Two coding assistants spanning terminal and GitHub workflows, compared for repository work, data controls, and usage billing. This guidance is based on company pages linked from the profiles below.
Your development workflow centers on a terminal, repository tools, and coordinated file changes.
Look elsewhere if: You need a dedicated AI-first editor rather than an agent that also integrates with IDEs, or cannot send code context to a supported hosted model service.
Development already runs through GitHub and supported editors, with review and agents in that workflow.
Look elsewhere if: You want a dedicated AI-first editor or need every feature to run fully self-hosted.
| Detail | Claude CodeAnthropic | GitHub CopilotGitHub |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | Developer tool | Developer tool |
| US price | Pro $20/mo; Max 5x $100/mo; Max 20x $200/mo; Team Standard $20–$25/seat/mo (opens in a new tab) Full Claude Code plan detailsClaude Code access is included with Pro, Max, every Team seat, and eligible Enterprise seats. Pro, Max, Team, and seat-based Enterprise have included usage limits; usage-based Enterprise has no included allowance and bills usage at API rates from the first token. Pro is $20 monthly or $200 yearly. Max 5x is listed at $100 per month and Max 20x at $200 per month. Anthropic's plan guide and pricing FAQ say both Max tiers are monthly only, but its pricing comparison table lists monthly and annual billing; confirm the available billing interval before subscribing. Team Standard is $20 per seat monthly when billed annually or $25 month to month, with a two-seat minimum; Premium is $100 or $125 and adds 5× more usage. New and self-serve Enterprise seats include Claude Code; older Enterprise plans may require a Chat + Claude Code or Premium seat. Individual Pro, Max 5x, and Max 20x subscribers can prepay usage credits to continue Claude Code terminal use after included limits at standard API rates, with a configurable monthly spending cap. Pay-as-you-go API usage through a Console account is a separate path. | Free; Pro $10/mo (opens in a new tab) Full GitHub Copilot plan detailsFree plan. Pro is listed at $10 monthly, Pro+ at $39, and Max at $100. For organizations, Business is $19 per user monthly and Enterprise is $39 per user monthly; Enterprise requires GitHub Enterprise Cloud. |
| Ways to use it | Web, macOS, Linux, Windows, iOS, Android, Terminal | GitHub, GitHub Mobile, macOS, Windows, Linux, VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Xcode, CLI, More editors |
| Access | Terminal, IDE, web, mobile, GitHub, and Slack access. | Hosted service available on GitHub, GitHub Mobile, supported editors, and the command line, plus a desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux. |
| Where it runs | The terminal client runs locally and talks directly to model APIs. Cloud sessions run on Anthropic-managed infrastructure from web, mobile, desktop, or --cloud; that path is a research preview for Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise Premium or Chat + Claude Code seats. | GitHub-hosted by default with organization and enterprise controls; supported clients can instead use third-party or local models through local BYOK without a Copilot subscription, though provider costs may apply. |
| Profile evidence | Capabilities · Access · Limits · collected Aug 1, 2026 | Capabilities · Access · Limits · collected Aug 1, 2026 |
Start with Claude Code when terminal commands and coordinated repository edits are central. Start with GitHub Copilot when you want IDE completions alongside review and agent workflows on GitHub. Both also offer command-line and GitHub integrations, but features vary by client, so check the exact surfaces your team will use.
Company sources: Claude Code product page (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot plans (opens in a new tab)Local Claude Code in Manual mode asks before file edits and most shell commands. Auto mode can instead run without routine prompts while a separate classifier reviews actions; it requires a supported model and provider, Team or Enterprise administrators can disable it, and Anthropic says it does not guarantee safety. Permission rules and its optional Bash sandbox still apply. Claude cloud sessions can also execute autonomously in fresh Anthropic-managed virtual machines. Their GitHub proxy permits pushes only to the session's current branch and API or release-asset requests only to repositories attached to the session. GitHub Copilot’s desktop app is a separate boundary: it can run parallel agent sessions in dedicated Git worktrees and branches, offers Interactive, Plan, and Autopilot modes, and can instead start a session in a public-preview cloud sandbox hosted by GitHub. Its separate cloud agent works in an ephemeral GitHub Actions environment, can change only the selected repository and one branch, and creates pull requests that a human must review and merge. By default, its GitHub Actions workflows wait for a user with write access to approve them.
Company sources: Claude Code permissions (opens in a new tab) · Claude Code permission modes (opens in a new tab) · Claude Code sandboxing (opens in a new tab) · Claude Code on the web (opens in a new tab) · Claude Code cloud environments (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot app (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot cloud agent (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot cloud agent risks and mitigations (opens in a new tab)Claude Code runs locally, but Anthropic says it sends all user prompts and model outputs over the network to interact with the LLM. GitHub lists a separate local BYOK path for VS Code, JetBrains, Xcode, Copilot CLI, the Copilot app, and the Copilot SDK. It can use local or externally hosted models; GitHub says keys stay client-side and the path removes the Copilot API dependency, making it suitable for air-gapped environments or use without a Copilot subscription. This applies only to those listed clients, not every Copilot feature. Business or Enterprise administrators can disable local BYOK in IDEs. GitHub's separate Enterprise BYOK path is server-side and still requires a Copilot license and internet access.
Company sources: Claude Code data usage (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot BYOK (opens in a new tab)On Claude Free, Pro, and Max, Claude Code data may be used for training when the privacy setting is on; Anthropic says Team, Enterprise, and API code and prompts are not used unless the customer explicitly opts in. GitHub says Free, Pro, Pro+, and Max Copilot interactions—including code context from a private repository while Copilot is active—may be used for training unless the user opts out; private repositories at rest and Business or Enterprise customer data are excluded.
Company sources: Claude Code data usage (opens in a new tab) · Managing GitHub Copilot policies (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot interaction data policy update (opens in a new tab)Claude Code shares paid-plan usage limits. Pro, Max 5x, and Max 20x subscribers can prepay usage credits, set a monthly cap, and continue terminal use at standard API rates; a Console API key is instead pay-as-you-go per token. GitHub says its Free, Pro, Pro+, and Max plans include monthly AI Credits, while paid individual plans can continue with additional credits under a dollar budget. Credit use depends on model and token count; completions and next-edit suggestions do not use credits and remain unlimited on paid plans. Cloud agent uses AI Credits and GitHub Actions minutes. Code review also uses AI Credits, but GitHub auto-selects and does not disclose its model, so per-review credit cost varies; reviews on private repositories also use GitHub Actions minutes. GitHub's table lists $200 in total monthly Max credits, including a variable $100 flex allotment, while its FAQ says $100; confirm the current total.
Company sources: Usage credits for paid Claude plans (opens in a new tab) · Models, usage, and limits in Claude Code (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot plans (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot models and pricing (opens in a new tab) · GitHub Copilot cloud agent (opens in a new tab)