Why are AI tools so expensive!!? (Looking to get Copilot plan and similar AI tools on a small budget)

[Prathamb6]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Copilot in GitHub

Body

I was recently looking into AI tools for general use(yes, Copilot too) and was astonished by their prices. I'm wondering if there are any promo discounts or seasonal offers apart from the free trials. $99.99 is the maximum amount I am looking to spend per year, but the problem is that I wanted the Family plan and not the personal plans.

What platforms do ya'll use to get discounts on AI tools like Copilot, OpenArt, and Claude Code? I got a discount through the platform called CouponzGuru once for Jenni AI, but still struggling to find more for mainstream AI tools.

[roohan-514]

Honestly, you're not alone — the prices have gone up a lot lately. A few things that actually work:
GitHub Copilot – If you're a student or teacher, you can get Copilot Pro for free through GitHub Education. If not, watch for Black Friday / Cyber Monday — last year they offered 40-50% off annual plans. Also, some GitHub Campus Global events give out free licenses.
Claude Code – No big discounts on subscriptions, but the API pay-as-you-go model can be cheaper if you're a light user. You just pay for what you use.
General tips:

• StackSocial and Humble Bundle occasionally run bundles with AI tool subscriptions at huge discounts
• GitHub Marketplace sometimes has promo codes for Copilot during GitHub Universe (November)
• Company email — some tools give discounts if you use a .edu or corporate email
• Yearly vs monthly is almost always cheaper (Copilot annual saves ~17%)
  For the Family plan specifically, I haven't seen deep discounts regularly. Your best bet is to wait for GitHub Universe (usually Nov) or sign up with a .edu email if eligible. CouponzGuru and similar sites are hit-or-miss for mainstream tools since the big companies rarely authorize third-party coupons.

[Prathamb6]

Interesting...

[roohan-514]

Glad you found that helpful! A couple more budget-friendly options worth mentioning:
Opencode — completely free, open-source AI coding agent. Runs locally, supports multiple models (Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, etc.), and doesn't require any subscription. Great if you already have API keys or want to use local models. No account needed.
Continue.dev — free open-source autocomplete + chat for VS Code/JetBrains. Works with any model provider. Good Copilot alternative for basic completions.
Budget setup that works: Use Opencode for agent-style multi-file tasks + Continue for inline autocomplete. Both free, both open-source. You only pay for API usage (which can be as low as a few dollars/month if you use cheaper models like Claude Haiku or GPT-4o-mini).
For Copilot specifically, check if your uni has a GitHub Campus Program — some institutions give free Copilot access to all students. Also, Copilot Individual at $10/month might fit your $99/year budget ($120/year, close enough).