Chat-based AI software engineer that builds full-stack web apps and sites from prompts.
Devin vs GitHub Copilot
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Devin is best for engineering teams delegating well-scoped tasks to autonomous cloud agents that open pull requests, while GitHub Copilot is best for developers who want AI completion and agents inside the editor and GitHub workflow they already use. Devin has a medium learning curve, compared with low for GitHub Copilot. Both Devin and GitHub Copilot offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which should you choose?
Choose Devin if…
- You need engineering teams delegating well-scoped tasks to autonomous cloud agents that open pull requests
- You're one of: engineering teams with large backlogs, teams running framework or language migrations, organisations automating ci failure triage
- Can run many tasks in parallel without a developer watching
Choose GitHub Copilot if…
- You need developers who want AI completion and agents inside the editor and GitHub workflow they already use
- You're one of: developers already on github, enterprise engineering teams, jetbrains, visual studio or xcode users
- You want something quicker to learn
- Works in the widest range of IDEs
At a glance
| Devin | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Engineering teams delegating well-scoped tasks to autonomous cloud agents that open pull requests | Developers who want AI completion and agents inside the editor and GitHub workflow they already use |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | From $20/mo | From $10/mo |
| Learning curve | Medium | Low |
| Platforms | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, API | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Ideal for | Engineering teams with large backlogs, Teams running framework or language migrations, Organisations automating CI failure triage | Developers already on GitHub, Enterprise engineering teams, JetBrains, Visual Studio or Xcode users |
Feature comparison
| Devin | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Agent (cloud) + IDE | Extension + cloud agent |
| Inline code completion | Via Devin Desktop | Yes |
| Multi-file agent | Yes | Yes |
| Builds full apps from prompts | Yes | Limited |
| Hosting / deploy included | No | No |
| Backend / database | No | No |
| GitHub integration | Yes | Yes |
| Choice of AI models | Limited | Yes |
| Export / own the code | Yes | Yes |
Security & enterprise
| Devin | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | Enterprise (custom IdP) | Via GitHub Enterprise (SAML) |
| SCIM user provisioning | — | Via GitHub Enterprise |
| SOC 2 | Type II | Type II |
| ISO 27001 | — | Yes |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | — |
| GDPR DPA | — | Yes |
| Data residency options | — | Via GHE.com data residency |
| No training on your data | Yes | Business & Enterprise |
| Audit logs | Enterprise | Business & Enterprise |
| Admin controls | Enterprise | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud, VPC | Cloud |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
Devin
Devin, from Cognition, is an autonomous AI software engineer that works in its own cloud environment with a shell, editor and browser, then delivers changes as pull requests. Tasks can be assigned from Slack, Microsoft Teams, Linear, Jira or the web app, and the product family also includes Devin Desktop (the former Windsurf editor), a CLI, Devin Review for pull request review and DeepWiki for codebase documentation. It is used mainly by engineering teams for migrations, upgrades, bug fixes and CI triage.
Key features- Autonomous cloud agents that run tasks in parallel and open PRs
- Task assignment from Slack, Teams, Linear and Jira
- Devin Review for automated bug and vulnerability review
- DeepWiki auto-generated codebase documentation
- Devin Desktop editor and CLI for local work
- Mix of in-house SWE models and third-party frontier models
GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI coding assistant, offering inline completions and next edit suggestions, chat, an agent mode in the IDE and a cloud coding agent that works on issues and opens pull requests. It runs in VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Xcode, Eclipse and Neovim, plus a CLI and GitHub Mobile, and supports models from several providers depending on plan. It is used by individual developers and by companies already on GitHub.
Key features- Inline code completion and next edit suggestions
- Agent mode for multi-file edits in the IDE
- Cloud coding agent that works from issues and opens PRs
- Automated pull request code review
- Choice of models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others
- Copilot CLI and GitHub Mobile access
Pricing
Devin
Free plan; Pro $20/mo; Max $200/mo; Teams $80/mo + $40/seat
GitHub Copilot
Free plan (limited); Pro $10/mo; Pro+ $39/mo; Business $19/user/mo
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
Devin
Strengths- Can run many tasks in parallel without a developer watching
- Fits into existing ticket and chat workflows
- Strong at repetitive work such as migrations and upgrades
- Local and cloud work share one product
- Usage-based compute billing makes costs hard to predict on complex tasks
- Output still needs careful review by someone who can read the code
- Weaker fit for ambiguous feature design or fast prototyping
- Priced mainly for teams rather than hobbyists
Not ideal for: Non-developers and solo builders who want to create an app from scratch with hosting included should use an AI app builder instead.
GitHub Copilot
Strengths- Works in the widest range of IDEs
- Deep integration with GitHub issues, PRs and Actions
- Completions do not draw from the AI credit allowance on paid plans
- Has a free plan
- Usage-based AI credits introduced in 2026 can be used up quickly with agents and code review
- Top-tier models are restricted to higher plans
- Individual plan sign-ups and limits changed abruptly in 2026
- Agent mode is less central to the experience than in AI-first editors
Not ideal for: Non-developers who want to generate and host a complete app from a prompt should use an AI app builder instead.
Integrations
Devin
GitHub Copilot
FAQ
What is the main difference between Devin and GitHub Copilot?
Devin is built for engineering teams delegating well-scoped tasks to autonomous cloud agents that open pull requests; GitHub Copilot is built for developers who want AI completion and agents inside the editor and GitHub workflow they already use.
Is Devin or GitHub Copilot cheaper?
Devin starts from $20/mo and GitHub Copilot starts from $10/mo (as of September 2026). On entry price, GitHub Copilot is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Devin and GitHub Copilot have free plans?
Both Devin and GitHub Copilot offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which is easier to use, Devin or GitHub Copilot?
GitHub Copilot is generally quicker to learn (Devin: medium, GitHub Copilot: low learning curve).
What are good alternatives to Devin and GitHub Copilot?
Other coding & apps tools worth comparing include Lovable, Base44 and v0.