— Coding Tool

Continue

Last updated 2026-07-25 · Reviewed by ToolForge Editorial

The open-source AI coding assistant that lives in your IDE — autocomplete, chat, and edit, fully customizable.

★ 4.4/5 · 100K+ developers · Since 2023 · Fully free OSS

Free Open source

Try Continue → Read full review

Your AI pair programmer, open-source and self-hostable

Continue is the open-source alternative to GitHub Copilot that runs entirely inside VS Code and JetBrains. It brings tab-autocomplete, chat, and whole-file edits — and you choose the model. Connect it to local Ollama, a cloud API, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. No vendor lock-in, no per-seat pricing, full control.

Who it's for: Privacy-conscious developers, teams that want to self-host, and anyone who bristles at Copilot pricing.

Key features

code Tab autocomplete

Inline suggestions powered by your choice of model — local or cloud.

chat Sidebar chat

Ask about your codebase with full project context.

edit Inline edits

Highlight code and ask Continue to rewrite it in place.

lock Bring your own model

Works with Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, Together, and any OpenAI-compatible API.

The honest take

✓ What works

Completely free and open source
Works with any model, including local Llama
No data leaves your machine if you self-host
Active community and rapid development

✗ What doesn't

Setup requires more config than Copilot
Quality depends heavily on the model you choose
Less polished UX than commercial alternatives
No built-in agent mode yet

Verdict

The best free, privacy-first Copilot alternative. Pair it with a strong local model via Ollama and you have a capable coding assistant that costs nothing and leaks nothing.

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