Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot
Claude Code (Anthropic's coding agent) vs GitHub Copilot (AI in your editor, terminal and GitHub): plans, prices, models, MCP and skills.
- Local servers
- Yes
- runs stdio servers
- Hosted servers
- Yes
- connects by URL
- Config
- CLI + JSON
- how servers are added
- Plugins
- Yes
- plugin marketplaces
Copilot starts free or at $10 a month. Claude Code starts at Claude Pro, $20 a month. Copilot Pro includes Claude Haiku and Sonnet models; Claude Opus models need Pro+ ($39 a month) or higher (as of November 2026). Both connect to MCP servers and load the same kind of skills, so much of your setup carries over.
Our advice: pick GitHub Copilot if you want AI inside the editor you already use, with models from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and others. Pick Claude Code if Claude is your main model and you want it working through long tasks in your terminal, with the Claude app included in the same plan. For Cursor and Codex as well, see Cursor vs Claude Code vs Codex.
Good for
- Developers who want an agent in the terminal for long tasks
- Developers who want AI inside VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains or Xcode
- Teams that want to hand GitHub work to an agent and get a pull request back
- Anyone weighing a $10 Copilot plan against a $20 Claude plan
- People who want GPT, Gemini and Claude models in one tool
Side by side
Plans and prices as of November 2026 (checked November 3, 2026). Our advice: use Copilot if you want the lowest starting price and many editors and model makers in one plan.
| Option | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Where you use it | Terminal, IDE, app | IDEs, CLI, GitHub |
| Free plan | No | Yes, limited |
| Cheapest paid plan | Pro, $20/mo | Pro, $10/mo |
| Middle plan | Max, $100/mo | Pro+, $39/mo |
| Top personal plan | Ultra, $200/mo | Max, $100/mo |
| Team plan, per user | Team, $25/mo | Business, $19/mo |
| Enterprise, per user | $20 + usage | $39/mo |
| Models you can pick | Claude (fable, opus, sonnet, haiku) | Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok and more (varies by plan) |
| Cloud agent | Yes, on web | Paid plans and Student |
| MCP servers | Yes | Yes |
| Skills and plugins | Yes | Yes |
Which to pick
Our advice: choose Copilot to start, since it has a free plan, many editors and models from several makers, but Claude Opus starts at Pro+ ($39). Choose Claude Code when Claude is your main model and you want long terminal tasks, knowing plans start at $20 and Pro and Max have limits every 5 hours.
You do not have to choose: the Claude Code extension runs in VS Code next to Copilot, and Copilot reads skills from a project's .claude/skills folder (as of November 2026).
Best for
- Claude Code: heavy Claude users who want the Claude app in the same plan
- Claude Code: terminal work, scripts and CI runs
- Copilot: AI inside VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains or Xcode
- Copilot: teams that run their work through GitHub issues and pull requests
- Copilot: switching between OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and xAI models
Skip it if
- Claude Code: you need a free plan (Claude Free does not include Claude Code)
- Copilot Pro: you need Claude Opus, which starts on Pro+
Questions
Is Claude Code better than GitHub Copilot?
Neither vendor publishes a head-to-head test. Both have agents that edit files, run commands and open pull requests from the terminal or the editor. Copilot covers more editors and model makers; Claude Code is built around Claude models and comes with the Claude app. Our advice: try the one that fits how you work. For a view that adds Cursor and Codex, see Cursor vs Claude Code vs Codex.
How much do Claude Code and GitHub Copilot cost?
Copilot has Free, Pro ($10 a month), Pro+ ($39), Max ($100), Business ($19 per user) and Enterprise ($39 per user). Claude Code comes with Claude Pro ($20 a month, or $17 billed yearly), Max ($100), Ultra ($200), Team ($25 per seat monthly, $20 yearly; premium seats $125 or $100) and Enterprise ($20 per seat yearly plus usage at API rates, 20 seats minimum), or an API key billed per token. Prices as of November 2026. Copilot also has a free Student plan for verified students.
Which is cheaper to start, Claude Code or Copilot?
Copilot has the lower starting price. It has a free plan and Pro costs $10 a month, half the price of Claude Pro at $20. Past the monthly allowance Copilot bills extra use at $0.01 per AI credit, while Claude plans make you wait for a 5-hour or weekly reset or buy usage credits (as of November 2026).
Can I use Claude models in GitHub Copilot?
Yes. Copilot Pro includes Claude Haiku and Sonnet models, and Claude Opus and Fable need Pro+, Max, Business or Enterprise. Copilot Free picks the model for you, and bigger models use more AI credits per request (as of November 2026).
Can I use Claude Code and Copilot together?
Yes. The Claude Code extension runs in VS Code next to Copilot and uses your Claude plan, not your Copilot credits. Copilot also reads skills from a project's .claude/skills folder, so skills you wrote for Claude Code work in Copilot too.
Does GitHub Copilot support MCP servers?
Yes. MCP works in agent mode in the editor and in Copilot CLI on every plan, including Free; the cloud agent on GitHub needs a paid plan. On Business and Enterprise, admins can turn MCP off for everyone. For what MCP tools are, see MCP tools explained.
Does Copilot support skills and plugins like Claude Code?
Yes. Copilot loads agent skills in Copilot CLI, the Copilot app, the cloud agent and agent mode in VS Code, Visual Studio and JetBrains. It also installs plugins that bundle skills, agents, hooks and MCP servers, from marketplaces in Copilot CLI and VS Code, much like Claude Code's plugin marketplaces. To compare skills with MCP servers, see MCP vs skills.
Copilot CLI vs Claude Code: what is the difference?
Both are terminal agents that edit files, run commands, plan before coding, and use MCP servers, skills and hooks. Copilot CLI comes with every Copilot plan, including Free, and lets you pick models from several makers. Claude Code runs Claude models and needs a Claude plan or an API key.
Is GitHub Copilot free?
Yes, with limits. Copilot Free includes 2,000 code completions a month, limited chat and agent use, and Copilot CLI, and it picks the model for you. It does not include the cloud agent or pull request reviews. Verified students can get Copilot Student at no cost.
Is Claude Code free?
No. Claude Code needs Claude Pro or higher, a Team or Enterprise seat, or an API key billed per token. The Claude Free plan does not include it.
Information
updated Nov 3, 2026
- Transports
- stdio, SSE, Streamable HTTP
- Config file (all)
.mcp.json (project) or ~/.claude.json (user)- MCP docs
- code.claude.com
Sources
Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.
Show all 14Hide
- GitHub Copilot plans · github.com
- GitHub Copilot plans · docs.github.com
- Use Claude Code with your Pro, Max, or Ultra plan · support.claude.com
- About agent skills · docs.github.com
- Claude Code overview · code.claude.com
- GitHub Copilot supported models · docs.github.com
- Claude plans and pricing · claude.com
- Connect Claude Code to tools via MCP · code.claude.com
- Extend Claude with skills · code.claude.com
- Claude Code plugins · code.claude.com
- About plugins for GitHub Copilot · docs.github.com
- Copilot on GitHub · docs.github.com
- Claude Code model configuration · code.claude.com
- About GitHub Copilot CLI · docs.github.com