GitHub Copilot Subscription: the Complete Guide — Individual / Business from China
The complete setup guide for GitHub Copilot Individual and Business, including payment configuration from China.
GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant from GitHub + OpenAI, living as a plugin for editors like VS Code / JetBrains / Neovim. Individual ($10/month), Business ($19/user/month). This tutorial takes you from GitHub account prep to a complete subscription.
1. Copilot Plan Comparison
| Plan | Price | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 2000 lines of completions + 50 Chat messages per month (added in 2024) |
| Individual | $10/month | Individual developers (unlimited completions + Chat) |
| Business | $19/user/month | Teams + data isolation + centralized billing |
| Enterprise | $39/user/month | Large enterprises + GitHub Enterprise Cloud |
Individual is free for verified students / teachers / open-source project maintainers (apply for the Student Developer Pack on GitHub). Other individual developers pay $10/month.
2. Before You Subscribe
- A GitHub account (use your existing one)
- A US BIN virtual card: we recommend the RDVCC US card. GitHub goes through Stripe; the success rate is 98%
- A billing address (a real US address, or another country GitHub accepts)
Copilot is lenient on geo risk control; a mainland IP + mainland card can subscribe too (mainland cards just have a lower success rate). But a US BIN card is noticeably more stable.
3. The 5-Step Subscription Flow
- Step 1: Log in to GitHub
github.com → Sign in. Log in with an existing account, or register one if you have none (registering from a US node IP is more reliable).
- Step 2: Open the Copilot settings page
Open github.com/settings/copilot → Get GitHub Copilot → pick Individual (personal) or Business (team).
- Step 3: Confirm the plan + privacy settings
Pick monthly ($10) or yearly ($100, a 17% discount). You can enable “Block suggestions matching public code” (a code-license safeguard).
- Step 4: Fill in the card on Stripe
Fill in the RDVCC US card number / expiry date / CVV / cardholder name (in pinyin). Use a US billing address and pick US as the country.
- Step 5: 3DS verification
If 3DS is triggered, enter the verification code within 5 minutes. Once subscribed, you can use Copilot in your IDE right away.
4. IDE Integration After Subscribing
After subscribing to Copilot, install the plugin in the IDE you use:
VS Code (Most Common)
- Open VS Code → Extensions → search “GitHub Copilot”
- Install the official plugin + the Copilot Chat plugin
- Log in to your GitHub account (VS Code pops up a prompt in the bottom-right)
- Ready to use right after authorization
JetBrains (IntelliJ / WebStorm / PyCharm)
- Preferences → Plugins → search “GitHub Copilot”
- Install and restart the IDE
- Tools → GitHub Copilot → Login
Neovim
Install the github/copilot.vim plugin. Run :Copilot setup to complete authorization.
5. Copilot vs Cursor: Which One
| Dimension | GitHub Copilot | Cursor Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $10/month | $20/month |
| Form factor | IDE plugin (VS Code / JetBrains, etc.) | A full IDE (based on VS Code) |
| Code completion | ✓ Strong | ✓ Strong |
| Multi-file AI editing | ⚠️ Possible via Chat but shallow | ✓✓ Composer / Agent mode |
| Model choice | GPT-4o by default | ✓ Multiple options incl. Claude Sonnet |
| Enterprise / SSO | ✓ Business / Enterprise | Business $40 |
Pick Copilot if you don’t want to switch IDEs and just want completions + Chat. Cheap at $10/month.Pick Cursor if you want an AI-first workflow and accept switching IDEs. $20/month includes more models + Agent.Subscribe to both: $30/month for heavy developers, taking the best of each.
FAQ
Q: I am a student / open-source maintainer — can I use it for free?
Yes. The GitHub Student Developer Pack includes Copilot Individual for free. Requirement: proof that you are an enrolled student (a .edu email). Open-source maintainers also get it free after verification. Application page: education.github.com/pack.
Q: Can Copilot see my code? What about privacy?
Individual uses your code snippets for service optimization by default (this can be turned off). Business / Enterprise do not train on your code by default and have stronger data isolation. For company projects / code with trade secrets, upgrading to Business is recommended.
Q: What is Copilot Chat?
A conversation feature Copilot launched in 2024: a sidebar in the IDE for talking to the AI (like ChatGPT, but aware of the current file). Included in all paid plans. More powerful than plain “completions”.
Q: How do I cancel?
github.com/settings/copilot → Cancel. The current month’s fee is not refunded, no charge on the next billing date, and you can keep using it until the end of the month.
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