Continue

Continue is an open-source AI coding platform that started as a Chat/Agent extension for VS Code and JetBrains and has expanded into a CLI plus source-controlled "AI checks" enforced on every pull request. We rate it 83/100 — the strongest open-source alternative to GitHub Copilot and Cursor for teams that want bring-your-own-model freedom and version-controlled AI behavior.

What is Continue.dev?

Continue was founded in 2023 by Nate Sesti and Ty Dunn and is built by Continue Dev, Inc. The core repo at continuedev/continue went public in May 2023 and has crossed 32,800+ stars and 3,500+ forks. It is licensed Apache 2.0 and ships three things: an IDE extension for VS Code and JetBrains, an open-source CLI named cn, and the Continue Hub — a registry of shareable agents, models, rules, and prompts.

Where Cursor forks VS Code and Copilot ships as a closed extension, Continue stays vendor-neutral. You bring your own keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, Bedrock, Azure, xAI, or Ollama, and you pay those providers directly. The 2026 product pivot — "Continuous AI" — moves agents out of the editor and into your CI: each repo defines markdown agents in .continue/checks/ that run on every pull request as GitHub status checks, green or red with a suggested diff.

Key Features of Continue

• Four core capabilities in the IDE: Autocomplete (inline ghost-text suggestions), Edit (highlight-and-rewrite), Chat (sidebar conversation with code context), and Agent mode (multi-step task execution with tool calls and file edits).
• Continuous AI on every PR: Define agents as markdown files in .continue/checks/; the Continue CLI runs them as GitHub status checks on every pull request and posts review comments with suggested diffs.
• Bring your own model: Native support for Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, Mistral, Amazon Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, xAI Grok, and local Ollama models. No vendor lock-in.
• Continue Hub: A registry where you publish or install agents, models, rules, and prompt blocks. Think GitHub Marketplace but for AI building blocks.
• Local and offline mode: Run entirely with Ollama on a laptop or with a self-hosted vLLM endpoint. No data ever leaves your machine.
• Voice-to-text: Recent releases ship a voice-input mode the team measures at 3.75× faster than typing for prompt entry.
• Open-source CLI (cn): Run agents from your terminal, orchestrate multi-file edits, and integrate Continue into custom scripts and CI pipelines.

What Users Say About Continue

On Reddit's r/LocalLLaMA, Continue is the most-recommended option whenever someone asks for a Copilot replacement that works with Ollama or LM Studio — top threads call out the easy local model setup and the freedom to mix providers. The original Show HN thread from August 2023 hit 200+ points, with HN commenters praising the open-source license but flagging early-version rough edges.

Recurring criticism in 2026 falls into three buckets. First, autocomplete latency is still behind Cursor's Tab model when running smaller local LLMs — heavy users typically pair Continue with a hosted Claude or GPT key for inline completion. Second, the early-2026 pivot toward "AI checks in CI" confused some long-time IDE users; a popular Reddit thread argued the marketing now buries the IDE extension that brought most people in. Third, the JetBrains plugin lags the VS Code extension by a release or two, particularly for new agent features. The team has been responsive on these in GitHub Discussions.

Continue Pricing

The Continue extensions and CLI are free and open source. You only pay if you use Continue Hub's hosted credits or seat-based team features.

Plan	Price	What's Included
Open-source	$0/month	VS Code & JetBrains extensions, the cn CLI, Apache 2.0 license. Bring your own API keys or run local models with Ollama.
Starter	$3 / million tokens, pay-as-you-go	Hub access, agent runtime, integrations (Slack, Sentry, Snyk, Linear), credits for frontier models. No monthly minimum.
Team	$20 / seat / month	Includes $10 in model credits per seat, private agent sharing, agent-allow lists, Gmail/GitHub SSO. Everything in Starter.
Company	Custom	SAML/OIDC SSO, bring-your-own-API-keys, contractual commitments, invoicing, SLA, dedicated support.

Who Should Use Continue?

Best for: Engineers who already have an Anthropic, OpenAI, or Gemini key and want the best open-source AI coding UX without paying a second subscription; teams that want their AI behavior version-controlled in the repo; security-conscious shops that need local-only inference on Ollama.

Not ideal for: Solo developers who want zero-config "install and it just works" AI — Cursor or Copilot are simpler. Also not ideal for teams whose codebase is so large that @codebase retrieval struggles without a hosted vector index.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Apache 2.0 license — fully open source, including the CLI and the IDE extensions.
• Provider-agnostic: swap between Claude, GPT, Gemini, and Ollama with a config edit; no fork required.
• Source-controlled agents in .continue/ — your AI behavior is reviewable, diffable, and reproducible.
• Genuine local-first option via Ollama for air-gapped or privacy-sensitive teams.
• Free open-source extensions cover the everyday Chat / Edit / Autocomplete / Agent loop.

Cons:

• Inline autocomplete is slower than Cursor's Tab model on small local LLMs; pair with a hosted key for parity.
• The 2026 pivot to "AI checks in CI" has shifted marketing focus; new users sometimes miss the IDE story.
• JetBrains plugin trails the VS Code extension by a release or two on new agent features.
• Agent runtime in the Hub is paid by token at $3/million — heavy users on frontier models can rack up bills.

Alternatives to Continue

• Cursor — Closed-source VS Code fork with the slickest inline experience, but vendor-locked and pricier per seat.
• Cline — Open-source agent extension for VS Code; better for autonomous multi-step tasks, weaker on autocomplete.
• Aider — Terminal-first AI pair-programmer; better for repo-wide refactors, no IDE UI.
• GitHub Copilot — Closed-source, single-vendor, $10/month; choose it if you want zero setup and trust GitHub.

Verdict: Is Continue Worth It?

Yes, especially if you already pay for an LLM API. Continue gives you a polished, open-source IDE experience plus a CI agent runner without locking you to one model vendor. The 83/100 reflects two real friction points — slower local autocomplete and a marketing message that pulled focus from the IDE — but neither outweighs the strategic value of an Apache-licensed, BYO-model platform you can extend, fork, or self-host. Install the VS Code extension, point it at your existing API key, and you will know within 30 minutes whether it replaces Copilot for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Continue.dev free?

Yes. The Continue VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, and cn CLI are all free and open source under Apache 2.0. You pay nothing if you bring your own API keys or run local models with Ollama. Continue Hub credits start at $3 per million tokens, and the Team plan is $20 per seat per month.

What IDEs does Continue support?

VS Code (and Cursor / forks via the marketplace), all JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, RustRover, etc.), and from the terminal via the open-source cn CLI.

How does Continue compare to GitHub Copilot?

Copilot is closed-source, single-model, and runs only on GitHub-approved infrastructure. Continue is open source, supports any provider including local Ollama, and lets you store your AI agents and rules in your repo. Copilot is simpler; Continue is more flexible and cheaper at scale.

Can Continue run fully offline?

Yes. Connect Continue to a local Ollama or vLLM endpoint and no code or prompt ever leaves your machine. This is one of the most-cited reasons teams choose Continue for regulated codebases.

Is Continue open source?

Yes — Apache 2.0. The full source for the IDE extensions, CLI, and core engine lives at github.com/continuedev/continue.

What models does Continue support?

Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, Mistral, xAI Grok, Amazon Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, plus any OpenAI-compatible endpoint and any local model via Ollama, vLLM, llama.cpp, or LM Studio.