free-pi vs GitHub Copilot CLI
GitHub Copilot CLI brings Copilot into your terminal, and GitHub's plans page says all plans include it, the Free plan too. So both tools can start free with a GitHub account. The differences are in the limits, the models, and how each is built.
Facts checked on from official sources
Why developers pick free-pi
Free, no card, no API key
Sign in with GitHub and start.
Web search and live library docs, built in
free-pi can search the web and pull current docs for the library you are using, with no API keys to set up.
Seconds to first prompt
npx free-pi-cli, click through GitHub, and start coding.
A fresh allowance every day
Your free daily allowance refills every day.
Pick your model
Choose from a catalog with DeepSeek V4 Flash as the default.
Lean, extensible, open
Built on Mario Zechner's pi agent harness, with an MIT-licensed CLI you can read on GitHub.
At a glance
| free-pi | GitHub Copilot CLI | |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-in | GitHub | GitHub (/login, or a token with the "Copilot Requests" permission) |
| Subscription | YesNone | An active Copilot subscription, which includes the Free plan |
| Free access | YesFree daily allowance that refills every day | Copilot Free: "limited access to a selection of Copilot features," an allowance of AI credits, auto model selection only |
| Paid options | Optional credit packs | Pro ($10/mo), Pro+ ($39/mo), Max ($100/mo), Business and Enterprise plans |
| Usage unit | Daily allowance, shown by /usage | AI credits, based on tokens processed |
| Models | Catalog in /model, DeepSeek V4 Flash by default | /model switcher, or your own provider (OpenAI-compatible, Azure OpenAI, Anthropic, local models like Ollama) |
| MCP servers | Yesfree-pi-cli mcp add | YesCustom MCP servers |
| Skills | YesBundled skills, plus your own | YesSupported |
| Install | npx free-pi-cli | npm install -g @github/copilot, Homebrew, WinGet, or an install script |
| Organization policy | None | Cannot be used if your organization owner or enterprise admin has disabled it |
| Security work on systems you own | YesOpt-in Defense models (abliterated) in /model, plus a bundled security-audit skill | Not documented in the pages we checked |
- Yes
- No
- Not mentioned
What is the same
Both are terminal agents with a GitHub sign-in, MCP support and skills. Both let you switch models from inside the session.
What is different
Copilot CLI is part of the Copilot product, so it follows your plan, your organization's policy, and Copilot's credit system. If your employer already pays for Copilot, that is a plus. free-pi is its own service with its own daily allowance and no plan to pick. Copilot CLI can also point at your own model provider. free-pi's picker shows only free-pi models by default, and your own provider keys are hidden from it; set FREEPI_KEEP_ENV_PROVIDERS=1 to show them.
Cybersecurity work
free-pi has an opt-in Defense section in /model. Its models are abliterated, which means open-weight models with their refusal behavior removed, and free-pi also bundles a security-audit skill. Use them for lawful security work: systems you own, employer systems you have permission to test, and in-scope bug bounty targets.
We built it because defenders need to find and fix vulnerabilities, and a refusal on lawful work on your own systems slows them down. Defense is for signed-in users and authorized use only. See free-pi Defense.
Which one should you use?
Pick free-pi if…
- You want a daily allowance with no plan or credit system to learn.
- You want built-in web search and live library docs.
- You want the opt-in Defense models for security work.
Try it in one command
Pick Copilot CLI if…
- You already have Copilot through work or a paid plan.
- You want to bring your own model provider, including local models.
- You want your tools to follow your organization's Copilot policies.
FAQ
Is GitHub Copilot CLI free?
GitHub's plans page says all plans include Copilot CLI, including Copilot Free, which has limited access to a selection of Copilot features. Paid individual plans are Pro ($10 per month), Pro+ ($39) and Max ($100).
Do I need a subscription for Copilot CLI?
Yes, an active Copilot subscription, which can be the Free plan.
How does free-pi stay free?
Ads in your terminal and session data that helps train better models. That's the deal that keeps it free.