Copilot Code Review: GitHub Will Switch the Default Mode to Balanced

Copilot code review: Starting September 28, 2026, the “Default” setting for GitHub Copilot code review will mean Balanced instead of Lite. The change may result in higher AI credit usage and, in some cases, GitHub Actions minutes.

GitHub says Balanced uses a model with stronger reasoning capabilities than Lite. This is not a change to the pricing of Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise plans, whose prices the company says remain unchanged. However, the default mode for the specific code review feature is changing.

Copilot code review will switch from Lite to Balanced under the Default setting

The transition affects administrators who have left the setting at Default at the organization or repository level. Starting September 28, this value will automatically mean Balanced, not Lite.

If an organization wants to remain on Lite, it must explicitly select that level in the organization or specific repository settings before the deadline. Simply leaving the setting at Default will no longer be enough to retain Lite.

Copilot code review is used to automatically review changes in pull requests. For teams that have reviews enabled automatically and process a larger volume of changes, the choice of default mode may therefore affect ongoing GitHub service usage.

Difference in estimated AI credit usage

GitHub’s documentation gives an estimated AI credit cost for one review. For Lite, it is approximately 0.05 to 1 U.S. dollar in AI credits. For Balanced, the range is approximately 0.25 to 5 dollars. These amounts do not include any potential GitHub Actions minutes usage.

According to GitHub, Balanced may also slightly increase Actions minutes usage compared with Lite. However, the company did not provide a single percentage by which costs will increase after the change. Actual usage depends, for example, on the number and size of pull requests, the use of automated reviews, configured budget limits, and Actions minutes usage.

• Lite: approximately $0.05 to $1 in AI credits per review.
• Balanced: approximately $0.25 to $5 in AI credits per review.
• Actions: potential minutes usage is not included in the stated credit estimates.

GitHub has not disclosed how many customers currently use the Default setting or what the total additional usage will be after the switch. Organizations with paid AI credit usage may therefore want to check their code review level and budget settings before the deadline.

Further changes to Copilot sign-ups and billing

In the same announcement, GitHub also outlined changes concerning sign-ups and billing for Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise plans. Starting September 1, 2026, the company will resume sign-ups for new customers paying by card or through PayPal.

Starting October 1, 2026, existing customers of these plans who use a card or PayPal will be charged in advance for assigned seats. This adjustment is separate from the change to the default code review mode.

The next key date for Copilot administrators is September 28. Until then, they can explicitly set Lite wherever they do not want Default to switch automatically to Balanced. It remains to be seen whether GitHub changes the timing or parameters of the transition before it takes effect and whether it adds usage data after its introduction.

Verified and updated: 08/31/2026 10:55