GitHub Copilot Review
AI-powered code completion and suggestion tool built directly into your IDE. Taps leading LLMs (OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini) to understand context and generate relevant code snippets, entire functions, and documentation.
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- Best for
- Professional developers who want inline code suggestions
- Pricing
- Free / £8/mo Pro / £31/mo Pro+ / £15/mo Business Approx. GBP excl. VAT. Free for verified students and open-source maintainers. Moving to usage-based AI-credit billing from June 2026.
- Data residency
- US/Global (Microsoft/GitHub)
- UK English
- Yes
Our in-depth review
The incumbent, now multi-model
GitHub Copilot popularised AI pair programming, and in 2026 it is no longer tied to a single model. You can choose between OpenAI, Anthropic's Claude and Google's Gemini for chat and heavier reasoning, while fast inline completions keep you in flow. Because it is made by GitHub (owned by Microsoft), the integration with VS Code, Visual Studio and the JetBrains IDEs is the most polished in the category — it feels like part of the editor rather than a plugin.
What it does well
Inline completion remains its strongest suit: Copilot is excellent at the next line or block, especially for repetitive patterns like tests, CRUD operations and boilerplate. Copilot Chat now understands your workspace and can answer 'why is this failing?' with real context. The pull-request summaries save time on code review, and the free tier — plus free access for verified students and open-source maintainers — makes it trivial to trial before you commit.
Where it falls short
Copilot is weaker than Cursor at large multi-file refactors; it shines within a single file but loses the thread across many. It can still suggest outdated APIs or patterns that do not match your project's conventions, so review every suggestion. From June 2026 it moves to usage-based AI-credit billing, which may surprise heavy users accustomed to a flat fee — worth modelling your team's usage before that lands.
UK data and GDPR
GitHub is a US/global Microsoft service, so assume data is processed outside the UK. On Business and Enterprise plans your code snippets are not retained for training and a data processing agreement is available — the configuration regulated UK teams should insist on. There is still code telemetry to be aware of; for the strictest environments, a self-hostable assistant such as Tabnine may suit better.
Key features
- Multi-line code completion
- Chat-based coding assistance
- IDE integration (VS Code, JetBrains)
- Pull request summaries
Pros & cons
What we like
- Excellent IDE integration
- Understands project context well
- Free tier available
- Supports 20+ languages
What to watch
- Requires internet connection
- Can suggest outdated patterns
- Privacy concerns with code telemetry
GDPR & data residency
Where your data is processed: US/Global (Microsoft/GitHub)
GDPR compliant. Business/Enterprise plans include a DPA. Code snippets not retained for training on Business plans. GitHub is owned by Microsoft (US entity).
Our verdict
We rate GitHub Copilot 4.5 out of 5. It's best suited to professional developers who want inline code suggestions.
Visit GitHub Copilot →Frequently asked questions
Is GitHub Copilot free?
There is a free tier with a monthly cap on completions and chat messages, and it is completely free for verified students and open-source maintainers. Paid Pro is roughly £8/month. From June 2026, billing moves to a usage-based AI-credit model.
Is GitHub Copilot safe for proprietary code?
On Business and Enterprise plans your code is not retained to train models and a data processing agreement is available. Data is still processed in the US/globally under Microsoft, so regulated teams should use Business or above and review the DPA.
GitHub Copilot or Cursor for UK developers?
Copilot for lightweight, well-integrated inline help in your existing IDE at a lower price; Cursor for deep, codebase-aware, multi-file work. Many UK developers start on Copilot's free tier and move to Cursor for complex projects.