Alternatives · not Copilot Workspace
GitHub Copilot cloud agent alternatives
Copilot Workspace was a GitHub Next preview. It ended 30 May 2025. The product that shipped is Copilot coding agent, later renamed Copilot cloud agent in the docs. The job is issue or prompt to an Actions VM to a draft PR. Teams look here when the 59-minute cap, the GitHub-only repo rule, or the Copilot harness is the constraint.
Facts checked 15 September 2026. Prices and limits move. Read the citations.
Rush Cloud is our product and is listed first.
Read this first
The useful distinction
Copilot Workspace ended 30 May 2025. The product that shipped is Copilot coding agent, later renamed Copilot cloud agent.
Teams look here when the 59-minute cap, the GitHub-only repo rule, or the Copilot harness is the constraint.
Routing
If you… use… not if
| If you | Use | Not if |
|---|---|---|
| Need more than 59 minutes or a second repository in one Task | Rush Cloud, Cursor Cloud Agents, Devin, or Codex cloud | Policy requires the work to stay on GitHub-hosted Actions runners |
| Want Claude Code or Codex as the engine, still opening a GitHub PR | Rush Cloud, Claude Code on the web, Codex cloud, or GitHub's third-party agent preview | You want Copilot's own agent and its credit meter |
Landscape
The field
Prices and limits from vendor pages retrieved 15 September 2026. Check the source before you buy.
| Tool | Job | What runs | Isolation | Proof | Price | Taps out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rush Cloud | Run the harness you already use, in an isolated team session | Claude Code, Codex, or OpenCode | One sandbox per run | PR + trajectory, or needs_review | Free 5 agent-hours / month, then $20 Pro | Three harnesses. us-west-2. Customer VPC is roadmap. |
| Devin | Cognition's autonomous engineer on a ticket | Devin Brain + Devbox | Isolated VM per session | PR on your SCM | Pro $20 / mo; Teams $80 min | No BYO model keys. Opaque quotas. |
| Cursor Cloud Agents | Cursor Agent, unattended, in a cloud VM | Cursor Agent | Firecracker microVM | Draft PR + artifacts | Paid Cursor plan, from $20 / mo | Needs Cursor. Commands auto-run. |
| GitHub Copilot cloud agent | Issue-to-PR inside GitHub Actions | Copilot cloud agent | Ephemeral Actions VM | Draft PR + session logs | Paid Copilot, from $10 / mo | 59-minute cap. GitHub repos only. |
| Claude Code on the web | Claude Code, hosted by Anthropic | Claude Code | Anthropic VM (~4 vCPU / 16 GB) | GitHub branch + PR | Claude Pro $20 / mo and up | Research preview. Claude and GitHub only. |
| Codex cloud | OpenAI Codex in a ChatGPT cloud box | Codex | Container; agent phase offline by default | Diff + PR on GitHub/GitLab | ChatGPT Plus $20 / mo and up | API-key path has no cloud. |
| Factory Droids | Factory agent on a persistent computer | Droid | Managed 4 CPU / 8 GB computer | PR from Slack or the app | Pro $20; managed computers from Plus $100 | Unpublished rate limits. Own harness. |
| Google Jules | Async Gemini agent on a GitHub issue | Jules / Gemini | Fresh Ubuntu VM per task | GitHub PR | 15 tasks / day free; paid via Google AI | GitHub only. Individual Gmail plans. |
| Amp orbs | Amp agent on a remote machine | Amp | Fresh orb per thread | You push; gh pr create via AGENTS.md | Hobby free; Individual $20 + orb hours | Own harness. GHES unsupported. |
Depth
In depth
Free 5 agent-hours a month, then $20 Pro. 15 September 2026.
Rush Cloud
Multi-harness cloud sessions that still open one GitHub PR.
Copilot cloud agent is excellent when the work is already a GitHub issue and 59 minutes is enough. Rush is the other door: pick the harness, keep the trajectory, stay past an hour.
Taps out. GitHub App connect. us-west-2. Three harnesses.
Claude Pro $20; ChatGPT Plus $20. 15 September 2026.
Claude Code on the web / Codex cloud
Staying with the model vendor and still getting a GitHub PR.
GitHub now documents third-party Claude and Codex agents on GitHub as a public preview. The vendor web products are the other hosted path.
Taps out. Single-vendor harness. Claude web is a research preview.
15 tasks / day free. 15 September 2026.
Jules
Gemini-on-GitHub issue labeling.
Assign the jules label. Jules clones into a Cloud VM and can open a PR. Paid upgrades are individual @gmail.com Google AI plans.
Taps out. GitHub only. No Workspace path yet.
Sourced numbers
What we can chart
Published hard session caps (minutes)
Only Copilot publishes a hard wall-clock cap. Other products are omitted because they do not document a comparable minute limit. Retrieved 15 September 2026.
Rush Cloud
What Rush Cloud is
Copilot cloud agent is the right door when the work is already a GitHub issue and 59 minutes is enough. Rush is the other door: pick the harness, keep the trajectory, stay past an hour.
Honest limits
Skip Rush if
- You need a team that already runs Claude Code, Codex, or OpenCode. Rush does not invent a fourth harness.
- Sandboxes are us-west-2. Customer VPC is roadmap. A signed compliance report is not something we publish today.
- Compute is metered. Sixty minutes are included per user per calendar month. The invoice bills sandbox time after that allowance.
- You will review the PR. Rush does not merge for you.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
Can I use Rush and the vendor cloud side by side?
Yes. Many teams keep Claude Code on the web or Cursor Cloud Agents for a single-vendor loop and put Rush on the tasks that need a shared Project, a second harness, or a trajectory they can hand to a reviewer.
Does Rush replace Claude Code or Codex?
No. Rush runs those binaries. You keep the seat or the key. Rush is the runtime.
Where does the code go when I leave?
Anything pushed to your GitHub remote stays there. That is the off-ramp on every product in this set, including Rush.
Is this Copilot Workspace?
No. Workspace ended 30 May 2025 as a GitHub Next preview. Coding agent launched 19 May 2025, went GA 25 September 2025, and the docs later renamed it cloud agent.
Cluster
Keep reading
Citations
Sources
Every factual claim on this page traces to one of these URLs. Retrieval date is 15 September 2026 unless the source prints an earlier published date.
- [1] GitHub Docs, “About GitHub Copilot cloud agent”, retrieved 2026-09-15. https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/agents/cloud-agent/about-cloud-agent
- [2] GitHub Blog, “GitHub Copilot: Meet the new coding agent”, published 2025-05-19. https://github.blog/news-insights/product-news/github-copilot-meet-the-new-coding-agent/
- [3] GitHub Blog, “Copilot coding agent is now generally available”, published 2025-09-25. https://github.blog/changelog/2025-09-25-copilot-coding-agent-is-now-generally-available/
- [4] GitHub Docs, “Plans for GitHub Copilot”, retrieved 2026-09-15. https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/get-started/plans
- [5] Rush, “Rush Cloud product requirements”, retrieved 2026-09-15. https://tryrush.ai/cloud
Next
Run the next Task on Rush Cloud
Connect a repository. Pick Claude Code, Codex, or OpenCode. Review the PR.