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GitHub Copilot is an AI pair programmer that helps developers write better code. It suggests completions for your code in real time as you type, so you can accept or reject the suggestions. Copilot uses techniques like natural language processing and neural networks to generate suggestions that take your coding style and context into account.
See more: Using GitHub Copilot: The AI Pair Programmer
Who has free access to Copilot?
Although GitHub Copilot is a paid service for most users, there are certain groups that can access Copilot for free:
Students
If you are a student aged 18 or older and currently enrolled in an academic institution, you can sign up for GitHub Copilot for free. This is what you need to do:
Check your student status
GitHub partners with SheerID to verify student status. SheerID asks for information from your student ID, official transcripts, or enrollment documentation. This ensures that only verified students get free access to Copilot.
Verification is usually quick and done online. Once your student status is confirmed, you will receive an email from GitHub inviting you to activate GitHub Copilot for free.
Activate your copy of Copilot
Follow the instructions in the email from GitHub to activate your copy of Copilot. The activation and onboarding process takes just a few minutes.
Once activated, you can start using GitHub Copilot in your favorite editor or IDE. Supported options include Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, Vim, and Emacs.
Your free access lasts for 12 months from the time you activate GitHub Copilot. After 12 months, you’ll need to re-verify your student status if you want to continue using Copilot for free.
Teachers
If you’re a teacher who teaches students ages 13 and older, you’re also eligible for free access to GitHub Copilot.
As with students, teachers must have their status verified before accessing Copilot. GitHub partners with ID.me to verify teacher status.
You will need to provide information such as your teacher ID, pay stub, letter from your school or other documents that validate you as a teacher. Once approved, you will receive an email invitation to activate GitHub Copilot for free.
Teacher access also lasts for 12 months before re-verification is required.
Open Source maintainers
Administrators of popular open source projects used by at least 1,000 people per month can also get free access to GitHub Copilot.
To qualify, your open source project needs:
- At least 1,000 stars or forks on GitHub
- Recent activities and regular code contributions
- An OSI-approved open source license
If your project meets the criteria, you can complete this form and request maintenance-free access. The GitHub Copilot team will review your application and grant approvals on an ongoing basis.
Once approved, you will receive an email inviting you to activate your free copy of GitHub Copilot. You also get some additional Copilot benefits, such as higher usage limits.
This free access lasts as long as you remain an active administrator of a qualifying open source project.
Also read: Pricing and plans for GitHub Copilot
How is GitHub Copilot Free useful?
Getting free access to GitHub Copilot is useful whether you’re a student, teacher, or open source maintainer. Here are some of the main benefits:
- Learn faster – Copilot’s suggestions help you write code faster and learn through real-world examples. This improves learning results.
- Build a portfolio – Maintainers can use Copilot to write better documentation and improve projects for their portfolio.
- Develop learning resources – Teachers can use Copilot to create lectures, assignments, assessments and other lesson content.
- Stay within budget – Free access allows students, teachers and non-profit open source projects to use cutting-edge tools without going over budget.
Overall, GitHub wants to make Copilot’s capabilities more accessible through its free access program. Eligible developers can take advantage of AI-enabled encryption technologies without the cost barrier.
Alternative free options
If you don’t qualify for GitHub Copilot’s free access, there are a few alternative AI coding assistants with free tiers or licenses:
Tabnine
Tabnine offers free access to students and administrators of open source projects with more than 1,000 stars. It provides intelligent code completions within your editor.
The suggestions use deep learning, trained on millions of files from GitHub. Completions support all major languages such as Python, JavaScript, Java and more.
Amazon CodeWhisperer
Amazon’s CodeWhisperer is included at no additional cost for AWS customers in select regions. It provides automated code suggestions for modern languages and ML frameworks.
The AI assistant continuously trains on new code to keep improving its suggestions. CodeWhisperer also explains the context and reasoning for its code recommendations.
Bito
Bito is an AI pair programmer focused on Python and offers a free version. The free tier offers unlimited usage with code completion and code generation capabilities.
In addition to completions, Bito also helps explain Python APIs and provides context for unfamiliar methods or libraries. The training process ensures that the output matches common Python idioms.
Codeium
For a more basic autocomplete engine, check out Codeium. It displays keyword and API suggestions in more than 20 programming languages.
The editor’s core features are free, without any usage limits. Premium tools such as debugging tools and advanced language analyzes require a paid subscription.
Even the free set of writing tools can increase your coding productivity. The suggestions respond in real time with low latency.
Start today
GitHub Copilot offers a big boost in coding productivity with its advanced AI capabilities. Qualified students, teachers, and open source administrators can access the full functionality of Copilot for free for at least 12 months.
Make sure you check if you meet the criteria for free access to this innovative AI coding assistant. The onboarding and verification process is typically completed within minutes.
Once set up, you can integrate GitHub Copilot into your coding tools like VS Code or IntelliJ. It will revolutionize your development workflow with fast and intelligent suggestions while you code. Copilot continues to learn and improve as you continue programming, leading to even better code completions.
The free access removes financial constraints, allowing more developers to innovate with AI. Students can improve their skills, teachers can develop better technical learning tools, and administrators can improve their open source projects.
ready to get started? Check your eligibility and activate GitHub Copilot today to boost your coding.
🌟 Do you have burning questions about a “GitHub Copilot Free”? Do you need some extra help with AI tools or something else?
💡 Feel free to email Pradip Maheshwari, our expert at OpenAIMaster. Send your questions to support@openaimaster.com and Pradip Maheshwari will be happy to help you!