Starting June 1, GitHub Copilot replaces Premium Request Units with AI Credits. The base plan prices stay the same, but the math changes dramatically for heavy users:

Copilot Pro

$10/mo = 1,500 AI Credits
($10 base + $5 flex allotment)
Heavy agentic use: runs out fast

Copilot Pro+

$39/mo = 7,000 AI Credits
($39 base + $31 flex allotment)
Heavy agentic use: better, but still metered

Copilot Max

$100/mo = 20,000 AI Credits
($100 base + $100 flex allotment)
Heavy agentic use: room to breathe, at a price

One developer's preview bill showed $902.72 for what used to cost $39.07. Code completions and Next Edit Suggestions remain free, but chat, agent mode, and code review now burn through credits at published API rates.

The Alternative: ChatGPT Plus + Codex

Codex CLI is OpenAI's open source (Apache-2.0) coding agent that runs locally on your machine. The Codex VS Code Extension brings the same power into your editor. Both are included with ChatGPT Plus at $20/month.

What You Get with Plus

ChatGPT Plus includes Codex usage with generous per-5-hour limits — roughly 15-80 GPT-5.5 messages, 20-100 GPT-5.4 messages, or 30-150 GPT-5.3-Codex messages. For most daily coding workflows, that's plenty. If you do hit the limit, you can purchase additional credits without upgrading your plan.

Plus users also get access to the latest models including GPT-5.5, GPT-5.4, GPT-5.3-Codex, and GPT-5.4-mini for higher limits on routine tasks.

Why It Works Better

  • $20/mo flat — no token counting, no metered billing anxiety
  • Codex CLI — terminal-native, git-aware, runs locally
  • Codex VS Code Extension — inline completions + chat in your editor
  • Codex Cloud — offload heavy tasks to cloud agents when needed
  • Automatic code review — included without double-billing
Reddit user

"Moved from Copilot Pro to Codex CLI + Plus two weeks ago. Same daily workflow — agent mode, multi-file refactors, chat. My Copilot preview bill was projected at $210. Plus is $20. Flat. Done."

Hacker News

"A full day of heavy agentic coding on Codex CLI runs well within Plus limits. Copilot under the new model would burn through $10+ in credits for the same session."

The Bottom Line

Copilot's credit model makes variable-cost coding the new normal. ChatGPT Plus at $20/mo with Codex CLI and Codex VS Code Extension gives you flat-rate unlimited-style coding agent usage, open source terminal tools, and IDE integration — without the credit anxiety.

No token watching. No overage panic. Just code.