GitHub Copilot vs. Microsoft 365 Copilot — cost structure¶

These aren't interchangeable products, but for a could-go-either-way agent the deciding factor is often cost structure, not features:

The GitHub Copilot harness meters per token — every agentic turn re-sends the system prompt, tools, and context (a large fixed overhead), so cost scales with the work. Microsoft publishes per-task bands: Light 100–300 · Medium 300–500 · Heavy >500 credits.
The standard / Microsoft 365 engine meters per event — a turn is a flat 2–12 credits (answer + optional grounding/action), no matter how much it reads.

So the GitHub harness is more capable but usually pricier per task; the standard engine wins on cost unless the job genuinely needs multi-step agentic reasoning. Just describe your agent in plain words below — we'll work out the shape and show the gap (or fine-tune the details yourself).

Directional — a planning aid, not a quote

GitHub-harness token amounts and M365 event mixes vary by agent. Rates come from GitHub's published per-1M-token pricing (÷10 → credits, 1 credit = $0.01) and Copilot Studio's per-event rate card. Verify against the billing details before quoting.

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How to read it¶

The GitHub Copilot harness carries real per-task overhead — instructions, tools, and re-sent context every turn — so a task lands in Microsoft's published bands (100–800+ credits). The standard/M365 engine bills a flat 2–12 credits per turn.
The standard engine is usually cheaper. It wins unless the job needs enough grounded back-and-forth that its per-turn events add up past the harness cost.
Use the harness for capability, not to save credits. Its value is multi-step agentic reasoning the standard engine can't do — the comparator shows the price of that capability so you can decide if it's worth it.

Want a full credit + dollar estimate for a specific agent? Use the Credit Estimator.

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