Continue
Leading open-source AI code assistant that integrates with VS Code and JetBrains, supporting any AI model including local ones.
About Continue
Continue is the leading open-source AI code assistant, designed as an extension for VS Code and JetBrains IDEs. It provides three distinct interaction modes: Chat for conversational assistance, Plan for structured task planning, and Agent for autonomous coding workflows. Its open-source nature means you have full control over your AI coding setup. Continue's greatest strength is its model flexibility. You can connect it to any LLM provider including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or run local models through Ollama for complete privacy. This makes it ideal for organizations with strict data policies who need to keep code on-premises while still leveraging AI assistance. The extension supports autocomplete, inline editing, and contextual chat, all configurable to your preferences. While it requires more setup than proprietary alternatives, Continue rewards that investment with unmatched flexibility and zero vendor lock-in.
In-Depth Review
Continue is the open-source champion of AI coding assistants, and its flexibility is genuinely unmatched. You can configure it to use Claude via Anthropic's API, GPT-4o via OpenAI, or run a completely private setup with Ollama and a local model like DeepSeek or Llama — all within the same extension. The three interaction modes (Chat, Plan, Agent) cover the full spectrum from quick questions to autonomous multi-file refactoring. Enterprise adopters like Siemens and Morningstar validate that it's production-ready.
The downside is that Continue requires meaningful setup effort. You need to configure your model provider, set up API keys, and potentially tune prompt templates to get the best results. The default out-of-box experience is noticeably rougher than Cursor or GitHub Copilot — autocomplete can feel sluggish with cloud models, and the UI lacks the polish of commercial alternatives. The Agent mode is capable but not as refined as Cursor's Composer or Windsurf's Cascade for complex multi-step tasks.
Compared to GitHub Copilot, Continue offers dramatically more flexibility but less convenience. Compared to Cursor, Continue lacks the deep editor integration but avoids vendor lock-in entirely. It's the ideal choice for privacy-conscious developers, teams in regulated industries, and anyone who wants to run AI locally. If you're willing to invest 30 minutes in configuration, Continue delivers 80% of commercial tool capability at zero cost — and with full data sovereignty.
Key Features
- Chat, Plan, and Agent interaction modes
- Support for any LLM (OpenAI, Anthropic, local models)
- VS Code and JetBrains IDE integration
- Autocomplete and inline code editing
- Context-aware with codebase indexing
- Fully open-source and customizable
- Local model support via Ollama for privacy
- Configurable prompt templates and workflows
Pros
- Fully open-source with no vendor lock-in
- Supports any AI model including private/local deployments
- Works in both VS Code and JetBrains IDEs
Cons
- Requires more initial setup and configuration than proprietary tools
- UI polish is behind commercial alternatives
- Quality depends on which model and configuration you choose
Getting Started with Continue
Install the Continue extension from the VS Code Marketplace or JetBrains Plugin repository
Open Continue's config (the gear icon) and add your model provider — paste your Anthropic, OpenAI, or other API key
For local models, install Ollama (ollama.com) and pull a model like 'ollama pull deepseek-coder'
Start chatting with the AI using the Continue sidebar panel, or try autocomplete as you type
Explore Agent mode for autonomous multi-file tasks by typing /agent in the chat
Supported Languages
Pricing Details
- All features
- bring your own API keys or use local models
- unlimited usage
- Shared configuration
- team analytics
- centralized API key management
- Typical $5-20/mo depending on usage with Anthropic or OpenAI APIs
- Fully free and private with Ollama
- quality depends on local model capability
Best For
Developers and teams who want full control over their AI coding stack with the flexibility to use any model, including local/private deployments
Verdict
Continue is the best choice for developers who want full control over their AI coding stack. It's the only serious open-source option that works in both VS Code and JetBrains, and its model flexibility makes it ideal for privacy-conscious teams — but expect to invest time in setup and configuration.
Sources & Methodology
This page is based on public product documentation, vendor pricing pages, and hands-on product testing. Facts may change as vendors update their offerings.
- Official product page: https://www.continue.dev
- Last reviewed: 2026-02-23