Continue - Features, Pricing & ReviewsCode IDE / Code Assistant
Open source coding assistant
Table of Contents
Basic Info & Pricing
| Service Name | Continue |
|---|---|
| Provider | Continue |
| Category | Code IDE / Code Assistant |
| Pricing | Free (OSS) |
| Pricing Notes | VS Code/JetBrains support. Requires own API key. Highly customizable |
| Overall Score | 30/100 |
| Context Length | 64K tokens |
| Official Website | https://continue.dev |
| Last Updated | ✓ Verified |
Key Features of Continue
- Completely free OSS
- Your own API
- High customization
- Context Provider
Continue Performance & Benchmarks
| Overall Score | 30/100 |
|---|
* Scores are our proprietary composite evaluation (benchmarks, features, cost-performance). Max 100 points.
Code IDE / Code Assistant Category Ranking:
#13 / 13 services
Continue Pros & Cons
Pros
- Completely free OSS
- VS Code/JetBrains support
- Highly customizable
- Flexible info retrieval via Context Providers
Cons
- Need to get your own API key
- Complex setup
- Low brand awareness
Continue Pricing Details & Cost-Saving Tips
Pricing Structure
Free (OSS)
VS Code/JetBrains support. Requires own API key. Highly customizable
Tips to Reduce Costs
- Maximize the free plan: Start with the free tier to test core features, then upgrade as needed
- Self-host: Run on your own server to significantly reduce API costs
- Annual plans: Annual subscriptions typically offer 10-20% discounts
- Education & startup discounts: Check the official site for student or startup-specific plans
How to Get Started with Continue
- Visit the official website: Go to https://continue.dev
- Create an account: Register with email or Google account (many services offer a free start)
- Choose a plan: Free (OSS) — Start with a free plan or trial if available
- Start using: Access Continue features from the dashboard or app
Visit Continue official site →
Continue Reviews & Reputation
| Overall Rating | Emerging — Growing potential ahead |
|---|---|
| Frequently Praised | Completely free OSS, VS Code/JetBrains support |
| Common Complaints | Need to get your own API key, Complex setup |
| Recommended For | Software developers, engineers, programming learners |
Who is using Continue
Startup CTO
Adopted to boost dev velocity with a small team. Code review overhead cut in half.
Freelance Developer
Using AI pair programming to handle multiple client projects simultaneously.
Programming Learner
Errors get explained instantly, so self-study never gets stuck.
Cost-conscious User
The free tier was the deciding factor. Evaluating the paid version difference before upgrading.
Compare Code IDE / Code Assistant Services
Compare services in the Code IDE / Code Assistant category by score.
| # | Service | Score | Pricing | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
GitHub Copilot
GitHub |
82/100
|
Free / Pro $10 / Pro+ $39 / Biz $19 Free:2000 completions+50req/mo Pro:300req Pro+:1500req+all models Biz:Team admin |
Developer share #1 (68% SO survey). GPT-5.3 Codex integrated. VS Code/JetBrains |
| 2 |
Cursor
Anysphere |
80/100
|
Free / Pro $20 / Pro+ $60 / Ultra $200 Hobby:Free(limited Tab) Pro:Unlimited Tab+Agent Pro+:3x usage Ultra:20x+priority |
Fast-growing AI-native IDE (17x growth). VS Code fork |
| 3 |
Google Antigravity
|
68/100
|
Free (Preview) AI Pro$20:High limits AI Ultra$250:Highest limits Gemini 3 Pro powered |
[2025/11 New] Agent IDE with Gemini 3. Free preview |
| 4 |
Windsurf
Cognition |
52/100
|
Free / Pro $15 / Ultimate $60 Free:25 prompts/mo Pro:Relaxed limits Ultimate:Unlimited *Cognition acquired 2025/7 |
Formerly Codeium. Cascade agent powered |
| 5 |
Gemini Code Assist
|
50/100
|
Free / Enterprise (contact) Free:Basic features Enterprise:Advanced+admin Gemini CLI integration |
Google official IDE extension. VS Code/JetBrains support |
| 6 |
Zed
Zed Industries |
45/100
|
Free / Pro (contact) Basically free. Rust-built fast editor. AI features added Aug 2024 |
Ultra-fast Rust-built editor. AI features being added |
| 7 |
Cline
Saoud Rizwan |
45/100
|
Free (OSS) VS Code extension. Requires own API key (Claude/GPT etc.). MCP support |
OSS VS Code extension. Low cost with your own API key |
| 8 |
JetBrains AI
JetBrains |
42/100
|
All Products $28.9+ / AI Pro $10 JetBrains license required. AI Free:Basic built-in AI Pro:Advanced+unlimited |
JetBrains IDE integrated. Native experience |
| 9 |
Roo Code
RooVeterinary |
39/100
|
Free (OSS) Cline fork. Requires own API key. Plan/Act mode & permission settings |
Enhanced Cline fork, OSS. Highly customizable |
| 10 |
Cody
Sourcegraph |
38/100
|
Free 200 chat / Pro $9 Free:Unlimited completions+200 chat/mo Pro:Unlimited chat+Claude/GPT/Gemini |
Best value at $9. Multiple model support |
| 11 |
Amazon Q
Developer AWS |
35/100
|
Free / Pro $19 Free:50 chat+1000 LOC/mo Pro:Unlimited chat+4000 LOC/mo |
AWS integrated. Code transformation & security scanning |
| 12 |
Tabnine
Tabnine |
30/100
|
14-day trial / Dev $12 / Ent $39 Free plan discontinued (2025/4). Dev:Basic Ent:Private deploy+SSO |
Privacy-focused. On-premise/VPC support |
| 13 |
Continue ◀
Continue |
30/100
|
Free (OSS) VS Code/JetBrains support. Requires own API key. Highly customizable |
Open source coding assistant |
Related & Complementary Tools
- Cody (Code IDE / Code Assistant) — Free 200 chat / Pro $9
- Cursor (Code IDE / Code Assistant) — Free / Pro $20 / Pro+ $60 / Ultra $200
- GitHub Copilot (Code IDE / Code Assistant) — Free / Pro $10 / Pro+ $39 / Biz $19
- Zed (Code IDE / Code Assistant) — Free / Pro (contact)
Other Code IDE / Code Assistant Services
GitHub Copilot
GitHub — Free / Pro $10 / Pro+ $39 / Biz $19
Cursor
Anysphere — Free / Pro $20 / Pro+ $60 / Ultra $200
Google Antigravity
Google — Free (Preview)
Windsurf
Cognition — Free / Pro $15 / Ultimate $60
Gemini Code Assist
Google — Free / Enterprise (contact)
Zed
Zed Industries — Free / Pro (contact)
Cline
Saoud Rizwan — Free (OSS)
Cody
Sourcegraph — Free 200 chat / Pro $9
Amazon Q
AWS — Free / Pro $19
Tabnine
Tabnine — 14-day trial / Dev $12 / Ent $39
JetBrains AI
JetBrains — All Products $28.9+ / AI Pro $10
Roo Code
RooVeterinary — Free (OSS)