Continue
by Continue · Open-source AI code assistant you control and customise.
Best for
Developers who want an open, model-agnostic assistant
Sponsored link. We may earn a commission, but rankings stay editorial.
Continue is an open-source assistant for VS Code and JetBrains that lets you plug in whichever models you want and tailor the workflow to your stack.
Ideal for teams that care about control, privacy, or cost and don’t mind configuring; less plug-and-play than Copilot or Cursor.
AES Tech verdict
Continue is strongest for developers who want an open, model-agnostic assistant. The main trade-off is that more setup than turnkey tools, so compare it with the alternatives below before committing to a paid plan.
Scorecard
Pros
- +Open source and highly customisable
- +Bring your own model or API key
- +No vendor lock-in
Cons
- -More setup than turnkey tools
- -Polish depends on your config
Choose Continue if
- You need developers who want an open, model-agnostic assistant.
- Open source and highly customisable matters more than the trade-offs.
- Bring your own model or API key matters more than the trade-offs.
Skip Continue if
- More setup than turnkey tools is a deal-breaker for your team.
- Polish depends on your config is a deal-breaker for your team.
Editorial method
How AES Tech ranks tools
AES Tech ranks tools by practical output quality, workflow fit, business value, risk, and buyer friction. Affiliate relationships never decide rankings.
Output quality
30%Workflow fit
20%Value
20%Trust and risk
20%Buyer friction
10%Check the decision context before buying
Review method
How AES Tech scores output quality, value, workflow fit, trust signals and buyer friction.
Affiliate disclosure
Commercial links are marked sponsored and do not decide rankings, ratings or verdicts.
Privacy notice
How analytics, affiliate click events and direct requests are handled.
Security policy
Responsible disclosure, security.txt and site hardening details.
Ready to try Continue?
Start free, upgrade if it sticks.
Check current pricing and terms on Continue's site before buying.
FAQ
- How much does Continue cost?
- Continue pricing starts at Free / paid teams. A free tier is available, so you can try it before paying.
- What is Continue best for?
- Continue is best for developers who want an open, model-agnostic assistant.
- Is Continue worth it in 2026?
- We rate Continue 4.0 out of 5. Continue is strongest for developers who want an open, model-agnostic assistant. The main trade-off is that more setup than turnkey tools, so compare it with the alternatives below before committing to a paid plan.
- What are the best Continue alternatives?
- GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf are the closest rivals we have tested. See our full list of Continue alternatives for the ranked breakdown.