GitHub Copilot vs Claude Code

GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI coding assistant, with completions, chat, a CLI and a cloud agent that turns GitHub issues into pull requests. Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool, used from the terminal, IDE extensions, a desktop app and the web, with a cloud agent that runs each session on an Anthropic-managed VM. Both are cloud coding agents that keep working without your laptop.

The biggest difference is what each is built around. Copilot is built around GitHub: you assign an issue to Copilot, it works in a GitHub-managed sandbox and opens a PR, and it can use models from several vendors on one GitHub bill. Claude Code is built around the agent and Claude models: the same Claude Code runs in your terminal and in the cloud, and moves between them.

If your team lives in GitHub and wants the lowest entry price, Copilot starts at $10 a month. If you want Claude Code itself, in the terminal and the cloud, it comes with Claude Pro at $20 a month.

At a glance

What is GitHub Copilot?

GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI coding assistant. Its cloud agent, formerly called the coding agent, takes an issue, a prompt or a pull request, works on one branch and opens a pull request in a GitHub-hosted repository. You start it by assigning an issue to Copilot, mentioning it on a PR, from the Agents tab, VS Code, the Copilot CLI or app, GitHub Mobile, Slack or Teams, Linear, the API or Automations.

As of October 2026, sessions run by default in a GitHub-managed cloud sandbox with no one-hour limit, which saves a snapshot when it shuts down so you can resume later. Repositories that use copilot-setup-steps.yml or self-hosted runners still run on GitHub Actions, where sessions stop at 59 minutes.

What is Claude Code?

Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool. It reads your codebase, edits files and runs commands, and it is available in your terminal, IDE, desktop app and browser, with extensions for VS Code and JetBrains.

Claude Code on the web is the cloud agent. Each session runs in an isolated, Anthropic-managed VM, started from claude.ai/code, the Claude apps, claude --cloud in the terminal, Slack or scheduled tasks. Claude pushes changes to a branch, you review the diff and create the pull request, and Auto-fix can keep pushing fixes for CI failures and review comments. --teleport pulls a cloud session back into your terminal.

Key differences

GitHub-native or agent-first

Copilot's cloud agent is part of GitHub: issues, PRs, branch protections, org policies and pooled credits all apply. You can assign it an issue the same way you assign a teammate. Claude Code is the same agent everywhere, from the terminal to the cloud, and your repo's CLAUDE.md files, settings and MCP servers work across every surface. If you want the agent inside your GitHub process, Copilot fits. If you want one agent you drive yourself across laptop and cloud, Claude Code fits.

Models, and Claude inside Copilot

Copilot's plans page lists models from several vendors, such as Claude Opus 5.5, GPT-5.5, Gemini 4 Argon and Grok 4.7, depending on plan and policy. Copilot can also hand tasks to Anthropic's Claude coding agent, built on the Claude Agent SDK, inside the GitHub flow, in public preview on Pro+ and Max and paid from your Copilot subscription. Claude Code runs Claude models only, and its cloud sessions require a claude.ai subscription sign-in.

The cloud machine

Claude Code cloud sessions run on Ubuntu 24.04 with 4 vCPUs, 16 GB of RAM and 30 GB of disk, with Docker, PostgreSQL and Redis preinstalled. An idle VM pauses with its files saved and can later be reclaimed. Copilot's cloud sandboxes snapshot on shutdown and resume from any surface, and can span several repositories in one org, but they don't support custom compute or self-hosted runners; for those, Copilot falls back to Actions with its 59-minute limit.

Where your code lives

Both need GitHub for the cloud agent. Copilot works only with GitHub-hosted repositories. Claude Code on the web needs GitHub to clone repositories and create PRs, with a one-way bundle upload for other hosts, and supports GitHub Enterprise Server on Team and Enterprise plans.

Pricing compared

As of October 2026, Copilot bills the cloud agent, chat and CLI in AI credits at $0.01 each: Pro is $10 a month with 1,500 credits, Pro+ $39 with 7,000 and Max $100 with 20,000. Business is $19 and Enterprise $39 per seat per month, with credits pooled across the org. Compute is billed separately, and cloud sandbox billing starts in November 2026. Claude Code on the web is included in Claude Pro at $20 a month billed monthly, Max from $100, and Team standard seats at $25 per seat per month billed monthly, with no separate VM charge; it counts toward the plan's usage limits.

For one developer, the entry price with a cloud agent is $10 a month for Copilot and $20 for Claude Code. For a team of five on monthly billing, Copilot Business is 5 × $19 = $95 a month before compute, and Claude Team standard seats are 5 × $25 = $125 a month.

When to choose GitHub Copilot

• Your team's work is planned in GitHub issues and you want to assign them to an agent.
• You want models from several vendors, and org-wide policies and pooled credits.
• You want the lowest entry price for a cloud agent: $10 a month.
• You already use Copilot completions in VS Code.

When to choose Claude Code

• You want the Claude Code agent itself, in the terminal, your IDE and the cloud.
• You want --cloud and --teleport to move sessions between laptop and cloud.
• You already pay for a Claude plan, which includes cloud sessions at no extra charge.
• You want Docker and databases preinstalled on a published 4 vCPU, 16 GB cloud machine.

Run Claude Code from Slack

OpenComputer runs Claude Code, and Codex, in its cloud and opens pull requests from a Slack thread where the whole team can see and steer the work. It does not run Copilot's agent. It can sign in with your existing Claude subscription, and each Slack workspace gets one cloud Linux machine where every thread works on its own branch. See OpenComputer vs GitHub Copilot and OpenComputer vs Claude Code on the web.

FAQ

Is GitHub Copilot or Claude Code better?

It depends on your workflow. Copilot is the better fit for teams that plan work in GitHub issues and want the agent under GitHub's policies, from $10 a month. Claude Code is the better fit if you want one agent across terminal and cloud and prefer Claude models.

Can Copilot use Claude?

Yes, in two ways. Copilot offers Claude models such as Claude Opus 5.5 depending on plan, and on Pro+ and Max it can delegate tasks to Anthropic's Claude coding agent inside GitHub, in public preview. Neither is the same as running Claude Code yourself on a Claude plan.

How much do Copilot and Claude Code cost?

As of October 2026, Copilot Pro is $10 a month and Business $19 per seat, both including the cloud agent, with compute billed separately. Claude Code is included in Claude Pro at $20 a month billed monthly and Team standard seats at $25 per seat billed monthly.

Do Copilot and Claude Code work in Slack?

Both do. Copilot takes tasks from Slack and Teams through @GitHub. Claude Code has an @Claude app for Pro and Max that starts a cloud session, and Team and Enterprise workspaces use Claude Tag.

Sources

• About Copilot cloud agent
• GitHub changelog: connected Copilot cloud experience
• Copilot plans
• Copilot plans documentation
• About third-party agents in Copilot
• Claude Code overview
• Claude Code on the web
• Claude Code cloud environments
• Claude pricing