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What Changed This Month: GitHub Copilot isn't just autocomplete anymore. December 2025 brought GPT-5.2, GPT-5.1-Codex-Max, and a model picker for the coding agent—making Copilot feel more like a multi-model control plane than a single AI assistant.
GitHub Copilot Pro+ Review (2025): Is $39/Month Worth It?
An honest, practical review of Copilot Pro and Pro+ in late 2025: the new model picker, coding agent workflows, premium request economics, real-world pros/cons, and how it stacks up against Cursor and other AI dev tools.
- Copilot Pro: $10/month with unlimited completions, coding agent access, and 300 premium requests/month.
- Copilot Pro+: $39/month with 1,500 premium requests/month and access to all available models.
- December 2025 updates: GPT-5.2 and GPT-5.1-Codex-Max entered public preview, plus a model picker for the coding agent.
- Premium requests matter: Usage varies by feature/model, and some models have multipliers—this is the real cost knob.
- Security reality: Agentic workflows increase attack surface; "IDEsaster" vulnerabilities remind us guardrails aren't optional.
Quick Verdict (TL;DR)
GitHub Copilot in late 2025 is no longer "autocomplete with a chat box." It's a tiered toolset that now includes a coding agent (asynchronous work that can end as a pull request), agent mode in editors, multi-model choices, and a usage economy (premium requests) that matters almost as much as features.
Who This Tool Is For
- Best for: Developers who live on GitHub, want agentic workflows (not just suggestions), and benefit from model choice depending on task.
- Also strong for: Students (eligible for free Pro in some cases) and solo developers who want a "one subscription" dev assistant across VS Code + GitHub + CLI.
Main Pros & Cons in One Glance
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great value at Pro: $10/mo with unlimited completions and "unlimited agent mode and chats with GPT-5 mini," plus 300 premium requests | Premium requests are the hidden constraint—Pro+ is basically "buy more headroom" |
| Coding agent is real workflow leverage: delegate tasks that can land as PRs, not just chat advice | Agentic future increases risk: prompt injection, tool/MCP trust—"set it and forget it" isn't wise |
| Model choice is becoming first-class, especially for agent workflows, with expanding model roster | Preview features can shift quickly—today's workflow may change in a month |
What Is GitHub Copilot in 2025 (and What's New This Month)?
Copilot Is Now a Suite, Not a Single Feature
GitHub's own plan breakdown makes it clear Copilot now spans:
- Code completions
- Chat / agent mode
- Coding agent (assignable work that can produce PRs)
- Code review
- CLI usage
These features tie back to plan limits and premium requests, making Copilot more of a platform than a single tool.
The "Coding Agent" (and Why Model Choice Matters)
The coding agent is positioned as an asynchronous, autonomous background agent. Pro and Pro+ subscribers can start tasks from areas like the agents tab/panel or issue assignment, and select models via a dropdown.
The December 2025 "Model Velocity" Is the Story
Within the Copilot changelog, we can see rapid additions this month:
- Dec 4: OpenAI GPT-5.1-Codex-Max entered public preview for Copilot.
- Dec 8: Model picker for the Copilot coding agent for Pro/Pro+ landed.
- Dec 11: OpenAI GPT-5.2 also hit public preview for Copilot.
That pace is exactly why a 2025 review needs to be specific about "as of December 2025"—features and model availability are moving targets.
Features and Real-World Experience
The useful way to evaluate Copilot in 2025 is to break it into four workflows you'll actually run:
1) Setup & Onboarding (VS Code, GitHub.com, CLI)
Copilot's strength is "many surfaces, one subscription," with support across popular environments.
What I'd recommend in a real setup:
- Turn on Copilot where you code most (VS Code, JetBrains, etc.)
- Enable it on GitHub.com if you spend time in PRs/issues
- Add CLI only if you actually live in terminal workflows
2) Agent Mode vs Coding Agent (They Solve Different Problems)
| Type | Best For | Mental Model |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Mode | In-editor iterative help: "plan this," "edit this," "explain this," "refactor this" | Pair programmer |
| Coding Agent | Delegate an outcome: "take this issue and produce a PR," then review | Junior dev doing a ticket (but you still review) |
3) Code Completion + Chat (Where Copilot Still Shines)
Even with all the agent talk, completions remain the quiet MVP—especially when you're working in well-known patterns:
- CRUD + API wiring
- UI component scaffolding
- Tests and test data setup
- Type hints, docstrings, config files
Copilot's suggestions are generated from context around your cursor and workspace rather than literal copy/paste.
