Continue
Open-source, model-agnostic AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains that you configure to your own stack
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About Continue
Continue is an open-source, model-agnostic AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains that you configure around your own stack. Rather than locking you into one provider's model, it lets you pick, swap, and combine the models you want, which is the core appeal for developers and teams who'd rather own their tooling than rent a closed product. The core is free and self-hostable.
The flexibility runs deep. You can pair a frontier model with your editor, or run everything locally through Ollama when the code is too sensitive to leave your machine. Beyond model choice, Continue is built to be customized: you define assistants, rules, and context providers, which means a team can standardize shared prompts and behavior across everyone's editor and even enforce source-controlled AI checks in CI. It treats your coding assistant as something you shape, not a fixed black box.
If you want a private, local-only assistant, a way to avoid provider lock-in, or a configurable setup your whole team can align on, Continue fits the brief. It's a solid choice for developers who care about control, privacy, and keeping their AI tooling open and adaptable.
Key Features
- Open-source core under the Apache 2.0 license
- VS Code and JetBrains extensions plus a Continue CLI
- Model-agnostic: bring your own keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama, and custom endpoints
- Agent, Chat, Edit, and Autocomplete modes inside your editor
- Continue Hub for building and sharing custom assistants, rules, and prompts
- Source-controlled AI checks you can enforce in CI
Pros & Cons
What we like
- No vendor lock-in, you pick and swap the underlying model
- Can run fully local through Ollama for privacy-sensitive code
- Deeply configurable assistants, rules, and context providers
- Free, self-hostable open-source core
Room for improvement
- Real setup and config effort before it feels tuned to your workflow
- You supply and pay for your own model API keys (BYO key)
- The JetBrains plugin is now community-maintained, with the CLI as the recommended path
- Hub team features (private rules, SSO, BYOK) sit behind paid plans
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Continue?
Is Continue free?
Who is Continue for?
How is Continue different from GitHub Copilot?
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Reviews (9)
Quietly excellent
Almost a year on Continue now, no plans to leave. Their take on deeply configurable assistants, rules, and context providers is genuinely good.
Worth the price of admission
Picked Continue for the price, stayed for the quality. Their take on can run fully local through ollama for privacy-sensitive code is genuinely good. No regrets so far.
Worth the price of admission
Almost a year on Continue now, no plans to leave. Real selling point for me was open-source core under the apache 2.0 license. Genuine strength is that it gets out of the way and lets me work. It fits well for enforcing source-controlled ai code checks in ci. No regrets so far.
Genuinely impressed
Tried Continue on a side project first, then rolled it out everywhere. Real selling point for me was free, self-hostable open-source core. Found it works best for pairing a frontier or local model with your editor without provider lock-in. Recommending it to people in a similar spot.
It just works
Onboarded the whole team to Continue in an afternoon. Nothing flashy, it simply pulls its weight every day. The defaults are sensible, so I was not fighting settings on day one. It earns its place in my stack.
The kind of tool you forget you are paying for
Tried Continue on a side project first, then rolled it out everywhere. It slotted into my routine without much fuss. Found it works best for standardizing shared assistants, rules, and prompts across a team.
It just works
Picked Continue for the price, stayed for the quality. Their take on agent, chat, edit, and autocomplete modes inside your editor is genuinely good. Found it works best for running a private, local-only coding assistant via ollama. Worth the price for what I get out of it.
Worth the price of admission
Three months of Continue later, here is what holds up. Real selling point for me was source-controlled ai checks you can enforce in ci. Performance has been steady even when I lean on it hard. No regrets so far.
Good, with a few caveats
Hadn't planned on switching, but Continue was hard to ignore. Real selling point for me was continue hub for building and sharing custom assistants, rules, and prompts. It handles the boring parts so I can focus on the work that matters. It fits well for running a private, local-only coding assistant via ollama. It would be a five if not for hub team features (private rules, sso, byok) sit behind paid plans. Glad I made the switch.
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