Microsoft Shifts GitHub Copilot Users to Token-Based Billing and Tightens Rate Limits

According to leaked internal documents, Microsoft plans to temporarily suspend new personal and student sign-ups for GitHub Copilot and shift its billing structure from request-based to token-based billing. Users will no longer be charged based on a simple request count, but rather according to actual token consumption and compute usage.

This shift is a result of mounting cost pressure. The documents state that GitHub Copilot's operating costs have nearly doubled on a weekly basis since January, and Microsoft plans to further tighten rate limits across personal, business, and enterprise tiers.

Changes are also expected by plan tier. In Copilot Pro ($10), Anthropic's Opus family of models will be removed, and in Pro+ ($39), Opus 4.6 and 4.5 will also be removed, restricting some model access for lower-tier subscribers. Microsoft has recently been transitioning to Opus 4.7, and until April 30, a 7.5x request multiplier will apply, though conditions after that remain unclear.

Key changes are as follows.

• Considering a temporary suspension of personal/student sign-ups
• Tightening rate limits across Pro, Pro+, Business, Enterprise
• Removing Opus family models from Copilot Pro
• Pushing a long-term shift to token-based billing

Ultimately, Microsoft appears to be moving to reduce subsidized offerings of AI coding tools and reflect actual model costs more directly in user usage. This change is not unique to Microsoft, but an extension of the broader cost-optimization trend seen across AI services.