"Copilot Access": GitHub makes Copilot available to Enterprise customers

What happened

GitHub has simplified how big companies pay for Copilot. Copilot is Microsoft's AI tool that helps people write and check computer code. Eligible Enterprise customers no longer need a second, separate Copilot license. All Copilot features are now included in GitHub Enterprise. The new plan is called "Copilot Access." Companies that want it must still contact GitHub's sales team for now. A self-service option is expected soon. Existing customers can keep their current plan or switch when they are ready.

Key numbers and facts

• GitHub Enterprise Cloud with Copilot Access costs 21 US dollars per month, with no extra Copilot fee.
• Copilot Standalone costs 10 US dollars per month.
• Copilot Standalone does not include a credit pool, so GitHub bills for usage from the first use.
• The platform has more than 225 million users as of October 2026.
• Merged pull requests (accepted code changes) tripled to 1.3 billion within one year.

Background

In April, GitHub announced a new way to charge Copilot users. Usage of AI models is billed in tokens, which are small pieces of text the AI reads and writes. Customers pay with a credit balance. The old free fallback to a simple, cheaper model has been removed. Since June 1, 2026, paid plans for individual developers include fixed "Base Credits" and variable "Flex Credits."

New model router

• Copilot Fusion picks the best AI model for each request.
• GitHub's benchmarks say it can cut token costs by up to three quarters while keeping results almost the same quality.
• Fusion can use one model or mix several.
• Models are only called when really needed, which saves credits.
• Fusion can also use models installed locally on a computer.

Why it matters

The change makes it simpler and possibly cheaper for large companies to give their developers AI help. Fewer licenses to track means less admin work. The new router could also lower the cost of using AI tools. However, the access still has to be handed out by hand to team members, and the switch is optional for existing customers.