Review GitHub Copilot: GitHub Copilot is the best AI pair programmer integrated into every IDE

Detailed Review

GitHub Copilot launched in June 2021 as one of the first practical applications of GPT-3 — proving that LLMs could do something extremely useful beyond chat. GitHub was acquired by Microsoft in 2018 for $7.5 billion, and its partnership with OpenAI created the first AI coding product to reach millions of real developers.

After integrating GPT-4, the quality of code suggestions skyrocketed to the point where many developers report saving 40–55% of their time on repetitive coding tasks. Multi-file editing and workspace context help Copilot understand your entire project, not just the open file. Copilot Chat in VS Code is like having a senior developer sitting next to you, explaining code, suggesting refactors, and solving bugs.

Copilot Workspace — the newest feature — lets you describe the feature you want to build in natural language, and Copilot automatically creates a plan, writes the code, tests it, and opens a PR. This is a true step from "autocomplete tool" to "autonomous coding agent."

Strengths

• Integrated directly into VS Code, JetBrains, and Neovim — no window switching or copy-pasting required
• Copilot Chat explains code, writes tests, and refactors right inside the IDE — like having a senior dev as a mentor
• Understands context from all open files, suggesting code that fits your project's patterns and conventions
• Copilot Workspace implements features from GitHub Issues based on a natural language description alone

Areas for Improvement

• $10/month is less competitive when Cursor and Windsurf offer more capability at a similar price point
• Code you write may be used to train the model if telemetry isn't disabled — important for sensitive IP codebases
• Suggestions can be lengthy and require significant editing for less common frameworks or highly unique codebases

Verdict

GitHub Copilot is an excellent choice for anyone needing a powerful tool in the AI Tool category. Founded in 2021 by GitHub (owned by Microsoft) in partnership with OpenAI, led by Nat Friedman and Thomas Dohmke, this product has undergone years of development and continuous improvement. With a rating of 9.2/10, it ranks among the best in its segment. We encourage you to try the free version before deciding to upgrade.