GitHub Copilot Review 2025
Microsoft’s AI pair programmer that autocompletes your thoughts – now with GPT-4 and chat capabilities
🎯 Quick Verdict
GitHub Copilot remains the most accessible and widely-adopted AI coding assistant, perfect for developers who want AI help without changing their workflow. Its deep integration with VS Code, Visual Studio, and other popular IDEs means you can start using it immediately. While it lacks the advanced multi-file editing of Cursor, its combination of inline suggestions, chat interface, and affordability makes it the best entry point into AI-assisted coding.
✅ Pros
- Works in your existing IDE – no switching required
- Excellent inline code suggestions
- Only $10/month (free for students/OSS)
- Copilot Chat for questions and explanations
- Trained on billions of lines of code
- Great at boilerplate and common patterns
- Supports 40+ programming languages
- Microsoft backing ensures longevity
- Works great with TypeScript/JavaScript
❌ Cons
- Limited context awareness vs Cursor
- No multi-file editing capabilities
- Can suggest outdated patterns
- Sometimes generates insecure code
- Requires constant internet connection
- Limited customization options
- Can be distracting with too many suggestions
- Business plan is expensive ($19/user)
🚀 Core Features That Matter
⚡ Ghost Text Completions
Suggests entire functions and code blocks as you type, appearing as gray text you can accept with Tab.
💬 Copilot Chat
Ask questions about your code, get explanations, and generate new code through a conversational interface.
🔍 Context Understanding
Analyzes open files and recent edits to provide relevant suggestions based on your current work.
📝 Comment-to-Code
Write a comment describing what you want, and Copilot generates the implementation below it.
🧪 Test Generation
Automatically creates unit tests for your functions with proper assertions and edge cases.
🌍 Multi-Language Support
Works with Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, Go, C++, and dozens more languages.
🛡️ Security Scanning
Filters out code matching public repositories to avoid license issues and suggests secure patterns.
📚 Documentation Helper
Generates comprehensive docstrings and comments that actually match your code’s functionality.
💰 Pricing Plans
- For verified students
- For OSS maintainers
- Full features included
- VS Code integration
- Copilot Chat access
- Unlimited suggestions
- Copilot Chat included
- All IDE integrations
- Voice coding (preview)
- CLI assistance
- Priority support
- Everything in Individual
- Organization-wide settings
- Policy management
- Exclude specific files
- Audit logs
- Enterprise support
- Everything in Business
- Custom model fine-tuning
- Advanced security
- SSO/SAML
- Private model option
- Dedicated support
💡 Pro Tip: Students get it free with GitHub Student Pack – verify your .edu email!
💻 Copilot in Action
Type a comment and watch Copilot generate the entire implementation:
// Function to validate email and check if domain is allowed
// Should handle common email formats and check against whitelist
// Copilot generates:
function validateEmail(email, allowedDomains = []) {
// Basic email regex pattern
const emailPattern = /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/;
// Check if email matches basic pattern
if (!emailPattern.test(email)) {
return {
valid: false,
error: 'Invalid email format'
};
}
// Extract domain from email
const domain = email.split('@')[1].toLowerCase();
// If no domain whitelist provided, accept all valid emails
if (allowedDomains.length === 0) {
return {
valid: true,
domain: domain
};
}
// Check if domain is in allowed list
const isAllowed = allowedDomains
.map(d => d.toLowerCase())
.includes(domain);
return {
valid: isAllowed,
domain: domain,
error: isAllowed ? null : `Domain ${domain} is not allowed`
};
}
// Copilot also suggests tests:
describe('validateEmail', () => {
test('validates correct email format', () => {
const result = validateEmail('user@example.com');
expect(result.valid).toBe(true);
});
test('rejects invalid format', () => {
const result = validateEmail('invalid-email');
expect(result.valid).toBe(false);
});
test('checks domain whitelist', () => {
const result = validateEmail('user@gmail.com', ['gmail.com']);
expect(result.valid).toBe(true);
});
});
All generated from a simple comment! Copilot understands intent and creates production-ready code.
