Open-source AI coding assistant for developers using VS Code or JetBrains, supporting 100+ local and cloud models for autocomplete, chat, and agent mode.
Why we recommend it
Continue is the standard choice for model-agnostic AI coding: one extension, 100+ providers, no markup on API costs. The Cursor acquisition in July 2026 makes its long-term direction a real question mark, which the drawbacks section should state plainly.
Strengths
- Free and open-source (Apache-2.0) IDE extension for VS Code and JetBrains offering autocomplete, chat, multi-file edits, and agent mode.
- Model-agnostic with 100+ supported providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Ollama, LM Studio), per-feature model assignment, and no markup on API costs.
Drawbacks
- Setup requires manual config.yaml editing, and local-model configuration is a common pain point (Ollama connection errors and high VRAM usage reported in GitHub issues).
- Acquired by Cursor in July 2026; the IDE extension is no longer the company's main focus and users were given a July 15 data-export deadline, leaving long-term maintenance uncertain.
Frequently asked questions
Continue is free to use.
Yes, Continue is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence.
Setup requires manual config.yaml editing, and local-model configuration is a common pain point (Ollama connection errors and high VRAM usage reported in GitHub issues). Acquired by Cursor in July 2026; the IDE extension is no longer the company's main focus and users were given a July 15 data-export deadline, leaving long-term maintenance uncertain.
Continue is best suited for Enterprise, Freelancer, Student.
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