# GitHub Copilot Alternatives 2027: 9 Paid, Free & Open-Source

Source: https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/github-copilot/
Prices checked: 2026-11-11 (Zekai Price Ledger)

The best GitHub Copilot alternatives in 2027 are Claude Code (best overall, $20/mo), Zed (best free plan: Unlimited with own API keys) and Cline (best open source, Apache-2.0). GitHub Copilot itself starts at $10/mo. Zekai checked these prices on vendor pages on 11 Nov 2026; 6 more are compared below, including 4 with a free plan and 2 open source.

| Tool | Type | Starting price | Free plan limit | Licence | Best for | Price checked | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot (the tool being replaced) | — | $10/mo | 2,000 completions per month | — | — | 2026-11-11 | [pricing](https://github.com/features/copilot/plans) |
| Claude Code | Paid | $20/mo | No free plan | — | Terminal-first agentic coding across large repos | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview) [pricing](https://claude.com/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/claude-code/) |
| Cursor | Free plan + paid | $8/mo | Limited agent and chat requests | — | Agent-first editor with multi-vendor models | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://cursor.com) [pricing](https://cursor.com/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/cursor/) |
| Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) | Free | Free plan; paid price not published |  | — | Agent command center for local and cloud agents | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://devin.ai/desktop) [pricing](https://windsurf.com/pricing) |
| Kiro | Free plan + paid | $20/mo | 50 credits | — | Spec-driven development with agents | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://kiro.dev) [pricing](https://kiro.dev/pricing/) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/kiro/) |
| Zed | Free plan + paid | $10/mo | Unlimited with your own API keys or external agents | — | Fast Rust editor using your own agents | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://zed.dev) [pricing](https://zed.dev/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/zed/) |
| Amazon Q Developer (formerly CodeWhisperer) | Free plan + paid | $19/user/mo | 50 agentic requests per month | — | AWS-centred teams upgrading Java | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://aws.amazon.com/q/developer/) [pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/q/developer/pricing/) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/amazon-codewhisperer/) |
| Cline | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | Apache-2.0 | Open agent with any model provider | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://github.com/cline/cline) [code](https://github.com/cline/cline) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/cline/) |
| Kilo Code | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | MIT | Open agent for VS Code, JetBrains and CLI | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://github.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode) [code](https://github.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/kilocode/) |
| Qwen Code | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | Apache-2.0 | Terminal agent for Qwen and other models | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code) [code](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/qwen-code/) |

## How each alternative compares with GitHub Copilot

- **Claude Code** (Paid, $20/mo, checked 2026-11-11): Runs as a terminal CLI, desktop app and web agent, and also installs as a VS Code or JetBrains extension, with scheduled cloud tasks and subagents; it needs a Claude subscription or API account. Switch if you want an agent that edits many files, runs commands and opens pull requests from the terminal. Stay with GitHub Copilot if inline completions inside your current IDE matter more than long agentic sessions.
- **Cursor** (Free plan + paid, $8/mo, checked 2026-11-11): Ships its own desktop editor plus CLI, web and mobile agents, and lets you pick models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and Cursor; usage tiers run Plus, Premium, Super and Ultra. Switch if you want a dedicated agent editor and a cheaper entry plan than Copilot Pro. Stay with GitHub Copilot if you want to keep your editor and your GitHub pull request workflow unchanged.
- **Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)** (Free, Free plan; paid price not published): Renamed Devin Desktop; it manages local and cloud agents from one Agent Command Center over the Agent Client Protocol and hands sessions between your machine and Devin Cloud. Switch if you want to run parallel local and cloud agents that open their own pull requests. Stay with GitHub Copilot if you prefer a plugin in the editor you already use over a separate agent app.
- **Kiro** (Free plan + paid, $20/mo, checked 2026-11-11): Turns prompts into requirement, design and task specs before code is written, then verifies results; offered as IDE, CLI, web and Crew apps, billed in credits rather than requests. Switch if you want written specs and requirement checks driving the agent before any code changes. Stay with GitHub Copilot if you just want fast completions and chat without a spec workflow.
- **Zed** (Free plan + paid, $10/mo, checked 2026-11-11): A Rust-built editor for macOS, Linux and Windows whose free Personal plan is unlimited with your own API keys or external agents like Claude Agent and Codex CLI; Zed-hosted AI needs Pro. Switch if you already pay for model keys or agents and want a fast editor with no per-seat AI fee. Stay with GitHub Copilot if you want a managed subscription that bundles models and works in JetBrains or Visual Studio.
- **Amazon Q Developer (formerly CodeWhisperer)** (Free plan + paid, $19/user/mo, checked 2026-11-11): Includes Java upgrade and .NET porting agents (1,000 lines a month free); AWS says IDE plugins end on April 30, 2027 and recommends Kiro for similar capabilities. Switch if your stack is AWS-heavy or you need Java version upgrades done by an agent. Stay with GitHub Copilot if you do not want to migrate again when AWS retires the Q Developer IDE plugins.
- **Cline** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): Not tied to one provider: connects to Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, Bedrock, Ollama and any OpenAI-compatible API; the JetBrains plugin is not open source. Switch if you want an Apache-2.0 agent and full control over which model provider you pay. Stay with GitHub Copilot if you want one flat monthly price instead of paying a model provider per token.
- **Kilo Code** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): MIT-licensed agent that runs in VS Code, JetBrains, a CLI and a browser Cloud Agent, with access to 500+ models billed at the provider's rate with no markup. Switch if you want an MIT-licensed agent that works in JetBrains and VS Code plus a browser option. Stay with GitHub Copilot if you want completions and chat bundled with the GitHub repositories you already host.
- **Qwen Code** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): A terminal coding agent that supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and Qwen APIs and local models through Ollama or vLLM, switchable at runtime; installs with npm or Homebrew. Switch if you want a free terminal agent that can run Qwen or local models through vLLM. Stay with GitHub Copilot if you work mainly in an IDE and want inline suggestions rather than a terminal agent.

