ChatGPT vs GitHub Copilot: Side-by-Side Comparison 2026
ChatGPT vs GitHub Copilot comparison 2026. Side-by-side features, pricing & capabilities.
| Feature | ChatGPT | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Assistant | Extension |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| Model Family | GPT / o-series | Multi-model |
| Context Window | 32K (Plus) / 196K (Pro) | Varies by model (up to 1M) |
| Code Completion | ✗ | ✓ |
| Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inline Editing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Agentic Mode | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi-File Editing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Terminal Commands | ✗ | ✓ |
| Browser Use | ✓ | ✗ |
| Test Generation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Debugging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Refactoring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Code Review | ✓ | ✓ |
| PR Review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Documentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Image to Code | ✓ | ✗ |
| Voice Input | ✓ | ✓ |
| App Generation | ✗ | ✗ |
| Deployment | ✗ | ✗ |
| Git Integration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Supported IDEs | N/A (standalone) | VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Neovim, GitHub.com, GitHub Mobile |
| Open Source | No | No |
Pricing verified 2026-02-05. ChatGPT pricing | GitHub Copilot pricing
Overview
ChatGPT is ai assistant from OpenAI. GitHub Copilot is editor extension from GitHub (Microsoft). Both tools are actively maintained as of 2026.
ChatGPT: What You Get
ChatGPT — Conversational AI from OpenAI. General + Coding.
- AI chat
- Test generation
- Debugging
- Code review
Pricing: Free / $8/mo. 6 plans available.
Models: GPT-5.2, GPT-5.2 Thinking, GPT-4o, o1, o1-mini
GitHub Copilot: What You Get
GitHub's AI coding assistant that suggests code completions, whole functions, and chat-based help directly in your editor.
- Code completions
- Chat
- CLI integration
- Pull request summaries
- Code review
- Multi-model support
Pricing: Free / $10/mo. 5 plans available.
Models: GPT-4.1, GPT-4o, o1, Claude Sonnet 4, Claude Sonnet 4.5, Claude Opus 4.5, Gemini 2.5 Pro
Key Differences
- Category: ChatGPT is ai assistant, GitHub Copilot is editor extension.
- Agentic mode: GitHub Copilot supports agentic mode; ChatGPT does not.
- Model family: ChatGPT uses GPT / o-series; GitHub Copilot uses Multi-model.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose ChatGPT if you want AI-powered coding assistance. Choose GitHub Copilot if you want Deep integration with GitHub workflows. Both tools are strong options — the right choice depends on your workflow and priorities.
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