GitHub has launched a new free plan for GitHub Copilot, which is now available to all users of Visual Studio Code. This plan provides 2,000 code completions and 50 chat messages per month, accessible for developers by signing in with their GitHub account.
As reported, no subscription or payment is required. Once users reach these limits, they can opt for the paid Pro plan, which as stated offers unlimited access and additional models, including the upcoming o1 and Gemini models, slated for release in the new year.
The team states the following:
With this announcement, GitHub Copilot becomes a core part of the VS Code experience. The team has been hard at work, as always, improving that experience with brand new AI features and capabilities.
One of the new capabilities is Copilot Edits, a multi-file editing tool that suggests changes across multiple files based on a given prompt, including creating new files when necessary. Copilot users can also select from multiple AI models, including options for Chat, Inline Chat, and Copilot Edits.
Another key addition is Custom Instructions, which allow users to define how they want Copilot to generate code. These instructions are passed to the AI model with each request and can be applied at either the editor or project level. A .github/copilot-instructions.md file can be used to share these instructions with team members.
GitHub Copilot also includes full project awareness, allowing users to engage with AI-powered domain experts, known as participants, within the codebase. The @workspace participant, for example, provides insights across the entire project. Additionally, the tool offers suggestions for renaming symbols based on their usage in the code.
For users working with the terminal, GitHub Copilot now supports terminal chat, enabling developers to interact with the tool directly in the terminal. This feature allows users to perform tasks and receive assistance with troubleshooting shell command errors. Copilot also generates commit messages based on the recent changes made to the code.
Furthermore, GitHub Copilot Free is also available for Visual Studio users. This version includes AI-assisted features such as smarter debugging, AI-generated commit messages, and breakpoint placement.
As stated by Microsoft, developers have reported productivity increases, with some observing a 25% boost in speed. A more refined experience for Visual Studio users is expected to be released in January.
Lastly, the official GitHub News Insights blog states the following:
Students, educators, and open source maintainers: your free access to unlimited Copilot Pro accounts continues, unaffected!
