Continue

★★★★☆4.1 / 5 editorial Free Free and open source — you only pay for the model API access you choose to plug in.

Open-source autopilot for VS Code and JetBrains — bring any model

✓ Editor-verified listing — details reviewed by Grab AI Tool editors; pricing re-checked regularly.

Try it Free → ♡ 2,913 saves
#code completion#open source#chat#local models#custom agents

What is Continue?

Continue is an open-source autopilot for your existing editor: a VS Code and JetBrains extension that lets you plug in almost any AI model — cloud or local — and shape it with your own prompts, context providers, and rules. Because nothing is locked to one vendor, teams can swap models as better or cheaper options appear.

Its hub makes it easy to share reusable blocks — models, prompts, documentation context, and rules — across a whole team, so everyone's assistant behaves consistently. Continue is free to use and you only pay for the model access you choose, which makes it popular with privacy-conscious developers who run local models and with teams avoiding per-seat fees.

Key Features

  • Autocomplete, chat, and agent mode in your editor
  • Works with almost any cloud or local model
  • Shareable hub of prompts, rules, and context blocks
  • Custom context providers for docs and codebases
  • Fully open source and self-configurable

Pros

  • No vendor lock-in — swap models freely
  • Free apart from your own model costs
  • Great for local-model and privacy-first setups

Cons

  • Setup and configuration take real effort
  • Experience varies with the model you choose
  • Less polished than commercial all-in-one editors

Pricing

  • Model: Free
  • Free and open source — you only pay for the model API access you choose to plug in.

Adding Up Your AI Bill?

If you pay for Continue alongside other AI subscriptions, the monthly total adds up quietly. Tick every tool you pay for in our free AI Tool Cost Calculator to see your real monthly and yearly bill — and spot overlaps you can cut. Still choosing? Start with our guide on how to choose the right AI tool.

How We Rated It

Scores reflect our editors’ independent assessment at the time of review.

Ease of Use
4.5
Feature Depth
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
Output Quality
3.5

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