Last updated: May 2026
Continue is an open-source AI coding assistant that runs as a VS Code extension and a JetBrains plugin. It provides tab autocomplete, chat, and codebase-aware assistance — connecting to any AI model you configure. Unlike Cursor or Windsurf, Continue is not a standalone editor; it plugs into your existing IDE.
Yes. The Continue extension is free and open source (Apache 2.0). You bring your own API key and pay the model provider directly. Continue takes no markup on API costs. For teams that want centralized management and shared model configuration, Continue Hub offers a paid tier, but the core extension remains free.
VS Code and all JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, Rider, and others). This is a key differentiator — most AI coding tools only support VS Code. If your team is on JetBrains, Continue is one of the few open-source options that covers you natively.
Any OpenAI-compatible API endpoint, plus native integrations with:
Local model support via Ollama is one of Continue's strongest features — your code never leaves your machine.
Yes. Continue provides inline tab completions similar to GitHub Copilot. You can configure a fast, cheap model (like DeepSeek V4-Flash or a local Ollama model) for autocomplete and a more capable model for chat. This split-model setup keeps autocomplete fast and cheap while keeping chat quality high.
Cursor is a standalone editor with deeply integrated AI, tab autocomplete, and agent mode built in. Continue is an extension that adds AI to your existing editor. Continue gives you more model flexibility and IDE choice (JetBrains, VS Code), while Cursor is more polished and fully integrated. Continue is free; Cursor Pro costs $20/month. If you are deeply invested in JetBrains and do not want to switch editors, Continue is the most capable open-source option available.
Both are free, open-source VS Code extensions. Continue focuses on chat and autocomplete with strong JetBrains support. Cline is a fully autonomous agent — it can edit multiple files, run terminal commands, and handle long multi-step tasks. Most developers who need both autocomplete and an agent use Continue for completions and Cline for autonomous tasks. The two are complementary, not competing.
Yes. Configure Continue to use Ollama with any locally running model and no data leaves your machine. This is the most privacy-complete AI coding setup available — no API key, no external servers. Performance depends on your local hardware.
Continue is configured via config.json (or config.yaml) in your ~/.continue/ directory. You can also add project-specific context by referencing files and documentation. See the Continue.dev Rules guide for a full configuration reference.
Yes. Continue indexes your codebase and uses that index to provide relevant context in chat and autocomplete — similar to how Cursor's codebase context works. The quality of codebase-aware responses depends on the model you configure. With a capable model (Claude Sonnet or GPT-4o), Continue's codebase chat is comparable to Cursor's @codebase feature.