthly AI Credits allowance); Pro $10/mo (1,500 credits); Pro+ $39/mo; Max $100/mo. Free tier: Yes: Copilot Free includes the CLI with a monthly AI Credits allowance, Auto model only.

Compare: GitHub Copilot CLI vs Aider · GitHub Copilot CLI vs OpenCode · GitHub Copilot CLI vs OpenAI Codex · GitHub Copilot CLI vs Cline

Key facts

Verdict: 3/3 runs fixed our seeded cart bug (4/4 tests pass) in 22-26s on Copilot Free, using 0.16-0.27 AI Credits each.

Best for: GitHub users who want a free terminal agent with no API key to set up (3/3 fixes in 22-26s).
Not ideal for: planning heavy use on Free (Auto model only, credit allowance not published).

VibeToolRank score
9.2/10
Rank
T-3 of 15 tested Coding Agents (CLI & Cloud)
Category
Coding Agents (CLI & Cloud)
Last tested
2026-10-17
Runs
3 runs
Outcome score
9/10
Edition tested
Copilot CLI 1.0.98, Copilot Free, Auto model, existing gh login
Free plan, as measured
0.16-0.27 AI Credits per bugfix run (about 72K-89K tokens in, mostly cached)
Free plan
Yes: Copilot Free includes the CLI with a monthly AI Credits allowance, Auto model only
Price
Copilot Free $0 (monthly AI Credits allowance); Pro $10/mo (1,500 credits); Pro+ $39/mo; Max $100/mo
Pricing checked
2026-10-17
Sources
docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/billing/usage-based-billing-for-individuals · github.com/features/copilot/plans · npmjs.com/package/@github/copilot · test log in our repo

Visit GitHub Copilot CLI

Pricing and free tier

Current official pricing (checked ): Copilot Free $0 (monthly AI Credits allowance); Pro $10/mo (1,500 credits); Pro+ $39/mo; Max $100/mo

Is GitHub Copilot CLI free? Yes: Copilot Free includes the CLI with a monthly AI Credits allowance, Auto model only

Copilot Free includes Copilot CLI with a monthly GitHub AI Credits allowance (1 credit = $0.01) and Auto model selection only. Credits reset monthly; paid plans start at Pro $10/mo with 1,500 credits.

verified-official official source · full-page-read. Official plan limits can change; re-check the vendor page before paying. Figures from our tests are recorded observations, not a current-capacity promise.

What we measured in our test (2026-10-17, 3 runs): 0.16-0.27 AI Credits per bugfix run (about 72K-89K tokens in, mostly cached) GitHub Copilot CLI free tier: how far you get

Agent test verdict

Edition tested Copilot CLI 1.0.98, Copilot Free, Auto model, existing gh login. Results may differ for the hosted product.

Tested 2026-10-17 · 3 runs · rubric v0.1 (provisional thresholds). 3/3 runs fixed our seeded cart bug (4/4 tests pass) in 22-26s on Copilot Free, using 0.16-0.27 AI Credits each. It used our existing gh login with no browser step and never touched the test file.

DimensionScore /10
Outcome (40%)9
Speed (15%)9
Cost (15%)9
Developer experience (15%)9
Reliability (15%)10
Overall9.2

Adoption signals Not part of the score

Public GitHub metrics for context only. They do not affect our agent scores or rankings.

GitHub stars
11k (11,317) on github/copilot-cli
Fetched
· last push

How we tested

  • GitHub Copilot CLI 1.0.98 installed with npm, Copilot Free plan, Auto model, tested 17 Oct 2026.
  • Task: our T3 seeded bugfix repo (2 of 4 tests fail), run 3 times non-interactively; we checked each result with node --test.
  • Each run used our existing gh login token via GH_TOKEN; no browser or device-code step.

Pros, cons and who it's for

Pros

  • Fixed the seeded bug correctly in 3 of 3 runs, in 22-26 seconds
  • Runs headlessly with an existing GitHub CLI login (GH_TOKEN), no browser step
  • Ran the test suite itself before finishing

Cons

  • Copilot Free is limited to the Auto model
  • The Free AI Credits allowance isn't stated in GitHub's docs, so heavy use is hard to plan
  • Unattended runs need --allow-all-tools, which lets it run any command in the folder

Who it's for: Developers who already use GitHub and want a free terminal agent without setting up an API key.

Free-tier limits: Copilot Free includes Copilot CLI with a monthly GitHub AI Credits allowance (1 credit = $0.01) and Auto model selection only. Credits reset monthly; paid plans start at Pro $10/mo with 1,500 credits.

FAQ

Is GitHub Copilot CLI free?

Yes, on Copilot Free. In our 17 Oct 2026 test each bugfix run used 0.16-0.27 AI Credits and we paid $0.

Did Copilot CLI fix the bug?

Yes, in 3 of 3 runs it applied the discount before tax so all 4 tests passed, and it never edited the test file.

Can Copilot CLI run without a browser login?

Yes. We passed our existing GitHub CLI token as GH_TOKEN and ran it with -p and --allow-all-tools.

How did GitHub Copilot CLI score in VibeToolRank's test?

9.2/10 overall (outcome 9, speed 9, cost 9, developer experience 9, reliability 10), 3 runs on 2026-10-17. 3/3 runs fixed our seeded cart bug (4/4 tests pass) in 22-26s on Copilot Free, using 0.16-0.27 AI Credits each.

Who is GitHub Copilot CLI best for?

Based on our test: best for GitHub users who want a free terminal agent with no API key to set up (3/3 fixes in 22-26s). Not ideal for planning heavy use on Free (Auto model only, credit allowance not published).

How much does GitHub Copilot CLI cost?

Copilot Free $0 (monthly AI Credits allowance); Pro $10/mo (1,500 credits); Pro+ $39/mo; Max $100/mo (from the official pricing page, checked 2026-10-17).

Related

GitHub Copilot CLI alternatives

Comparisons

Other Coding Agents (CLI & Cloud)

Best Coding Agents (CLI & Cloud) · Best free Coding Agents (CLI & Cloud) · All tools · How we test

Sources

Scores come from our own tests and are never for sale; sponsored placements are always labelled. Some links are affiliate links (currently Railway). Disclosure