โ€” Coding Tool

Continue

Last updated June 16, 2026 ยท Reviewed by ToolForge Editorial

Open-source AI code assistant. Runs in VSCode/JetBrains with any model.

โ˜… 4.5/5 ยท 300K+ devs ยท Since 2023 ยท Free + BYOK
Free Open source, BYOK
Read Verdict โ†’ See features

The Tabnine alternative that's actually good

Continue is the open-source alternative to Copilot and Tabnine that doesn't lock you in. Connect any LLM (Claude, GPT, local), customize with your own prompts, and run it in VSCode or JetBrains. The 'no vendor lock-in' pitch is real โ€” you can self-host the whole thing.

Who it's for: Developers who want Copilot-like features without the vendor lock-in or per-seat pricing.

Key features

๐Ÿ”“ Open source

MIT licensed. Read the code, run it yourself, no surprises.

๐Ÿ”Œ Any model

Claude, GPT-4, Llama, Ollama. Switch providers per project.

๐Ÿงฉ Customizable

Write your own prompts, share with team. Fine-tune to your codebase.

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Privacy-first

Self-host option means your code never leaves your server.

The honest take

โœ“ What works

  • Free and open source
  • No vendor lock-in
  • Self-host for full privacy
  • Works in both VSCode and JetBrains

โœ— What doesn't

  • Setup more complex than Copilot
  • Less polished UX than Cursor
  • Smaller community than commercial alternatives
  • BYOK model = you pay API costs directly

Related Tools

Verdict

Best for teams that want AI coding without giving GitHub/Microsoft their code. Slightly rougher around the edges than Cursor, but the open-source ethos is worth it for privacy-conscious teams.

๐Ÿ’ก Transparency: This page may contain affiliate links. If you sign up through our link, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. We only recommend tools we use ourselves. Full disclosure.

Try Continue today

Free Open source, BYOK ยท Free + BYOK

Learn more โ†’