Continue

Overview

Continue is an open-source “autopilot” for VS Code and JetBrains that brings AI code completion and chat into your IDE while letting you bring your own model and keep your data local. It is built as a configurable extension rather than a closed product, which means the assistant is yours to shape — point it at a local model, a cloud provider, or a mix. It lives at https://continue.dev.

In our evaluation, Continue’s defining value is control. Because it is fully open source and model-agnostic, you can run sensitive code through a local model and never send a line off your machine, which is a posture closed assistants cannot easily match. That makes it a favorite for privacy-minded developers and enterprises with data-residency rules. The cost of that freedom is setup: you edit config files to wire up providers and context, and the UI is less slick than a polished commercial editor like Cursor. You trade polish for ownership.

Key Features

• Custom model and context config — Continue is configured through files, so you decide which model, which context, and which data leaves your machine. In our evaluation this configurability is the heart of the tool and the reason privacy teams choose it.
• Inline and sidebar chat — Ask about code in a sidebar or inline, with the editor’s context already in view, so answers stay grounded in your project. We found the sidebar best for exploration and inline best for quick fixes.
• Edit and refactor commands — Continue can apply changes to your files through commands, keeping the AI’s work inside the editor rather than a separate chat. The dimension that matters is edits where the code lives.
• Local or cloud inference — Run a local model for sensitive repos or a cloud model for harder reasoning, switching per task. Our evaluation suggests local for proprietary code, cloud for open-ended problems.
• Open-source and extensible — Being open means you can read the code, self-host, and extend behavior, which closed tools do not allow.

Pricing

Pricing is subject to change. Check the official website for current plans and regional discounts. Free tiers often have usage limits — evaluate whether those limits match your expected volume before committing.

Continue is free and open source; your cost is whatever model you connect, local (free, if you own the hardware) or cloud (metered by the provider). In our evaluation this makes Continue the most transparent privacy option — no subscription, no data sent unless you choose a cloud model. The optional cloud add-on exists for teams that want managed inference without running their own, but the default path is bring-your-own-model and pay nothing to Continue itself.

How It Compares

vs. Cursor: Cursor is a polished agentic editor; Continue is a configurable open extension. On the specific dimension of data control, Continue wins because you can run it fully local; on UI polish and agent power, Cursor leads. Our evaluation: Continue for ownership, Cursor for convenience.

vs. GitHub Copilot: Copilot is closed and cloud-bound; Continue is open and model-agnostic. The dimension that matters is privacy: Continue keeps code on your machine, Copilot sends context to its service. We use Continue when data residency is non-negotiable.

vs. Codeium: Both are free and editor-agnostic, but Continue is open and self-hostable while Codeium is a hosted service. Our evaluation favors Continue for control and Codeium for zero-setup completion.

Getting Started

• Point Continue at a local model first if the repo is sensitive; in our evaluation configuring the provider before relying on it is the whole point.
• Edit the config file to set your model and context; treat setup as a one-time investment that pays off in control.
• Start with sidebar chat for exploration, then move to inline edits as you trust its suggestions.
• Use local inference for proprietary code and cloud only for open-ended reasoning.
• Review applied edits and commit often, because open-source doesn’t mean error-free.
• Lean on it for boilerplate and explanations before delegating bigger refactors.
• Pair Continue with an agent like Cline when you need autonomous multi-file work inside an editor.

Hands-on Verdict

Continue is the open-source assistant we use inside the editor when we want self-hosted, private AI coding — bring your own model and keep the context local. In our evaluation it is more open than GitHub Copilot on data control and lighter than a full agent for inline help, while remaining free to run. For cloud agents we reach for Cline or Windsurf.

The honest caveat is setup weight and a less slick UI; you trade polish for ownership. Our verdict: the right choice for privacy-minded developers and enterprises with data-residency rules, best used with a local model configured up front. Pair it with a commercial agent when you want autonomous power without the config work.