GitHub Copilot vs Continue(2026)
GitHub Copilot is better for teams that need widest ide support. Continue is the stronger choice if full model control. GitHub Copilot is freemium (from $10/mo) and Continue is open-source (from $0).
Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.
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GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot is the original AI code assistant — powered by OpenAI and integrated natively into VS Code, JetBrains, and more. It autocompletes code, explains functions, and generates tests.
Starting at $10/mo
Visit GitHub CopilotContinue
Continue is an open-source AI code assistant that connects to any LLM (Claude, GPT-4, local Ollama) inside VS Code or JetBrains. Full control over which model and data leaves your machine.
Starting at $0
Visit ContinueHow Do GitHub Copilot and Continue Compare on Features?
| Feature | GitHub Copilot | Continue |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | open-source |
| Starting price | $10/mo | $0 |
| Line/block autocomplete | ✓ | — |
| Chat interface | ✓ | — |
| Multi-file edits (Copilot Workspace) | ✓ | — |
| Test generation | ✓ | — |
| PR summaries | ✓ | — |
| CLI assistance | ✓ | — |
| IDE integrations | ✓ | — |
| Open source (Apache 2.0) | — | ✓ |
| Any LLM backend | — | ✓ |
| VS Code + JetBrains | — | ✓ |
| Inline autocomplete | — | ✓ |
| Chat | — | ✓ |
| Codebase indexing | — | ✓ |
| Slash commands | — | ✓ |
GitHub Copilot Pros and Cons vs Continue
GitHub Copilot
Continue
Should You Use GitHub Copilot or Continue?
Choose GitHub Copilot if…
- •Widest IDE support
- •Free for students/OSS
- •Deep GitHub integration
Choose Continue if…
- •Full model control
- •Works with local Ollama models
- •Free forever