🛠️ Supported Development Environments
💙 VS Code
Native integration with Microsoft’s editor. Install from marketplace and start coding immediately.
🟣 Visual Studio
Full support in Visual Studio 2022 for .NET, C++, and all Microsoft stack development.
🧠 JetBrains IDEs
Works in IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, and all JetBrains products via official plugin.
⚡ Neovim
Available for Vim/Neovim users who prefer terminal-based development.
🌐 GitHub.dev
Works in the browser-based editor for quick edits without local setup.
📱 GitHub Mobile
Limited support for code review and quick edits on mobile devices.
🎯 Where Copilot Excels
🔄 Boilerplate Code
Instantly generates repetitive code like CRUD operations, API endpoints, and data models.
🧪 Unit Testing
Creates comprehensive test suites with edge cases you might not have considered.
📖 Learning New Languages
Perfect companion when working with unfamiliar languages or frameworks.
🔧 Regular Expressions
Generates complex regex patterns from natural language descriptions.
🗃️ SQL Queries
Writes optimized database queries based on your schema and requirements.
🎨 CSS & Styling
Suggests modern CSS solutions and helps with responsive design patterns.
📊 Copilot vs Competitors
| Feature | GitHub Copilot | Cursor | Amazon CodeWhisperer | Tabnine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $10/mo | $20/mo | Free/$19/mo | Free/$12/mo |
| IDE Support | ✅ Most IDEs | ❌ Own IDE only | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ Most IDEs |
| Suggestion Quality | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Context Awareness | Current file | Entire codebase | Current file | Multiple files |
| Chat Interface | ✅ Copilot Chat | ✅ Built-in | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Multi-file Edit | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Free Tier | Students/OSS | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Best For | General development | Complex projects | AWS development | Privacy-focused |
💡 Pro Tips for Maximum Productivity
- Write Clear Comments: Detailed comments lead to better suggestions – be specific about requirements
- Use Copilot Chat: Don’t just accept suggestions – ask Copilot to explain or improve them
- Pattern Matching: Start writing a pattern and Copilot will continue it (great for repetitive tasks)
- Keyboard Shortcuts: Master Tab to accept, Esc to dismiss, Alt+] for next suggestion
- Context Files: Open related files as tabs to give Copilot more context
- Disable When Needed: Turn off for sensitive code or when you want to think through problems yourself
- Review Everything: Always review generated code for security and correctness
- Use for Learning: Ask Copilot Chat to explain unfamiliar code or concepts
⚠️ Common Issues & Solutions
🐛 Outdated Patterns
Copilot may suggest deprecated methods. Always verify against current documentation.
🔒 Security Concerns
Review for hardcoded credentials, SQL injection risks, and other security issues.
📜 License Issues
Enable the filter to block suggestions matching public code if license compliance matters.
🌐 Network Dependency
Requires constant internet. Consider alternatives if you need offline coding support.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
🏆 Final Verdict: The Gateway Drug to AI Coding
GitHub Copilot is the perfect entry point into AI-assisted development. At just $10/month (free for students!), it offers incredible value and works seamlessly in your existing IDE. While it can’t match Cursor’s advanced multi-file editing or codebase understanding, it excels at what most developers actually need: smart autocomplete, boilerplate generation, and quick answers through Copilot Chat.
The quality of suggestions has improved dramatically with GPT-4 integration, and it’s particularly impressive with popular frameworks and languages. The ability to learn your coding patterns and suggest consistent solutions makes it feel like a real pair programmer.
The main limitations are its file-level context and occasional suggestions of outdated patterns. Power users working on complex refactoring might find Cursor’s capabilities worth the extra $10/month.
Bottom line: Every developer should at least try Copilot’s free trial. For the price of two coffees per month, you get an AI assistant that genuinely accelerates development. Students should activate it immediately (it’s free!), and most professionals will find the Individual plan offers the best balance of features and affordability in AI coding tools.