Continue
Open-source coding assistant where you pick the model and own the config.
What is Continue?
Continue is an open-source AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains that lets you bring your own models, configure custom assistants in YAML and share them across a team via the Continue Hub. Its core appeal is full control - you can route to OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama models or self-hosted endpoints without changing tools. It's bought by teams who refuse to send their code to a closed SaaS coding assistant.
Coding agents and AI developer tools for writing, reviewing, debugging, and shipping software.
See the full AI Coding guide to compare more tools, buyer criteria, and related workflows.
Use cases to evaluate
Running a custom coding assistant against your team's preferred model
Using local Ollama models for sensitive code, cloud models for the rest
Sharing standardized assistant configs across a team via Continue Hub
Building org-specific agents in VS Code or JetBrains
Fit to evaluate
Teams with strict data residency or model-choice requirements
Engineers who want to mix local and cloud models
Platform teams standardizing AI tooling across many devs
Companies that prefer open-source tooling over closed SaaS
Business fit
Right for you if your security policy bans Copilot-style closed assistants, or if you want to use local models for some tasks and Claude for others. Skip if you want a turnkey product where someone else picks the model and handles billing. The Starter plan is pure usage-based at $3 per million tokens with no seat fee - cheap if your team uses AI lightly, expensive if they're firehosing requests.
How to evaluate Continue
Use this category when software delivery speed, code review, or developer leverage is a business constraint.
Confirm the exact workflow
Map Continue to one concrete workflow first, such as running a custom coding assistant against your team's preferred model. Avoid buying before the owner, trigger, output, and success metric are clear.
Check category fit
Test with your actual repository and review diff quality.
Compare practical alternatives
Shortlist Continue against Codex, Claude Code, Cursor so the decision is based on fit, effort, and workflow ownership rather than brand recognition alone.
Validate cost and rollout effort
Starter pay-as-you-go at $3 per million tokens, no monthly seat fee. Team at $20 per seat per month with $10 in credits per seat included. Company tier is custom for enterprise. Also confirm implementation time, support needs, and whether the technical setup matches your team.
Compare Continue with alternatives
Use this quick comparison before booking demos or moving data into a new system.
| Primary workflow | Running a custom coding assistant against your team's preferred model, Using local Ollama models for sensitive code, cloud models for the rest |
|---|---|
| Best-fit team | Teams with strict data residency or model-choice requirements, Engineers who want to mix local and cloud models |
| Implementation effort | Technical setup and maintenance profile |
| Pricing check | Usage-based |
| Closest alternatives | CodexClaude CodeCursorGitHub Copilot |
Continue pricing
| Model | Usage-based |
|---|---|
| Snapshot | Starter pay-as-you-go at $3 per million tokens, no monthly seat fee. Team at $20 per seat per month with $10 in credits per seat included. Company tier is custom for enterprise. |
| Checked |
Common questions about Continue
What is Continue?
Continue is an open-source AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains that lets you bring your own models, configure custom assistants in YAML and share them across a team via the Continue Hub. Its core appeal is full control - you can route to OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama models or self-hosted endpoints without changing tools. It's bought by teams who refuse to send their code to a closed SaaS coding assistant.
What is Continue used for?
Common use cases: Running a custom coding assistant against your team's preferred model; Using local Ollama models for sensitive code, cloud models for the rest; Sharing standardized assistant configs across a team via Continue Hub; Building org-specific agents in VS Code or JetBrains.
How much does Continue cost?
Starter pay-as-you-go at $3 per million tokens, no monthly seat fee. Team at $20 per seat per month with $10 in credits per seat included. Company tier is custom for enterprise.
Who is Continue best for?
Continue fits Teams with strict data residency or model-choice requirements, Engineers who want to mix local and cloud models, Platform teams standardizing AI tooling across many devs, Companies that prefer open-source tooling over closed SaaS. Right for you if your security policy bans Copilot-style closed assistants, or if you want to use local models for some tasks and Claude for others. Skip if you want a turnkey product where someone else picks the model and handles billing. The Starter plan is pure usage-based at $3 per million tokens with no seat fee - cheap if your team uses AI lightly, expensive if they're firehosing requests.
What are alternatives to Continue?
Common alternatives to Continue include Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Replit, Windsurf.