Side-by-side facts from official pages, checked 2026-10-15. Prices change often, so always confirm on the official site. Not sure which tool fits? Take the quiz.
| GitHub Copilot | Claude Code | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI assistant in VS Code/JetBrains/etc + GitHub cloud agent and CLI. | Anthropic's agentic coding tool for terminal/IDE, included in Claude paid plans. |
| Category | AI coding tools | AI coding tools |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Pricing | Free (limited chat/agent; 2000 completions, 50 chats); Pro $10/mo; Pro+ $39/mo; Max $100/mo. | Not in Free plan. Claude Pro $20/mo ($17/mo annual); Max from $100/mo. |
| Platforms | ide, cli, web | cli |
| Best for | staying in your current editor, GitHub users, cheap entry | autonomous multi-file changes, terminal users |
| Skill level | beginner, intermediate, advanced | intermediate, advanced |
| Latest release | 2026-09-30: HydraFusion in VS Code & Copilot app (source) | 2026-09-18: Claude Code v2.1.277 (AGENTS.md support) (source) |
| Rubric score | 90.0/100 | 45.0/100 |
| Source | official pricing | official pricing |
These "pick if" points come only from the listed facts. They don't judge output quality. Our scores follow the methodology. Read more: GitHub Copilot · Claude Code · Quiz