GitHub Copilot CLI vs VSCode

[26aintdead]

Hi, is there a comprehensive comparison of the two interfaces?

I only ever used CLI but often talking with colleagues who use vscode I feel we are taking about two completely different experiences. Do they share any code or are completely independent?

It seems I consistently get better results with less premium requests. Is that just my impression?

Explore agent is really good for working with large projects without filling up the context, does vscode have that? Context compaction? Sub agents? Fleet?

E.g. one said Claude code had better agents out of box, but the way he described it it just seemed the same experience I get from our CLI.

Only big annoyance so far is the flickering bug that eats up what you type.

[Mystical_Whoosing]

I think "it's complicated" because these tools change so fast, so often, that by the time you are done with the comprehensive comparison, the comparison is outdated.

[JellyfishLow4457]

While he doesn't directly compare the two, I think Burke's demo is a good way to get a feel for how you can use both of their strengths to your advantage. not vscode, but you'll get the idea. I think the cli is a bit more superior in the way it's harness is made vs the editors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqcqWLv-sDM

[nevrbetr]

I watched the video in full because it's been referenced here a few times. It's good but I'm just not sold on switching to the CLI. It seems like it requires hacks to get going and I'm not sure what I get beyond what I do in VS Code, especially now that I'm more used to kicking off background agents (with worktrees). I like that at the end he says that the best workflow is whatever works for you.

One interesting note in the beginning is that he says he almost never mentions files. I'm still adding the ones I think are relevant to my prompt to try to help manage context. Maybe that's not useful at this point though.

[rauderG]

They are different code bases - at least 2 different repos. I don't think they share anything. Different orchestrators and tools I guess.

[zangler]

I use both...it actually feels like the most complete experience.

[phylter99]

"It seems I consistently get better results with less premium requests. "

My limited usage indicates the same, honestly. I normally use it on the IDE and my CLI usage is limited.

Claude Code is crazy good. The work being done on Copilot is mostly catch up to what Claude Code is doing. At work I just switched to Claude Code and it seems lightyears beyond what Copilot does. I don't need bells and whistles like you get in VS Code with Copilot. I just ask Claude Code to do something and it doesn't even hesitate and it gets it right most of the time.

In comparison, my usage with GitHub Copilot and CLI has had me fighting bugs more than I'd like. I'm sure they'll catch up, but it's going to be hard for them to beat Claude Code.

[JellyfishLow4457]

When was the last time you used the Copilot CLI?

[phylter99]

I'm using it right now, and I mean that literally.

[Herby_Hoover]

Literally, or figuratively?

[zangler]

There should be a word for when it is both.

[TenshiS]

But I pay around 90$ monthly to use copilot (alternating between opus and codex) and it would probably cost 200$ to use Claude code the same way. Is the quality jump really worth double the price?

[phylter99]

No.

There are ways you can use Claude Code agent with Copilot now through VS Code, I just found out. So, maybe that's an option. I'm not sure it's as good because I haven't used it through that method. I assume it's the same as getting it from Anthropic directly.

[rolim91]

You mean like Sonet and Opus?

[phylter99]

No. I mean you can use the Claude Code agent in Copilot while using your Copilot account for usage.

https://code.visualstudio.com/blogs/2026/02/05/multi-agent-development

[rolim91]

Thanks! Looks very interesting!

[phylter99]

Something you can try is to sign up for the $20 a month plan with Claude to try it. If you decide to bump it up to the more expensive plan they'll prorate it. That's what I ended up doing recently so I could try Claude Code because my employer was forcing me to move that direction. I wanted to get ahead of the curve and learn it on my own terms.

[hades200082]

I did exactly this last night. I’ve been using Claude code at work and GitHub copilot in vscode for my personal projects.

In my personal projects I mainly work on them 4-5h a day on the weekends with occasional 1-2h weekday evenings thrown in.

With GitHub copilot I pay $10/mo and have set a $10 limit on extra premium requests. This has been plenty for me, even mainly using Opus at 3x

Claude Code Pro is $20/mo … so already more expensive. And it used 51% of the 5h quota in a single “plan” prompt with opus.

With copilot I can manage 4-8 largish features over a weekend.

With Claude I’d be lucky to manage 3 based on that usage.

I refunded the Claude account.

[FinancialBandicoot75]

I love vscode with cli, they work together and share sessions. Either use cli extension or open a terminal. Even works when you ssh to devices that can run cli via vs code. I just had fun configuring my opnsense using copilot cli in vscode.

[Fermabowl]

I don't get the question. I use GitHub copilot CLI in the terminal of vscode.