Continue

Open-source AI assistant for VS Code and JetBrains — plug in any LLM, including free local models

Visit Website Free (open source)

Continue is the “bring your own brain” approach to AI coding. It is a free, open-source extension for VS Code and JetBrains that connects to any LLM you want — cloud APIs like Claude and GPT-4, or local models through Ollama. You get autocomplete, chat, and inline editing without paying for a subscription.

The appeal is total freedom. Do not want to send code to the cloud? Run a local model. Want to switch between Claude for complex tasks and a fast local model for autocomplete? You can. The cost is setup time and some polish — it takes more effort to get running than Cursor, and the experience is not quite as seamless. But for developers who want control over their tools and their data, Continue is the best free option.

What's good

  • Completely free — no subscription, no API costs if you use local models
  • Works with any LLM: OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, LM Studio, and more
  • Deep IDE integration with autocomplete, chat, and inline editing

Watch out for

  • Requires setup — picking a model, getting API keys, configuring the tool
  • Less polished than Cursor or Copilot; occasional rough edges
  • Quality is only as good as the model you connect

Alternatives

Cline

Open-source VS Code extension that acts as an autonomous coding agent — bring your own AI model

Cody

Sourcegraph's AI assistant that indexes your entire codebase for context-aware help

GitHub Copilot

GitHub's AI coding assistant — inline suggestions, chat, and agent mode right in your editor

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