When GitHub suspended new user registrations for Copilot Pro and Pro+ in April 2026, it was clear something was up. Agentic modes — situations where AI doesn't just write individual lines but independently tackles entire tasks across files — started overloading the infrastructure. Now comes the answer: new plans with flexible credits and an entirely new Max plan.

Four plans instead of three: what's changing

GitHub has completely overhauled individual plans. Instead of the original three tiers (Free, Pro, Pro+), we now have four plans that work with a dual credit system. The foundation is so-called base credits — fixed credits corresponding to the subscription price — plus a flex allotment, an additional variable allowance on top.

A key change: usage beyond the flex allotment is purchased separately. So if you regularly exhaust your limit, you'll pay for additional credits. GitHub also promises that existing Pro and Pro+ subscribers will be automatically migrated to the new system — they don't need to do anything.

Why GitHub is changing the model right now

The reason is simple: agentic modes change the game. While Copilot used to be limited to suggesting individual lines, today it independently runs long agentic tasks — analyzing entire codebases, processing multiple files in parallel, and performing multi-step operations. All of this places entirely different demands on GitHub's (and Microsoft's) servers than classic code completion.

As stated in the official GitHub blog post, the flex allotment is designed to adapt to changes in the AI economy — new models, more efficient chips, and declining inference prices. This way, GitHub can increase allotments in the future without having to announce new plans again.

What remains unlimited

Good news: code completion and next-edit suggestions remain unlimited for paying users and don't consume credits. This means classic autocomplete while writing code still works the same — the limits only apply to more advanced features like Copilot chat, agentic modes, and CLI work.

GitHub is also adding usage tracking directly in VS Code and Copilot CLI, so developers can see how many credits they have left without leaving the editor.

What this means for developers

For programmers and companies, this change brings several practical impacts. The Pro plan at $10 remains affordable, but with a new credit cap. Those who only use Copilot for occasional autocomplete will barely notice the change. On the other hand, developers who communicate intensively with Copilot via chat or use agentic modes should monitor their usage — exceeding the limit means additional fees.

The new Max plan at $100 per month targets professionals for whom Copilot is a primary working tool. For freelancers and agencies where Copilot saves dozens of hours per month, the investment can pay for itself quickly.

GitHub Copilot does not officially support interface languages other than English — communication takes place in English. However, Copilot itself understands comments in various languages in code and can generate code based on non-English instructions, which is a practical advantage for international developers.

Comparison with competitors: Cursor, Claude Code, and more

GitHub isn't the only one that had to rethink its pricing model. Claude Code from Anthropic charges based on tokens consumed and has adjusted limits several times during peak periods in recent months. Cursor, the popular AI editor, offers a Pro plan at $20 per month with 500 fast requests — beyond the limit, response speed decreases. OpenAI Codex (the successor to GitHub Copilot models from OpenAI) switched to its own usage-based pricing earlier.

However, GitHub has one crucial advantage: deep integration into an ecosystem that developers have been using for years. Moving to a more paid plan is thus more natural for many than migrating to an entirely new tool.

How to prepare for the change

If you use Copilot, starting June 1, 2026, the changes will take effect automatically. GitHub recommends:

• Check your usage — the new dashboard in VS Code will show how many credits you're consuming.
• Switch to a more efficient model if you're approaching the limit — lower models have a lower consumption multiplier.
• Limit parallel agentic tasks — each concurrently running agent multiplies consumption.
• Consider upgrading to Max if you use agentic modes daily.

For companies with team licenses, GitHub has not yet specified details — this change applies only to individual plans. Enterprise customers, however, should expect similar adjustments in the coming months.

The broader trend: The end of unlimited AI for a flat rate

GitHub Copilot's pricing adjustment fits into a broader trend seen across the entire AI industry. The era of "all-you-can-eat" models for AI assistants is ending. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Microsoft are gradually moving to metered plans because the costs of running advanced models are too high to offer them at a flat rate.

For developers, this means one thing: the AI assistant is becoming paid infrastructure, similar to cloud services. You'll pay for what you actually use — and you'll have to think about when it's worth engaging AI and when it's cheaper to write code manually.