Continue
Open-source AI code assistant IDE extension that works with any LLM, including local models via Ollama.
What it does
Continue is an open-source AI coding assistant that integrates into VS Code and JetBrains IDEs - providing inline code completion, chat-based code generation, and codebase context-aware assistance. Its defining feature is model flexibility: Continue works with any LLM provider including OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, and locally-running models via Ollama - giving developers full control over which AI powers their assistance without being locked into a single vendor. It is configured via a simple JSON file, supports custom prompts, and can connect to documentation, codebase indexing, and custom context sources. Continue is popular among developers who want AI coding assistance with privacy controls, local model support, or cost control over API usage.
Why AI-NATIVE
Continue is AI-native - an AI coding assistant IDE integration that provides code completion and chat-based generation, designed from the start to work with LLMs as its core function.
Best for
Individual developers use Continue for AI coding assistance with full model choice - local models for privacy, Claude for quality, or switching between providers based on task needs.
Small engineering teams use Continue as a cost-effective AI coding assistant - open-source with no per-seat license fees, each developer controlling their own LLM provider and API costs.
Development teams use Continue for AI-assisted coding with enterprise model flexibility - connecting to internally approved LLM providers or local models that satisfy data governance requirements.
Mid-market engineering organizations use Continue for team-wide AI coding assistance with centralized model configuration - policy-driven model selection and shared prompt libraries across the engineering team.
Limitations
Continue is more technical to set up than commercial AI coding tools like Cursor or GitHub Copilot — developers must configure LLM providers, API keys, and context settings, which is a barrier for non-technical users.
Continue is a self-configured extension — teams wanting managed enterprise features (centralized billing, admin controls, usage analytics) need to build those processes themselves or choose a commercial alternative.
Continue is a framework — the quality of code assistance depends entirely on the underlying model chosen. Selecting and paying for a capable LLM (Claude, GPT-4) is necessary to match commercial AI coding tool quality.
Alternatives by segment
| If you need… | Consider instead |
|---|---|
| Full AI code editor experience | Cursor |
| GitHub-integrated AI coding | GitHub Copilot |
| Terminal-based AI coding agent | Claude Code |
Continue itself is free and open-source. Users pay LLM API providers directly. Claude API approximately $3 to $15 per million tokens. ChatGPT-4 at comparable rates. Local models via Ollama are free to run on local hardware.
