Continue — Coding Agents Platform
Coding AgentsLayer 5What is Continue?
Continue is an open-source AI coding assistant that brings ChatGPT-like capabilities directly into VS Code and JetBrains IDEs. As an open-source alternative to GitHub Copilot, Continue allows developers to use their choice of LLM providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, or local models. The platform is completely free and open-source, with developers only paying for their chosen LLM API usage. Continue provides inline code suggestions, chat-based assistance, and custom context from your codebase. The tool has gained strong community adoption for its flexibility, privacy-focused approach with local model support, and zero subscription costs. Continue represents the open-source community's answer to proprietary coding assistants.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Completely free and open-source
- +Works with any LLM provider
- +Local model support for privacy
- +Active community development
Cons
- -Requires API key management
- -Support via community only
- -Features may lag proprietary alternatives
Continue Pricing
- ✓Free forever
- ✓Self-hosted
- ✓Bring your own API key
- ✓Local model support
- ✓All features included
- ✓Community support
Using Continue with Respan
Integrate Continue's open-source coding assistant with Respan to add flexible AI coding capabilities. Use any LLM provider or local models. Combine Continue's zero-cost approach with Respan's orchestration for comprehensive development automation.
- ✓Completely free and open-source
- ✓Choose any LLM provider or use local models
- ✓Native IDE integration with VS Code and JetBrains
- ✓Privacy-focused with local model support
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Last verified: March 10, 2026