Github Copilot's AI token-based billing

'What a joke': Github Copilot's new token-based billing spurs consternation among devs | TechCrunch

is switching its billing system from a flat subscription rate to a token-usage system that has the potential to bill users at a significantly higher rate.

The changes, which will take place June 1, mean that users will charged based on how many tokens they burn through as they work instead of a low flat rate based on requests.

“What a joke,” one Redditor recently wrote, claiming that, while they currently only pay around $29 per month, the new rate will balloon their costs to nearly $750 a month.

GitHub Copilot is moving to usage-based billing - The GitHub Blog

Today, a quick chat question and a multi-hour autonomous coding session can cost the user the same amount. 

GitHub has absorbed much of the escalating inference cost behind that usage,
but the current premium request model is no longer sustainable.

What this means for individuals

Copilot Pro and Pro+ monthly subscriptions will include monthly AI Credits aligned to their current subscription prices:

• Copilot Pro: $10/month, including $10 in monthly AI Credits
• Copilot Pro+: $39/month, including $39 in monthly AI Credits