Continue Review 2026
Open-source AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains
⭐ 36k+ stars
📜 Apache-2.0
🏷️ ai-tools
Overview
Open-source AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains
Pros
- ✓ Open-source VS Code and JetBrains extension for AI-assisted coding
- ✓ Works with any LLM — Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, or custom endpoints
- ✓ Highly customizable with config files for system prompts and context providers
- ✓ Free alternative to GitHub Copilot that works with local models
Cons
- ✗ Quality of suggestions depends entirely on the underlying model — much better with GPT-4o/Claude than smaller local models
- ✗ Fewer pre-built integrations than GitHub Copilot
- ✗ Less polished UI compared to Cursor's native IDE experience
Key Features
- 🔌LLM Provider Flexibility: Connect to Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, or custom endpoints without vendor lock-in. Switch models and providers by editing config files.
- ⚙️Config-Driven Customization: Define custom system prompts, context providers, and slash commands via JSON configuration. Tailor behavior to your team's coding standards.
- 💻Dual IDE Support: Native extensions for both VS Code and JetBrains IDEs. Consistent AI-assisted coding experience across your entire development toolkit.
- 🔓Fully Open-Source: Audit, fork, and modify the complete source code. No proprietary dependencies mean full transparency and community-driven development.
- 📝Context-Aware Prompting: Customizable context providers automatically inject relevant code files, documentation, and codebase context into AI requests for smarter suggestions.
Verdict
Continue is a top-tier ai tools solution with 36k+ GitHub stars. Its large developer community and ongoing updates make it a recommended choice in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Continue?
Continue is an AI tool in the ai tools space with 36k+ GitHub stars. Open-source AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains.
Is Continue free?
Continue is licensed under Apache-2.0. Check official website for current details.