What is Continue?
Continue is a pioneering open-source AI coding assistant and agent that runs as a Visual Studio Code extension, a JetBrains plugin, and a command-line tool, and was one of the earliest widely adopted open-source coding agents.
It is aimed at developers who want a flexible, model-agnostic assistant they can customize and connect to providers like Claude and GPT models or to local LLMs.
Continue supports in-editor autocomplete, refactoring, code explanation, agentic chat, rules, and asynchronous pull request agents, all with a bring-your-own-LLM approach that keeps workflows consistent across models. 0 and remains installable across the VS Code extension, CLI, and JetBrains plugin, with active community involvement around its open-source codebase.
Developers use Continue for everyday coding assistance, autocomplete, codebase questions, refactoring, and PR automation, especially when they value open source and local-model support, and teams can define reusable rules and assistants to standardize how the agent behaves across a project.
Because it is model-agnostic, it works well in air-gapped or privacy-sensitive environments where sending code to a hosted provider is not an option. Pros include being free and open source, broad model and IDE flexibility, local LLM support for privacy, and a customizable configuration.
Cons include that bring-your-own-LLM setups require managing API keys and model costs, and that getting the best results depends on choosing and tuning the right models. Continue is free and open source, with costs driven by the models you connect.
Pricing changes often, so check the official site for current plans.
Key features of Continue
- In-editor autocomplete, refactoring, and code explanation
- Agentic chat and asynchronous pull request agents
- Bring-your-own-LLM support including local models
- Available as VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, and CLI
- Customizable rules and configuration
- Apache 2.0 open-source codebase
Continue pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free and open source with broad model flexibility | Bring-your-own-LLM means managing API keys and model costs |
| Supports local LLMs for privacy-sensitive workflows | Best results depend on choosing and tuning the right models |
| Available across VS Code, JetBrains, and the CLI | — |
Continue pricing
Continue is free to use, with no paid plan required for its core features. Pricing changes often, so check the official site for the latest plans and any free trial before you buy.
Who is Continue for?
Continue is best suited for open-source ai code assistant for vs code and jetbrains. Whether you are trying this kind of coding & development tool for the first time or use one every day, it is a credible option to shortlist — compare it with the alternatives and head-to-head comparisons linked on this page to find the best fit for your workflow and budget.
Continue at a glance
| Detail | Summary |
|---|---|
| Category | Coding & Development |
| Pricing model | Free |
| Free option | Yes |
| Best for | Open-source AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains |
| User rating | Not yet rated |
