CANCEL COSTS

GitHub Copilot cost in 2026: what you should actually be paying

GitHub Copilot sits in the AI Tools / IDE category. Most SMB accounts overpay by 40% to 70% on this one tool alone. Here's the realistic price, the common overspend traps, and the cheaper alternatives we recommend at Cancel Costs.

Typical mid-market spend
A$15/mo
After optimisation
A$0/mo
Typical annual saving
A$180

The GitHub Copilot overspend pattern

Copilot Business at A$28/seat/mo adds policy management most small teams don't need. Individual tier at A$15/mo covers individual developers. Team-of-5 should be A$75/mo on Individual, not A$140 on Business.

github.com/features/copilot references, githubcopilot.com

3 cheaper alternatives to GitHub Copilot

AlternativeMonthly (A$)Why it works
Continue.dev + Claude APIA$8Open-source VS Code extension, BYO API key
Codeium (free tier)A$0Free autocomplete + chat, surprisingly capable
CursorA$30More integrated experience but 2x cost

How to negotiate with GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot has a 30-day free trial and a free tier for verified students and open-source maintainers. For small teams, stay on Individual seats. For larger teams, the Enterprise tier negotiates on annual contracts.

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