The best GitHub Copilot alternatives in 2026
We rate GitHub Copilot 4.4 out of 5. The safe default for organisations already on GitHub, with the broadest model menu and real data controls, though token billing has made heavy agent use a line item to watch. These are the 8 alternatives we have reviewed, ranked, with what each one does better.
Updated Oct 23, 2026 · No affiliate commissions · How we review
Why people look for a GitHub Copilot alternative
The weak points from our GitHub Copilot review:
- Token-based AI Credits make heavy agent use hard to predict
- No fallback to a cheaper model once credits run out
- Free, Pro and Pro+ interactions may be used for training unless you opt out
- Not available on GitHub Enterprise Server
- Code review also consumes GitHub Actions minutes on private repositories
| Alternative | Rating | Paid plans from | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot(for comparison) | 4.4/5 | $10/month | Yes |
| Claude Code | 4.7/5 | $20/month ($17/month billed yearly) | No |
| Cursor | 4.5/5 | $8/month ($80 annual) | Yes |
| OpenAI Codex | 4.5/5 | $20/month | Yes |
| CodeRabbit | 4.3/5 | $24/user/month yearly ($30 monthly) | Yes |
| Cline | 4.2/5 | Open source | Yes |
| Zed | 4.2/5 | $10/month | Yes |
| Devin (incl. Devin Desktop, formerly Windsurf) | 4.1/5 | $20/month | Yes |
| Google Antigravity (with Gemini CLI and Jules) | 4.1/5 | $19.99/month | Yes |
- 1
Rated 4.7, 0.3 above GitHub Copilot; paid plans from $20/month ($17/month billed yearly) against GitHub Copilot's $10/month; GitHub Copilot has a free plan and it does not.
Best for: Developers who want a scriptable, highly customisable coding agent and are happy standardising on Claude models.
Its strongest point: Opus 5.5 by default, at $4/$20 per million tokens on the API
4.7/5 - 2
Rated 4.5, 0.1 above GitHub Copilot; paid plans from $8/month ($80 annual) against GitHub Copilot's $10/month; both have a free plan.
Choose it over GitHub Copilot if you want an editor built around agents, with cloud agents in their own virtual machines and Bugbot review across GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket, and you will set spend caps.
Its strongest point: Agents Window runs many local and cloud agents side by side
Read our Cursor reviewGitHub Copilot vs Cursor, side by side
4.5/5 - 3
Rated 4.5, 0.1 above GitHub Copilot; paid plans from $20/month against GitHub Copilot's $10/month; both have a free plan.
Best for: Developers and teams already paying for ChatGPT who want a terminal and cloud coding agent without a separate subscription.
Its strongest point: Included with ChatGPT Plus and Business at no extra cost
4.5/5 - 4
Rated 4.3, 0.1 below GitHub Copilot; paid plans from $24/user/month yearly ($30 monthly) against GitHub Copilot's $10/month; both have a free plan.
Best for: Teams with many contributors or heavy AI-agent output that want a consistent automated reviewer on every pull request.
Its strongest point: Reviews on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure DevOps
4.3/5 - 5
Rated 4.2, 0.2 below GitHub Copilot; open source against GitHub Copilot's $10/month; both have a free plan.
Best for: Developers and security-minded teams who want an open-source, bring-your-own-model agent in VS Code.
Its strongest point: Apache 2.0 code that security teams can audit
4.2/5 - 6
Rated 4.2, 0.2 below GitHub Copilot; paid plans from $10/month against GitHub Copilot's $10/month; both have a free plan.
Best for: Developers who want a fast, lightweight editor and prefer to pick their own AI models or agents.
Its strongest point: Native Rust editor, fast and light on memory
4.2/5 - 7
Rated 4.1, 0.3 below GitHub Copilot; paid plans from $20/month against GitHub Copilot's $10/month; both have a free plan.
Best for: Teams that want an AI IDE and an autonomous cloud coding agent from a single vendor.
Its strongest point: One plan covers an IDE, a CLI and an autonomous cloud agent
Read our Devin (incl. Devin Desktop, formerly Windsurf) review
4.1/5 - 8
Rated 4.1, 0.3 below GitHub Copilot; paid plans from $19.99/month against GitHub Copilot's $10/month; both have a free plan.
Best for: Google AI Pro or Ultra subscribers who want an agent-first coding setup built around Gemini models.
Its strongest point: Included with Google AI Pro at $19.99/month
Read our Google Antigravity (with Gemini CLI and Jules) review
4.1/5
When to stay with GitHub Copilot
Individuals who want a low-cost assistant with many models, and teams that already run on GitHub. Read our full GitHub Copilot review
Common questions
- What is the best alternative to GitHub Copilot?
- Claude Code, which we rate 4.7 out of 5. Claude Code sets the standard for terminal coding agents in 2026; the price of that standard is a single model vendor and a usage meter you cannot see.
- What is the best free alternative to GitHub Copilot?
- Cursor, the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.5 out of 5).
- How did you choose these?
- They are the alternatives named in our GitHub Copilot review plus the best-rated tools we have reviewed in the same category, ranked by our rating. Reviews are written by Andrew Miller and Sheela from each product's own pricing, docs and policies; we take no affiliate commission.