Side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right tool for your business
Our Verdict: Copilot for seamless autocomplete, Claude Code for delegating entire tasks
GitHub Copilot is the gold standard for inline code suggestions — it lives in your IDE and predicts what you'll type next with impressive accuracy. Claude Code operates at a higher level: you describe a task in natural language and it autonomously writes, tests, and commits code across multiple files. Copilot makes you faster at writing code. Claude Code writes code for you. Most teams will benefit from using both.
Individual developers and teams wanting IDE-native AI completions
Free (2,000 completions) / $10/mo (Individual) / $19/user/mo (Business) / $39/user/mo (Enterprise)
beginner
1 hour
Delegating complex, multi-file coding tasks to an autonomous agent
Usage-based via API ($3-15/1M tokens) or Claude Pro ($20/mo)
intermediate
1-2 days
| Feature | GitHub Copilot | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Autocomplete | Yes (real-time, multi-line) | No |
| Chat in IDE | Yes (Copilot Chat) | Terminal-based |
| Multi-file changes | Copilot Workspace (Enterprise) | Yes (autonomous) |
| Test execution | No | Yes (runs tests directly) |
| Git operations | No | Yes (commits, branches) |
| Context size | ~8K tokens (per request) | 200K tokens |
| IDE support | VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, Xcode | Any terminal |
| Enterprise compliance | GitHub Enterprise, SSO, audit logs | Anthropic API, SOC 2 |
Tab-complete generates route handlers, validation, and error handling as you type. It's faster than typing a Claude Code prompt for repetitive patterns.
Autonomously converts files, adds type definitions, resolves import errors, and runs tsc to verify. Copilot would require manual file-by-file conversion.
Copilot Business integrates with GitHub org policies, provides usage analytics, and works silently in every developer's IDE. Claude Code requires individual setup.
Feed it the spec and it scaffolds components, API routes, database queries, and tests. Then it runs the test suite to verify everything works together.
We implement both options. Tell us your use case and we'll recommend the right fit — then set it up for you.
No — they solve different problems. Copilot makes you type faster. Claude Code writes code for you. Think of Copilot as autocorrect on steroids and Claude Code as a junior developer you can assign tasks to. Most productive developers will use both.
GitHub Copilot, because it teaches patterns as you type. You see what it suggests and learn from the completions. Claude Code does the work for you, which is less educational. However, Claude Code's explanations of how code works are more detailed and useful for understanding architecture.
Not natively — it's a terminal application. However, VS Code's integrated terminal runs Claude Code seamlessly, and many developers keep a Claude Code terminal panel open alongside their editor. There are also community extensions that integrate Claude Code's output into the VS Code workflow.
GitHub Copilot Business at $19/user/month = $190/month for predictable costs. Claude Code would vary wildly — $300-1,500/month depending on usage. For consistent, predictable budgets, Copilot wins. For teams that delegate heavily to AI and value output over cost predictability, Claude Code delivers more value per dollar.