GitHub Copilot users shocked by new usage-based pricing costs

GitHub's new usage-based pricing for Copilot, announced in April and effective today, has caused widespread sticker shock among users. Under the previous request-based model, subscribers paid a fixed fee for a set number of requests and premium requests. The new system allocates a monthly credit allotment, with users reporting that just a few hours of AI usage can consume a large portion or even the entire month's quota. Some users shared estimates from GitHub's own tool showing that their previous monthly usage would cost thousands of dollars under the new plan. GitHub justified the change by noting that the old model forced the company to absorb escalating inference costs, as a quick chat question and a multi-hour coding session were priced the same. Users have taken to social media and forums to express frustration, with some saying they used up a month's quota in less than a day.