AI, in your work.

What changes

On November 4, Microsoft announced that GitHub Enterprise includes Copilot access rights at no additional access cost, while AI usage is billed through AI Credits. The distinction matters: including access does not mean including all consumption. This is set out in the Partner Center notice.

GitHub's October 28 announcement specifies that the offer applies to GitHub Enterprise Cloud. Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise remain available.

Availability and transition

The new model has been available since October 28 to enterprises working with a GitHub or Microsoft account team. At the time of checking, self-service subscriptions and self-service Enterprise Cloud trials remain excluded, as do GitHub Free and Team organizations. Transitioning is voluntary: keeping the current plan remains an option.

Access requires assigning Copilot seats. Transitions take effect on the first day of a month, on a date agreed with the account team. These requirements appear in GitHub's transition guide.

Two billing models

The plan comparison distinguishes seats with included credits from the new Copilot access model. These are public monthly USD amounts per user; the GitHub Enterprise Cloud license is purchased separately.

What consumes credits and what happens when the budget runs out

GitHub converts the cost of processed tokens into AI Credits: one credit equals USD 0.01. Cost depends on the model and token volume. Copilot access provides no included allowance, so metered usage is charged from the first use. See the enterprise billing documentation.

The change announcement explains that code completion and next edit suggestions keep working without available budget. Copilot Chat, code review, and Copilot in the cloud require budget. Exhausting it does not remove the seat.

Budget controls can limit consumption per user and spending per organization, cost center, or enterprise. The individual limit enforces a hard stop; remaining cost center budget does not override that limit.

How to evaluate the change

Nexo interpretation: procurement should compare total costs for an equivalent workload. A zero-dollar Copilot seat can reduce the fixed component, but the outcome depends on consumption previously covered by included credits.

Synthetic example, with no prices or results attributed to a customer: an enterprise wants to evaluate access for twenty developers. During a representative month, it could record who needs the tool, which tasks they perform, and how much they consume. It would then compare both models for the same group and period.

• Separate code suggestions from chat, agent, and code review usage.
• Count all consumption, including usage covered by the previous plan's allowance.
• Set limits and assign responsibility for reviewing spending before expanding usage.

An enterprise-wide decision

GitHub requires one billing model across the enterprise: Copilot access cannot coexist with Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise seats within it. The two access options—Enterprise Cloud and Standalone—can be combined. The plan documentation sets out this restriction.

The practical implication is to budget for access and consumption separately, and confirm eligibility, account-specific pricing, and the effective date before requesting a transition. The public announcement explains the model; it does not establish savings for a particular organization.