Questions about Copilot Enterprise Subscription without GitHub Enterprise Cloud

[swadmin-mirero]

I have a few questions about subscribing to GitHub Copilot Enterprise, and I’d appreciate some clarification.

1. Do we need to subscribe to GitHub Enterprise Cloud to use Copilot Enterprise?

We currently only have a Free GitHub Organization (no paid plan), and we don’t use GitHub repositories at all — our source code is hosted entirely on an internal server. We would like to continue using GitHub only for Copilot purposes (no repo management, Actions, etc.).
Can we subscribe to Copilot Enterprise without upgrading to GitHub Enterprise Cloud?

2. How does billing work for administrators vs. developers?

Our planned setup is:
1 administrator (swadmin@mirero.co.kr)
3 developers (a@mirero.co.kr, b@mirero.co.kr, c@mirero.co.kr)

In this case, will only the 3 developers be charged for Copilot usage, or will the admin be charged as well? The admin account is only for managing licenses and settings — it won’t use Copilot personally.

3. Can we monitor usage per user?

We’d like to track how each developer is using Copilot — e.g., suggestions shown, accepted, usage rate, etc.
Is this available through the Copilot Enterprise dashboard, even if we don’t have GitHub Enterprise Cloud (i.e., just a Free Org + Copilot Enterprise)?
Or, is user-level usage monitoring available in the Copilot Business plan as well — with the same level of detail as Copilot Enterprise?

If we choose the Copilot Business plan instead, will it still allow us to monitor usage per user in the same way as Copilot Enterprise?

[matthewwanders]

I have the same questions and landed here after searching. +1
We're not yet ready to establish an Enterprise Cloud account, but would like to leverage and try out some of the features of Copiplot Enterprise (such as Agent). We already have a GitHub Organization (but not an 'enterprise').

[nasirullahdev]

1. Does using Copilot Enterprise require GitHub Enterprise Cloud? ✅ Yes, a GitHub Enterprise Cloud subscription is necessary for Copilot Enterprise.
   You can't sign up for Copilot Enterprise if you're just a free GitHub organization.
   To access Copilot Enterprise in your situation (just wanting Copilot, no repos), you would need at least Enterprise Cloud.

2. How do developers and administrators handle billing? ✅ Billing is limited to users who have been assigned Copilot seats.
   The admin account won't be billed if no Copilot license is assigned to it.
   Only the three developers in your example will be billed.

3. Is it possible to track usage by user?
   ✅ Copilot Enterprise offers comprehensive, user-specific usage reports (accepted, suggested, etc.).
   GitHub Enterprise Cloud is needed for this.

✅ Copilot Business provides usage reporting as well, although it's not as thorough as

[Sheikh-Anas-Tauseef]

To use Copilot Enterprise, yes — you need a GitHub Enterprise Cloud subscription. Without it, only Copilot Business is available, but it doesn't offer per-user usage insights. Also, only active Copilot users are billed, not the admin. For detailed usage tracking, Enterprise is required. If you just need Copilot without repos, Business might be the simpler fit.

[ghostinhershell]

Thanks for posting in the GitHub Community, @swadmin-mirero!

We're happy you're here. You are more likely to get a useful response if you are posting your question in the applicable category, the New to GitHub category is solely related to conversations around getting started on using GitHub and the community for beginners of GitHub, Community on Discussions, and those new to different areas of the product alike! This question should be in the Copilot Conversations category. I've gone ahead and moved it for you. Good luck!