GitHub Copilot's Freemium Era Is Over

This article details GitHub's announcement that Copilot plans will shift to usage-based billing starting June 1, 2026, replacing Premium Request Units with AI Credits. While base plan prices remain unchanged, the value changes significantly as heavy model usage and agentic workflows consume credits rapidly. Code completions and Next Edit Suggestions remain unlimited, but chat, CLI, cloud agents, and third-party agents now incur credit costs. Model choice becomes a budget decision, with different models costing varying amounts per token. The article provides a practical breakdown for developers and organizations on how to navigate the new pricing model.