Best Model for GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot offers a model picker across chat and agent mode. Claude Sonnet 4.6 and GPT-5.4 are the best-balanced everyday choices; Claude Opus 4.8 and GPT-5.5 are the flagships for hard tasks; and Gemini 3.1 Pro is the pick when you need a very large context.

Read the full Copilot review → · updated 2026-06-22

#1Claude Sonnet 4.6Anthropic · $6.60/1M · 1M ctx

A top everyday pick in Copilot — strong code quality and agent behaviour at a reasonable rate.

Overall 91/100 · Value 46 · 78% community winFull breakdown →

#2GPT-5.4OpenAI · $6.25/1M · 1.1M ctx

OpenAI's value flagship — a natural default for Copilot users in the GitHub/OpenAI ecosystem.

Overall 90/100 · Value 46 · 77% community winFull breakdown →

#3Claude Opus 4.8Anthropic · $11/1M · 1M ctx

The quality ceiling for Copilot's agent mode on hard, multi-file work.

Overall 94/100 · Value 41 · 79% community winFull breakdown →

#4Gemini 3.1 ProGoogle · $5.00/1M · 1.0M ctx

The choice when a task needs a huge context window across many files.

Overall 89/100 · Value 49 · 77% community winFull breakdown →

#5GPT-5.5OpenAI · $13/1M · 1.1M ctx

OpenAI's top model for the trickiest reasoning inside Copilot.

Overall 93/100 · Value 40 · 79% community winFull breakdown →

FAQ

Which model is best in GitHub Copilot?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 and GPT-5.4 are the best all-round picks in Copilot's model selector; step up to Opus 4.8 or GPT-5.5 for hard tasks. Availability depends on your Copilot plan.

Does Copilot let you choose the model?

Yes — Copilot includes a model picker in chat and agent mode, with models from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google. The exact list depends on your subscription tier.

The model is half the story — the agent is the other half

The model picks the moves; the agent runs the loop, the tools, and the guardrails. Once you've chosen a model, see which agent gets the most out of it.

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