Continue
Open-source AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains
What is Continue?
Continue is an open-source AI coding assistant that brings chat and autocomplete to VS Code and JetBrains IDEs. Unlike proprietary alternatives, you control which AI models to use - connect to Claude, GPT-4, local models, or your company's hosted models. Features include intelligent code completion, inline chat for quick questions, and a sidebar for longer conversations. Continue understands your codebase context by indexing your files and can reference specific code sections in responses. For teams concerned about code privacy or wanting to use specific AI models, Continue provides flexibility that closed-source alternatives don't offer. The extension is actively maintained with frequent updates and a supportive community.
Pros
- Open source
- Use any AI model
- VS Code and JetBrains support
- Codebase indexing
- Privacy-friendly
- Active development
Cons
- Requires model configuration
- Less polished than Copilot
- Model costs apply