Continue
The open-source AI coding assistant for VS Code and JetBrains
Founded
2023
Starting Price
$0
Category
AI Coding Assistants
Last updated March 4, 2026
About Continue
Continue is an open-source AI coding assistant that integrates directly into VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, offering chat, inline editing, autocomplete, and autonomous agent capabilities. It supports any LLM — including OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and local models via Ollama — giving teams full control over their AI stack without vendor lock-in. Teams can also use Continue's CI-integrated PR review checks to enforce custom code standards across every pull request.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Completely free and open-source (Apache 2.0) with no feature paywalls on core IDE functionality
- Works with virtually any LLM including local models, preventing vendor lock-in and enabling full data privacy
- Supports both VS Code and all JetBrains IDEs, covering most developers' preferred environments
- Team configuration stored in-repo via .continue/rules/ ensures consistent AI behavior across the team
- MCP integration brings real-time context from GitHub, Sentry, Snyk, and Linear directly into AI responses
Key Features
AI Chat in IDE
Context-aware chat assistant embedded in your editor. Select code, ask questions, get explanations, and apply changes without leaving VS Code or JetBrains.
Inline Edit
Trigger inline edits with a keyboard shortcut, describe a change in natural language, and have the AI rewrite the selected code block in place.
Autocomplete
Real-time AI-powered inline code suggestions as you type, functioning like enhanced IntelliSense backed by any supported LLM including local models.
Agent Mode
Autonomous agent that can plan multi-step tasks, search the codebase, edit files, run terminal commands, and iterate — reducing manual context gathering.
Bring Your Own LLM
Connect any AI model provider: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Mistral, Cohere, or local models via Ollama. No forced vendor dependency.
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Integrates with MCP-compatible tools such as GitHub, Sentry, Snyk, and Linear to pull live context from your development workflow into AI responses.
Pricing
Open Source
$0
- VS Code and JetBrains extension
- Chat, Edit, Autocomplete, and Agent modes
- Bring your own LLM
- Full open-source codebase (Apache 2.0)
- MCP tool integrations
Best For
Privacy-First AI Coding
Teams handling sensitive or proprietary code can connect Continue to local Ollama models, keeping all code and prompts entirely on-premises.
Multi-LLM Experimentation
Developers who want to compare different AI models (Claude vs GPT-4 vs Gemini) for coding tasks without switching tools or paying multiple subscriptions.
Automated PR Code Review
Engineering teams enforce custom code standards by defining checks as markdown files. Every PR gets AI-powered pass/fail analysis as a GitHub status check.
Team AI Standardization
Orgs wanting all developers to use the same AI rules and context sources can commit a .continue/ directory and have everyone inherit those settings.
