TechCrunch | May 30, 2026

Microsoft's GitHub Copilot is ending its golden age for individual users by switching from a flat subscription rate to a token-usage billing system. The change, effective June 1, means users will be charged based on tokens consumed during work rather than a low flat rate. Developers have taken to Reddit and X to express outrage, with one user reporting costs ballooning from $29 to nearly $750/month, while another shared screenshots showing costs jumping from ~$50 to $3,000. The new pricing model is seen as disproportionately affecting smaller companies and individual workers who previously benefited from the affordable flat-rate model. This shift reflects a broader industry trend toward usage-based AI pricing, but the dramatic cost increase for active users has created significant friction.

Read more