Continue.dev
Open-source AI code assistant — bring any model to VS Code and JetBrains
Continue.dev is the leading open-source AI code assistant, designed around a simple but powerful idea: you should be able to use any AI model you want inside your IDE. Whether you prefer OpenAI's GPT-4, Anthropic's Claude, or want to run models entirely on your own machine with Ollama, Continue gives you autocomplete, chat, and inline editing with full control over which AI powers the experience — and your code never has to leave your machine if you don't want it to.
Visit Continue.devWhat is Continue.dev?
Continue.dev is an open-source AI code assistant that gives developers complete freedom over which AI model powers their coding workflow. Founded in 2023, the project quickly became the most popular open-source alternative to GitHub Copilot, earning over 20,000 GitHub stars and a passionate community of contributors. The core philosophy is simple: AI coding assistance should not lock you into a single provider, and your code data should stay under your control.
The "bring your own model" approach is Continue's defining feature. Through a straightforward JSON configuration file, you can connect to virtually any AI model provider: OpenAI for GPT-4 and GPT-4o, Anthropic for Claude, Google for Gemini, Mistral, Cohere, or dozens of others. More importantly, you can run models entirely on your own hardware using Ollama, LM Studio, or llama.cpp — meaning your code never leaves your machine and you pay zero API costs. You can even configure different models for different tasks: a fast small model for autocomplete, a powerful large model for chat, and a local model for sensitive projects.
Continue provides three core capabilities inside your IDE. Autocomplete delivers inline code suggestions as you type, similar to Copilot. Chat lets you ask questions about your codebase, explain code, generate tests, and refactor functions through a conversational interface. Inline editing lets you select code and describe changes in natural language, with Continue applying the edits directly. All three features work with whichever model you've configured, and you can switch models on the fly.
The tool supports both VS Code and JetBrains IDEs with native extensions. For teams, Continue offers management features for centralized configuration, shared context, and usage analytics — though these team features are newer and less mature than the core open-source product. For individual developers and privacy-conscious organizations, Continue's combination of model flexibility, open-source transparency, and local model support makes it a uniquely compelling option in the AI coding assistant space.
Key Features
Bring Your Own Model
Connect to any AI provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, or run models locally with Ollama. No vendor lock-in, full flexibility.
Local Model Support
Run AI models entirely on your hardware with Ollama, LM Studio, or llama.cpp. Zero API costs, complete privacy, works fully offline.
Tab Autocomplete
Inline code completions that work with any configured model. Supports multi-line suggestions and adapts to your coding patterns.
Contextual Chat
Chat panel with codebase context. Reference files with @-mentions, ask questions about your code, generate tests, and debug issues.
Inline Editing
Select code, describe changes in natural language, and Continue applies the edits directly. Fast refactoring without copy-pasting.
Open Source (Apache 2.0)
Fully open-source with a transparent codebase. Audit the code, contribute features, or fork for custom internal deployments.
Pricing
Continue.dev itself is free and open-source. Your costs depend entirely on which AI model provider you choose — or zero if you run local models.
| Plan | Price | Best For | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Source | $0 | Individual devs | Full features, bring your own API keys, local models supported |
| Local Models | $0 | Privacy-focused devs | Run Ollama/LM Studio locally — zero API costs, fully offline |
| Teams | Contact | Organizations | Centralized config, shared context, usage analytics, admin controls |
Cloud model costs (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) are paid directly to those providers. See continue.dev/pricing for team pricing details.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Complete model flexibility — use any AI provider or run models locally
- Fully open-source under Apache 2.0 with active community
- Can work completely offline with local models for maximum privacy
- No vendor lock-in — switch models without changing your workflow
- Free to use with no usage limits (you pay your model provider directly)
Cons
- Requires configuration — not as plug-and-play as Copilot
- Quality depends entirely on which model you choose and configure
- Local models are significantly less capable than cloud models
- Team management features are less mature than enterprise competitors
Alternatives to Continue.dev
If you prefer a more polished out-of-box experience or don't want to manage your own model configuration, these alternatives offer excellent AI coding assistance with less setup.
GitHub Copilot
The most polished AI coding assistant with zero configuration. Deep GitHub integration but no model flexibility.
Codeium
Free AI code completion with cloud-hosted models. Less flexible than Continue but easier to set up.
Supermaven
Ultra-fast completions with 1M token context. Focused on speed and accuracy rather than model flexibility.
Cursor
AI-native editor with excellent chat and agent experience. Replaces your editor entirely for a more integrated approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Continue.dev?
Continue.dev is an open-source AI code assistant that runs as an extension for VS Code and JetBrains IDEs. Its defining feature is the ability to bring your own AI model — connect it to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or run models entirely locally using Ollama or LM Studio. It provides autocomplete, chat, and inline editing features while giving you full control over which AI model powers the experience and where your code data goes.
Is Continue.dev free?
Yes, Continue.dev is completely free and open-source under the Apache 2.0 license. The software itself costs nothing. If you use cloud-based models like GPT-4 or Claude, you pay those providers directly for API usage — typically a few dollars per month for moderate use. If you run local models with Ollama or LM Studio, your total cost is zero since the models run on your own hardware. Continue also offers team management features with separate pricing for organizations.
What AI models work with Continue.dev?
Continue.dev supports virtually every major AI model provider. For cloud models, it works with OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-4o, GPT-3.5), Anthropic (Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3 Opus, Claude 3 Haiku), Google (Gemini Pro), Mistral, Cohere, and many more. For local models, it integrates with Ollama, LM Studio, and llama.cpp, supporting open-source models like Llama 3, CodeLlama, Mistral, DeepSeek Coder, and StarCoder. You can configure different models for different tasks — for example, a fast local model for autocomplete and a powerful cloud model for chat.
How does Continue.dev compare to GitHub Copilot?
The fundamental difference is flexibility versus polish. Copilot locks you into GitHub's models and infrastructure but offers a seamless, zero-configuration experience with deep GitHub integration, workspace agents, and pull request features. Continue.dev lets you use any AI model from any provider — including local models for complete privacy — but requires manual configuration. Copilot is better for developers who want things to just work; Continue is better for developers who want control over their AI stack or need to keep code data private.
Can I use Continue.dev completely offline?
Yes, absolutely. By configuring Continue.dev to use a local model runner like Ollama or LM Studio, you can use all features — autocomplete, chat, and inline editing — without any internet connection. Your code never leaves your machine, and there are no API costs. This makes Continue an excellent choice for air-gapped environments, classified codebases, or developers who simply prefer maximum privacy. The trade-off is that local models typically produce lower quality suggestions than cloud models like GPT-4 or Claude.
What are the best alternatives to Continue.dev?
Top alternatives include GitHub Copilot for the most polished out-of-box experience with zero configuration, Codeium for another free option that includes its own cloud-hosted models so you don't need API keys, Cody by Sourcegraph for code graph intelligence across entire codebases, Supermaven for the fastest code completions with a massive context window, and Cursor for a complete AI-native editor replacement. Continue.dev's unique advantage is full model flexibility and open-source transparency with Apache 2.0 licensing.
Related Guides
Built an AI Tool?
Submit your AI tool to be featured on AI Tool Finder and reach developers, founders, and productivity enthusiasts.
Submit Your AI Tool