[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong] GitHub will shift the pricing system for its AI coding tool GitHub Copilot to a usage-based model from June. It is moving away from a structure centered on monthly subscriptions to one in which costs vary depending on how much AI functionality is used.

On April 28 (local time), online media outlet Gigazine reported that GitHub will introduce a GitHub AI Credits system across all Copilot plans from June 1. Credits will be deducted when AI features are used, and additional charges will apply once the included amount is fully used.

The key change is that costs will vary with AI throughput. Until now, users could effectively use it as a flat-rate service within a certain range by paying only a monthly subscription fee. Going forward, credits will be reduced in line with usage each time users run tasks such as large-scale code generation, long-duration automated coding or AI chat queries.

GitHub explained that a sharp increase in AI feature usage is behind the policy change. It said the existing structure created a cost imbalance because simple questions and large automated coding tasks lasting several hours were handled under the same pricing system.

The operational burden has already surfaced. GitHub temporarily halted new sign-ups for paid plans on April 20. The company cited the need to maintain service quality for existing users, and Copilot usage has been reported to have surged in 2026.

Not all AI features will be subject to usage-based billing. Code completion, which automatically suggests what comes next during code entry, and Next Edit Suggestions will remain included as before and will not consume AI credits.

GitHub will also offer a preview feature from May so users can understand potential cost changes in advance. Through it, individual users and enterprise customers will be able to check their actual usage patterns and expected costs ahead of time.

Management tools for enterprise customers will also be strengthened. Administrators will be able to control unexpected cost increases by setting budget limits and using tools that make usage visible. The measures aim to reduce cost uncertainty from the shift to usage-based pricing.

Monthly subscription fees will remain at current levels. The Pro plan will cost $10 a month and the Pro+ plan $39 a month. Each plan will include AI credits equivalent to the value of the fee, and additional charges will apply if users exceed that amount.

Some in the industry also say the overhaul signals a change in the profit structure of the AI coding tools market. They say AI service providers have kept what was effectively a flat-rate model to acquire users quickly, but soaring AI computing costs are accelerating a shift toward charging based on actual usage.

As a result, Copilot users are expected to be able to continue using basic code-assistance features as before. But managing usage is likely to become an important factor for long-duration automated coding or large-scale generation tasks.