4) The Model Picker Strategy (How to Think About It)
Copilot's big shift is: you can increasingly treat models like tools in a toolbox, not a single brain.
Pricing, Plans, and Value (as of Dec 2025)
Free vs Pro vs Pro+
| Plan | Price | Key Features | Premium Requests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 agent mode/chat requests per month, 2,000 completions per month | N/A |
| Pro | $10/mo ($100/year) |
Coding agent, unlimited completions, unlimited agent mode/chats with GPT-5 mini, access to multiple models | 300/month |
| Pro+ | $39/mo ($390/year) |
All Pro features + access to all models + GitHub Spark access | 1,500/month $0.04/overage |
Premium Requests: The Hidden Meter
GitHub explicitly notes that chat, agent mode, code review, coding agent, and Copilot CLI can consume premium requests (usage varies by feature/model).
Is Pro+ Worth It?
In plain terms, Pro+ is worth it if you:
- Regularly want the best/most expensive models for long tasks
- Rely on agentic workflows (coding agent + reviews + heavier chat)
- Don't want to think about running out of premium requests mid-month
If you mostly need excellent autocomplete + solid chat, Pro at $10/mo is still the value sweet spot.
Performance vs Competitors
Copilot vs Cursor (The Most Common "Should I Switch?" Question)
Cursor is moving fast. Its 2.2 release added:
- Debug Mode with runtime logs
- Browser layout & style editor (design + code together)
- Plan Mode improvements (including Mermaid diagrams)
- Multi-agent judging for parallel agents
| Where Tool Wins | Copilot | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| Integration | GitHub-native workflows (issues/PRs, enterprise integration) | "IDE is the product" experience: editor designed around agents first |
| Availability | Multi-surface (editor + GitHub.com + mobile + CLI) | Most aggressive agent-first editor experience |
Copilot vs "IDE-Native Assistants"
JetBrains and others are credible here, but the key differentiator for Copilot right now is plan breadth + model breadth + GitHub integration.
Pros, Cons, and Limitations
Major Advantages
- Strong Pro plan value for individuals ($10/mo) with coding agent included.
- Rapid model expansion: Copilot is clearly positioned as a multi-model gateway.
- Real delegation: coding agent workflows are more than "suggest a snippet."
- Multi-surface availability: One subscription across VS Code, GitHub.com, CLI, and more.
Pain Points / Risks
- Usage economics can surprise you: premium requests + model multipliers make "heavy months" more expensive (or more constrained).
- Preview churn: agent workflows and model availability evolve quickly.
- Security reality: As agents become more autonomous, attack surface increases.
The Security Reality of Agentic Tooling
As AI IDEs and agents become more autonomous and tool-connected, security becomes a first-class feature—not a footnote. Reporting around "IDEsaster" highlights risks like prompt injection, data leaks, and arbitrary command execution in AI coding tools.
Who Should Use This (and Who Should Skip It)
Choose Copilot Pro If You:
- Want a strong daily driver for completions + chat
- Use the coding agent occasionally
- Can live within the monthly premium-request allowance most months
- Value GitHub integration and multi-surface availability
Choose Copilot Pro+ If You:
- Do heavy agent work weekly
- Often need the most capable models
- Want 1,500 premium requests/month and broad model access without constant budgeting
- Use Copilot across multiple workflows (CLI, code review, agent tasks)
Who Should Skip (or Reconsider)
- If you rarely use chat/agent workflows and mostly want autocomplete, Pro may be enough—or even the Free tier to test fit first
- If you want the most "agent-first editor" experience, compare Cursor seriously before committing long-term
- If your organization can't tolerate the security risks of autonomous agents without strict controls
Final Verdict
Key Takeaways
- Copilot Pro ($10/mo) is still the best starting point for most individuals, with strong features and a monthly premium-request allowance
- Pro+ ($39/mo) mainly buys more headroom (1,500 premium requests) and broad "all models" access for heavier agent usage
- The coding agent + model picker makes Copilot feel more like a delegated workflow tool, not just an assistant
- December 2025 shows fast model rollouts (GPT-5.1-Codex-Max, GPT-5.2) inside Copilot's ecosystem
- Premium requests + model multipliers are the real "cost of intelligence" knob—understand them before you upgrade
- As agents get more autonomous, security and trust boundaries matter more than ever