## Open-source options in detail

- **Cline** (https://github.com/cline/cline): Licence: Apache-2.0; Last release: 2026-10-26
- **Kilo Code** (https://github.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode): Licence: MIT; Last release: 2026-09-06
- **Qwen Code** (https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code): Licence: Apache-2.0

## Questions

### What is the best alternative to GitHub Copilot in 2027?
Claude Code is the best overall GitHub Copilot alternative on this page ($20/mo). For no cost, Zed has a free plan (Unlimited with your own API keys or external agents). To self-host, Cline is open source (Apache-2.0).

### Is there a free version of GitHub Copilot?
Yes. GitHub Copilot has a free plan: 2,000 completions per month. Paid plans start at $10/mo, checked on 11 Nov 2026.

### Is there a 100% free alternative to GitHub Copilot?
Yes. Cline, Kilo Code, Qwen Code are open source and free to self-host. Cursor, Windsurf (now Devin Desktop), Kiro, Zed, Amazon Q Developer (formerly CodeWhisperer) have a free plan with limits, shown in the table.

### What is cheaper than GitHub Copilot?
Cursor starts at $8/mo, against $10/mo for GitHub Copilot, as listed on each vendor's pricing page on 11 Nov 2026.

### How much do GitHub Copilot alternatives cost for a team of 5?
If each of 5 people buys the entry paid plan, at the prices Zekai checked on 11 Nov 2026, the monthly cost is Cursor $40/mo, Zed $50/mo, Amazon Q Developer (formerly CodeWhisperer) $95/mo, against GitHub Copilot $50/mo for GitHub Copilot. Team and business plans can cost more per seat. The Zekai Cost Finder on this page recalculates for any team size.

### Which is better, Claude Code or GitHub Copilot?
Runs as a terminal CLI, desktop app and web agent, and also installs as a VS Code or JetBrains extension, with scheduled cloud tasks and subagents; it needs a Claude subscription or API account. Choose Claude Code if you want an agent that edits many files, runs commands and opens pull requests from the terminal. Stay with GitHub Copilot if inline completions inside your current IDE matter more than long agentic sessions.

### Why are people leaving GitHub Copilot?
The documented reasons are: GitHub moved Copilot from premium requests to usage-based AI Credits from 1 June 2026, charging by token at each model's API rate (27 Apr 2026); The same announcement removed fallback to a cheaper model once allowances run out; usage is now limited by remaining credits and admin budgets (27 Apr 2026). Each is sourced in the section above.

### What is better than GitHub Copilot?
It depends on the job. Claude Code suits terminal agent work, Cursor suits an agent-first editor, and Cline suits people who want open source with their own model keys.

## Related on Zekai

- [Claude Code alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/claude-code/)
- [Cursor alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/cursor/)
- [Blackbox AI alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/blackbox-ai/)
- [Devin alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/devin/)
- [AI for Software Development](https://zekaiwork.com/professions/ai-software-development-code-automation/)

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Live table, team cost finder and price alerts: https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/github-copilot/