Starting June 1, GitHub will switch all Copilot subscriptions to a pricing model that scales with usage. Premium requests will be replaced by GitHub AI Credits, where token usage determines the cost. Subscription prices themselves will remain the same, but heavy users are expected to pay more. Companies will receive temporary extra credits this summer as a transitional measure.
GitHub Chief Product Officer Mario Rodriguez announced this change this week. The reason is easy to guess. The current system of premium requests is no longer sustainable, as previous steps taken by the platform have already shown. Usage-based billing is simply a way for GitHub, a Microsoft subsidiary, to reduce AI costs.
According to the CPO, GitHub has absorbed a significant portion of the escalating inference costs. Last week, GitHub announced it was temporarily suspending new sign-ups for Pro, Pro+, and Student plans due to the increasing strain on infrastructure, as we previously reported.
AI Credits replace premium requests
However, this is a more drastic step. Starting June 1, Premium Request Units (PRUs) will be phased out and replaced by GitHub AI Credits. One AI Credit is equivalent to one cent. Usage is calculated based on token consumption—specifically input, output, and cached tokens—which vary proportionally depending on the model and query used. Code completions and Next Edit Suggestions will remain available without limits on all paid plans and do not consume credits.
Fallback options will, however, be removed. Users who currently use up their PRUs can fall back on a cheaper model. This will no longer be possible; instead, the credit balance and any budget limits set by admins will determine what remains available.
Impact by plan
Subscription prices remain unchanged. Copilot Pro ($10 per month) receives $10 in AI Credits monthly; Pro+ ($39 per month) receives $39. For businesses, the same amounts apply as the monthly price per user. As a bridge, existing Business customers will receive $30 in credits per user from June through August, and Enterprise customers will receive $70. After that promotional period, the credits will drop back to $19 and $39, respectively.
Another new feature is the option to pool credits within an organization. This means unused credits from individual users are no longer lost. Admins will have budget controls at the enterprise, department, and user levels. In early May, GitHub will launch a preview billing environment, allowing users and administrators to view expected costs before the transition on June 1.