Continue
FreeOpen-source AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains, use any LLM
Quick Verdict
Developers who want AI coding assistance without leaving their IDE and with full control over which models they use
Developers who want a polished, turnkey AI coding experience with zero configuration
Free and open-source (Apache 2.0 license). Bring your own API keys or run local models. Nothing left to buy: the pricing page is gone.
Yes, fully free and open-source
Works in your existing IDE with any LLM provider
No longer commercially developed after the Cursor acquisition; the JetBrains plugin is now community-maintained
Bottom line: Continue scores 4.7/5 for what it does: a free, model-agnostic assistant that lives inside the editor you already use. Go in knowing it is frozen, though. The last release shipped on June 19, 2026 and nobody is shipping new ones.
Continue demo video
Watch Continue's official demo to see Continue in action before reading our full review.
Official video by Continue via YouTube, embedded for reference. ToolChase does not host or claim this video.
What is Continue?
Continue is an open-source AI code assistant. It installs into VS Code and JetBrains IDEs as an extension, and it also ships a terminal client, the Continue CLI (cn), providing autocomplete, chat, edit and agent modes powered by any LLM you point it at. The docs name Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, xAI, Mistral, Amazon Bedrock, Azure and Ollama among the supported providers. Unlike Cursor (which is a separate IDE), Continue works inside your existing editor. You configure it in one YAML file at ~/.continue/config.yaml, and everything stays on your machine (the older config.json format is documented as deprecated). Context providers let you feed relevant information into your prompts, though the two most useful ones, @Codebase and @Docs, are now marked deprecated in favor of Agent mode codebase and documentation awareness. The extension is free and open-source under the Apache 2.0 license, with no usage limits from Continue itself. You pay only for the API keys you choose to use, or nothing at all if you run models locally via Ollama. What you do not get any more is momentum: Cursor acquired Continue, continue.dev is now a farewell page, and the last release (v2.1.0, the build the VS Code Marketplace still serves) went out on June 19, 2026.
Continue Pricing
Free and open-source (Apache 2.0 license). You bring your own API keys or use local models via Ollama. No subscription required, and no usage limits imposed by Continue itself.
There is also nothing left to buy. The paid Continue Hub tiers this page listed earlier in 2026 can no longer be purchased: continue.dev/pricing returns a 404, hub.continue.dev no longer resolves, and the docs no longer carry a Hub section. Your only cost is whatever your model provider charges you.
Key Features
- Tab autocomplete
- Inline editing
- Agent mode for multi-step tasks
- Chat with codebase context
- Custom slash commands
- Any LLM provider support
- Local model support via Ollama
- Context providers (@Codebase and @Docs now deprecated)
- VS Code and JetBrains support
- Continue CLI (cn) for the terminal
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Works in existing IDE (no switching)
- Use any model (cloud or local)
- Privacy-first (run locally)
- Highly customizable
Cons
- Requires setup and API keys
- Less polished than Cursor
- No built-in model hosting
- Community support only
- Frozen: no releases since June 2026
Best For
Developers who want AI coding assistance without leaving their IDE and with full control over which models they use
Good to know
Install the Continue extension from the VS Code Marketplace (version 2.1.0, published June 19, 2026, about 4.1 million installs) or the JetBrains Plugin Marketplace (version 1.0.67, March 2026). Configure your model provider in ~/.continue/config.yaml. Supports macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Continue itself collects no code data. Privacy depends on your chosen provider: cloud APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic) send code to their servers. Run models locally via Ollama for complete privacy, no data leaves your machine.
There is nothing left to upgrade to inside Continue: the paid Continue Hub tiers (Teams and Enterprise) plus the optional Models add-on offered during 2026 are gone, along with the pricing page, after Cursor acqui-hired Continue in June 2026. If you want a product with a company behind it, Cursor is $20 per month on the Individual plan (a free Hobby tier exists) and GitHub Copilot Pro is $10 per month (a limited Copilot Free tier exists). If you are staying with Continue, note that its own JetBrains listing now points users to the Continue CLI rather than the plugin.
Moderate. Installing the extension is easy, but configuring model providers and API keys requires some technical comfort. Once set up, daily usage is straightforward.
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FAQ
What is Continue?
Continue is an open-source AI code assistant that runs as an extension in VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, plus a terminal client called the Continue CLI (cn). It provides autocomplete, chat, edit and agent modes powered by whatever LLM you connect, including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, xAI, Mistral, or local models via Ollama.
Is Continue free?
Yes. The Continue extension is free and open-source under the Apache 2.0 license, and Continue imposes no usage limits of its own. The paid Continue Hub tiers (Teams/Enterprise) and Models add-on offered in 2026 can no longer be purchased: after Cursor's June 2026 acquisition, continue.dev/pricing returns a 404 and hub.continue.dev no longer resolves. You pay only for the API keys you choose, or nothing if you run models locally with Ollama.
How does Continue compare to Cursor?
Cursor is a standalone IDE (a VS Code fork) with a polished, integrated AI experience and built-in model hosting: $20 per month on the Individual plan, with a free Hobby tier. Continue is a free extension that works inside your existing VS Code or JetBrains IDE. Continue gives you more model flexibility but requires more setup, and since Cursor acquired Continue it has stopped shipping releases.
What LLMs does Continue support?
Continue supports virtually any LLM. The docs list Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, xAI, Mistral, Amazon Bedrock and Azure among the cloud providers. For local models, it integrates with Ollama, LM Studio, and llama.cpp. You can also connect to custom or self-hosted endpoints.
Does Continue work with JetBrains?
Yes, with a caveat. The JetBrains plugin is still listed and installable and covers agent, chat, edit and autocomplete. But Continue's own plugin listing now says it is community-maintained and recommends the Continue CLI instead, and the last plugin update was version 1.0.67 in March 2026, well behind the VS Code extension.
Can I use Continue completely offline?
Yes. If you run a local model through Ollama or LM Studio, Continue works entirely offline. No code data leaves your machine. This makes it ideal for air-gapped environments or developers with strict privacy requirements.
How does Continue compare to GitHub Copilot?
GitHub Copilot Pro is $10 per month (a limited Copilot Free tier also exists) with strong inline suggestions and active development behind it. Continue is free and open-source with more flexibility, you choose your own models and can run everything locally, but it stopped shipping releases after the Cursor acquisition.
What are context providers in Continue?
Context providers pull relevant information into your AI prompts, for example @File to reference a specific file. Two of the best known ones are no longer maintained: the docs mark @Codebase and @Docs deprecated in favor of Agent mode codebase and documentation awareness. A longer list (@Jira, @Discord, @Google, @Commits and others) is documented as deprecated too, with MCP servers suggested as the replacement.
