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Most buyers should pick GitHub Copilot.
For developers choosing today, GitHub Copilot is the safer default: its free tier includes 2,000 monthly completions, and its agent connects work to GitHub issues, pull requests and repository context. Gemini Code Assist consumer IDE and CLI requests stopped June 18, 2026; consumer users are directed to Antigravity. Teams with Gemini Standard or Enterprise should check the separate deprecation schedule before committing. Copilot's premium usage depends on included AI credits and possible flex charges.
01Side by side
| Gemini Code Assist | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per-user subscriptions; annual commitment lowers Standard and Enterprise prices | Monthly per-user plans; AI-credit allowances and flex add-ons |
| Free tier | Free tier listed; consumer requests stopped June 18, 2026 | 2,000 monthly completions; CLI included |
| CLI and docs | Gemini CLI; migration guide to Antigravity | Copilot CLI; sessions and automation workflows |
| Integrations | Homepage names no integrations | Connectors, MCP servers, skills, GitHub plugins |
| Deployment model | Consumer IDE and CLI requests discontinued | GitHub-native agent spanning web, app, CLI |
| Platforms | IDE extensions and CLI | Web, macOS, CLI, mobile, Slack, Teams |
| Limits and scaling | Standard: 1,500 model requests/user/day; 2 requests/second | Monthly credits; flex usage and additional AI credits |
| Migration and workflow lock-in | Consumer migration path to Antigravity | GitHub repository, issue, and pull-request context |
Gemini Code Assist Choose Gemini Code Assist if
- Choose Gemini Code Assist if you have a paid subscription and checked its deprecation schedule.
- Choose Gemini Code Assist if your workflow uses its IDE extensions and CLI.
- Choose Gemini Code Assist if Antigravity fits your consumer-account transition.
GitHub Copilot Choose GitHub Copilot if
- Choose GitHub Copilot if you want active consumer access and a free tier.
- Choose GitHub Copilot if issues and pull requests are your starting context.
- Choose GitHub Copilot if you need work to continue across app, CLI, editor, and web.
02Pricing at real usage
GitHub Copilot Free costs $0 and includes 2,000 completions per month and Copilot CLI. Pro is $10 per user per month; Pro+ is $39 and Max is $100. Their included AI-credit totals are $15, $70 and $200 per month, respectively. The pricing page also lists additional AI credits and plan-specific flex allotments, so higher agent usage can add cost.
Gemini Code Assist for individuals is listed at $0, with daily request and chat limits. But consumer IDE and CLI requests stopped June 18, 2026, so that listing is not usable consumer access. Standard is $22.80 per user monthly or $19 with an annual commitment; Enterprise is $54 monthly or $45 annually, with a 10-license minimum. Standard and Enterprise follow a separate deprecation schedule.
03API, SDKs and integration
Gemini Code Assist is presented through IDE extensions and Gemini CLI, with documentation and a migration guide for moving from Gemini CLI to Antigravity CLI. Its consumer IDE and CLI requests have stopped; Standard and Enterprise have a separate deprecation schedule. The cited Google page does not describe a public coding-assistant API, SDKs, or language-specific client libraries, so teams should not plan around an API integration based on that page.
GitHub Copilot is built into GitHub workflows and also spans its app, CLI, editor, github.com, and mobile. Its page describes sessions linked to issues and pull requests, recurring agent tasks, code review, and model selection. It lists Copilot Connectors, MCP servers, skills, and GitHub plugins. Developers can connect supported cloud model providers with their own API key or run models locally with Ollama and Foundry Local. The page does not name language-specific SDKs for integrating Copilot as an API.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Neither vendor publishes a product source licence or self-hosting option on the cited pages. Google does state that its documentation content is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 and code samples under Apache 2.0; those terms are not a licence for the product itself. GitHub's page describes integrations and local model options, not self-hosting Copilot.
Google provides a migration path for consumer accounts to the Antigravity family, including a Gemini CLI migration guide. That is a product transition, not a data-export procedure. GitHub Copilot's workflow is tied to GitHub issues, pull requests, repository history, and other GitHub surfaces. Neither vendor publishes a data-export procedure on these pages, so teams evaluating lock-in should ask about retaining prompts, session history, and agent outputs before adoption.
Questions people ask
Which is best, Gemini or Copilot?
For developers choosing a coding assistant now, Copilot is the safer default: its Free plan includes 2,000 monthly completions, and its agent works across GitHub issues, pull requests, and repository context. Gemini consumer IDE and CLI requests stopped June 18, 2026. Teams with Standard or Enterprise subscriptions should check the separate deprecation schedule.
Is GitHub Copilot open source?
GitHub's Copilot page describes its features, integrations, and plans but does not state that the product is open source or publish its product licence. Google's documentation-page licence does not apply to Copilot. If source availability or redistribution rights matter to your deployment, ask GitHub for the applicable terms.
Is Copilot as good as ChatGPT?
These pages do not provide a quality comparison with ChatGPT. They position Copilot as a coding agent for GitHub workflows, including code review, issue-linked sessions, and recurring tasks. The Copilot page also lists model selection and access to named models, but that alone does not establish which assistant will perform better for your codebase.
Is anyone still using GitHub Copilot?
The product page lists active Copilot plans, including Free, Pro, Pro+, and Max, but it does not publish user counts. For Gemini, consumer IDE and CLI requests stopped June 18, 2026; Standard and Enterprise subscriptions follow a separate deprecation schedule. Product availability is not the same as evidence of current usage.