GitHub Copilot’s new token billing sparks developer backlash
Microsoft is changing GitHub Copilot billing on June 1 from a flat subscription to token-based usage, and some developers say the new model could sharply raise their costs. Others argue the biggest bills reflect inefficient or excessive use, especially in “vibe coding” workflows.
Microsoft is changing GitHub Copilot’s billing model on June 1, moving from a flat subscription fee to token-based usage pricing. The shift has triggered a backlash from developers online, with some saying the new system could raise their monthly costs far beyond what they pay now.
According to the source article, Copilot users will be charged based on how many tokens they use while working, rather than paying a low fixed rate tied to requests. That change has led some users on Reddit and X to post screenshots and complaints showing what they say are dramatic cost increases.
One Reddit user wrote, “What a joke,” and said their bill would rise from about $29 per month to nearly $750. The same user said the service would no longer be “cost-effective or useful in any practical way” at that price and said they would cancel. Another user posted “WOW, didn’t expect new pricing model to be this ridiculous,” and shared a screenshot that appeared to show costs jumping from around $50 to about $3,000.
Not everyone agrees the pricing change is the problem. Some Copilot users pushed back, saying that people who understand the tool should not be burning through that many tokens in normal use. In their view, the most extreme bills are tied to “vibe coding,” a term used for loosely steering an AI coding tool with repeated prompts and iterations rather than working with strong development discipline.
One user wrote that they found it hard to believe the cost spikes were caused by workload complexity alone. “The only way it gets crazy like that is if you are purely ‘vibe coding’ with a ton of bloated iterations,” the user said, adding that the tool is “pretty affordable for even small outfits if used as a tool, on pretty much any provider.”
Others focused on the economics of the old model, which appears to have been heavily subsidized. “Holy fuck how much money was copilot losing,” one Redditor asked, reflecting a broader question about how Microsoft could have supported a low flat-rate plan while users generated heavy AI usage behind the scenes.
There is also frustration from developers who say Microsoft encouraged broad use of the product and is now changing the rules after people adapted their workflows around it. One user argued that the company had made it easier to burn through large numbers of tokens on premium requests that could run for hours or even days and spawn dozens or hundreds of sub-agents.
TechCrunch said it reached out to Microsoft for comment, but did not hear back by publication time. The billing change is set to take effect on June 1.
