TL;DR
Copilot brings SOC 2 Type II compliance and repository-level content exclusion. CodeWhisperer brings a security scanner that runs while you type, and Copilot has no built-in equivalent. On the question most teams actually care about, whether your code trains the model, both paid tiers say no: Copilot Business and CodeWhisperer Professional. The scanner is the real differentiator.
Both tools will happily autocomplete a database query for you. Only one of them will tell you the query is injectable. That's the sharpest security difference between GitHub Copilot and Amazon CodeWhisperer, and it matters more than the suggestion-quality benchmarks people usually compare them on. The rest of the gap comes down to where your code travels and who gets to stop it.
Platform Overview
What Is GitHub Copilot?
GitHub Copilot is Microsoft and GitHub's AI coding assistant, powered by OpenAI models. It does code completion, chat, and multi-file agent edits. Where it pulls ahead is the surrounding ecosystem: pull request summaries and code review happen in the same place your repos already live. Three tiers, and the tier you pick decides your privacy terms: individual, business, enterprise.
What Is Amazon CodeWhisperer?
Amazon CodeWhisperer is AWS's answer, and the security scanner is built in rather than bolted on. It's trained on Amazon's own internal codebase alongside open source, which shows up in how fluently it writes IAM policies and SDK calls. Two tiers: Individual, which is free, and Professional.
Security Feature Comparison
| Security Feature | GitHub Copilot | Amazon CodeWhisperer |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in Security Scanning | No (separate tool) | Yes, included |
| Reference Tracking | Shows matching code | Shows license info |
| Code Training Opt-Out | Business/Enterprise tiers | Professional tier |
| SOC 2 Compliance | Type II certified | Via AWS compliance |
| Data Encryption | In transit and at rest | In transit and at rest |
| Enterprise SSO | Enterprise tier | AWS IAM Identity Center |
| Content Exclusion | Repository-level exclusions | Not available |
| Audit Logging | Enterprise tier | CloudTrail integration |
Data Privacy Deep Dive
Copilot's Data Handling
Copilot Individual may use your code snippets to improve the model unless you go and turn that off. Business and Enterprise don't, and they say so explicitly: no training on your code, and prompts aren't kept past the session that needed them. Your code is processed on Azure under Microsoft's data practices.
Key Copilot privacy features include:
- Business tier guarantees no training on your code
- Content exclusions to block specific repos from AI
- Duplicate detection filters out near-matches to public code
- Telemetry can be limited in IDE settings
CodeWhisperer's Data Handling
The Individual tier may use your code context to improve the service. Professional guarantees it doesn't, and that nothing is stored once processing finishes. AWS compliance frameworks cover it, which is worth real money if your auditors have already signed off on AWS once.
Key CodeWhisperer privacy features include:
- Professional tier no-training guarantee
- AWS PrivateLink option for network isolation
- CloudTrail logging for security auditing
- Integration with AWS Organizations for policy management
Security Scanning Capabilities
CodeWhisperer Security Scans
CodeWhisperer's scanner reads your code as you write it, looking for hardcoded credentials, SQL injection patterns and weak cryptography. No extra setup, no second tool.
The timing matters more than the catch rate. A credential flagged at suggestion time never becomes a commit; a credential that made it into a commit is in your git history permanently, and rotating it is now the easy half of the job.
Copilot Security Approach
Copilot ships no scanner. GitHub's ecosystem has Dependabot and CodeQL, and both are genuinely good, but they're separate products you have to go and switch on. That cuts both ways. You get to choose your tooling, and you also get nothing at all until somebody remembers to configure it.
Choose Copilot When: You're already invested in the GitHub ecosystem and want deep integration with repositories, pull requests, and GitHub Actions. Copilot's content exclusion features and enterprise controls work well for organizations managing multiple repositories with varying sensitivity levels. Best for teams using GitHub Enterprise.
Choose CodeWhisperer When: You're building on AWS and want integrated security scanning without additional tools. CodeWhisperer's reference tracking helps manage open source license compliance, and AWS compliance documentation simplifies enterprise adoption. Best for AWS-centric organizations and those prioritizing built-in security features.
Open Source Code Handling
Reference and Attribution
Both tools can suggest code that resembles open source training data. CodeWhisperer flags when suggestions match training data and shows the associated open source license, helping you avoid license compliance issues. Copilot has a similar feature that shows matching public code, letting you decide whether to use the suggestion.
License Implications
Pulling in a suggestion that matches GPL or another copyleft license can quietly change the obligations on your own project. CodeWhisperer's attribution at least tells you when that's a risk. Both vendors say the same thing: look at any suggestion flagged as matching training data before it goes into commercial code.
Enterprise Deployment
Copilot Enterprise Controls
GitHub Copilot Enterprise includes organization-wide policy controls, SAML SSO, audit logs, and the ability to exclude sensitive repositories from AI processing. Administrators can set policies that apply across all developers, ensuring consistent security practices. Integration with GitHub Advanced Security provides comprehensive code analysis.
CodeWhisperer Enterprise Controls
CodeWhisperer Professional uses AWS IAM Identity Center for authentication and authorization. Organizations can use AWS Organizations service control policies to manage CodeWhisperer access. CloudTrail provides detailed logging of CodeWhisperer API calls, useful for security auditing and compliance reporting.
Best Practices for Both Tools
- Use Business/Professional tiers for any commercial or sensitive work
- Enable reference tracking to catch potential license issues
- Review AI-generated code for security issues before committing
- Configure telemetry settings according to your privacy requirements
- Use content exclusions for repositories with sensitive code
- Enable CodeWhisperer security scanning or set up GitHub security tools
- Document AI tool usage policies for your development team
Does GitHub Copilot store my code?
Copilot Business and Enterprise don't store your code after processing. Copilot Individual may use code snippets to improve the service unless you opt out. All tiers encrypt data in transit and limit retention to what's needed for immediate processing.
Is CodeWhisperer's security scanner reliable?
It catches common vulnerability patterns, and that's genuinely useful as an early warning while you're writing. It isn't a substitute for a real security review. Treat it as the first filter, not the last one, and keep proper testing in front of anything going to production.
Which tool is better for regulated industries?
Both have strong compliance credentials. CodeWhisperer benefits from AWS's extensive compliance certifications if you're already using AWS. Copilot Enterprise leverages GitHub and Microsoft's compliance frameworks. Evaluate based on your existing cloud provider relationships and compliance documentation needs.
Can I use both tools together?
You can, though two assistants competing for the same autocomplete slot gets noisy fast. The split some teams land on is CodeWhisperer for AWS work and Copilot for everything else. Just be clear-eyed about the trade: your code context now goes to both Amazon and Microsoft.
Validate AI-Generated Code Security
CheckYourVibe provides additional security scanning for code from Copilot, CodeWhisperer, and other AI tools.
Further Reading
Made your choice? Here's how to secure your selected stack.