GitHub has announced changes to its Copilot billing model. From 1 June 2026, GitHub will move to a usage-based model called GitHub AI Credits. The new system will charge based on how users interact with AI tools.
The company said the shift reflects how AI tools are becoming more advanced and compute-intensive, with Copilot now capable of handling longer and more complex coding tasks. The growing user demand for complex AI services is placing increasing pressure on infrastructure and processing power, which has impacted the operating and hosting costs.
Many users have reported hitting limits more quickly than before, echoing similar complaints from users of other AI platforms including Anthropic’s Claude. GitHub said temporary usage limit changes were aimed at improving reliability ahead of the wider rollout.
The company is also phasing out annual Copilot subscriptions. Existing annual subscribers will retain their plans until renewal, after which users will automatically move to the free tier of the usage-based structure.
The move reflects a broader trend across the AI sector, where platforms are increasingly introducing usage-based billing or tighter limits as the cost of running AI models continues to grow.