// comparison · Development
GitHub CopilotvsContinue.dev: Which Should You Use?
Quick verdict: Continue.dev is the leading open-source Copilot alternative. It lets you wire in any model — OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama — and keep the IDE workflow Copilot users expect.
Side-by-side
| GitHub Copilot | Continue.dev | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $10/mo (Copilot Individual) | $0 (free) |
| License | Proprietary subscription | Open source (FOSS), privacy-first |
| Platforms | VS Code, JetBrains, Vim/Neovim, Visual Studio | VS Code, JetBrains |
| File compatibility | Native formats | Covers most basics |
| Learning curve | Established workflow | Easy |
| Best for | You want a one-click, zero-config inline autocomplete that just works | You want to plug in your own API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, Mistral) or a local LLM |
When to use each
Stick with GitHub Copilot when
- You want a one-click, zero-config inline autocomplete that just works
- Your employer's policy or contract requires GitHub's compliance posture
- You like having Microsoft's MS-managed model and infrastructure
- You depend on Copilot Chat's polished interface and recent agentic features
Switch to Continue.dev when
- You want to plug in your own API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, Mistral) or a local LLM
- Privacy matters — you can run entirely offline against a local Llama or DeepSeek model
- You're a tinkerer who wants to customise prompts, context retrieval, and tools
- You're choosing your model based on latency, cost, or quality, not a fixed vendor
Migration: GitHub Copilot → Continue.dev
Switch Score for Continue.dev: Easy · Covers most basics. If you decide to move from GitHub Copilot to Continue.dev, plan a short adjustment window. Most users find that day-to-day work transfers within a week, with file-format quirks the most common source of friction.
Honest trade-offs of Continue.dev
- Inline suggestion quality depends on the model you point it at
- Local models are fast but smaller; cloud models cost money to use through your own key
- Some integrations Copilot has out of the box require manual configuration
FAQ
Is Continue.dev free?
The extension is open source and free. You pay only for whatever model you use through it — and if you use a local model, even that's free.
Can it run fully offline?
Yes — pair it with Ollama or LM Studio and a local model like Llama or Qwen. Suggestions never touch the cloud.
Does it work in VS Code and JetBrains?
Yes — both. The JetBrains plug-in is newer than the VS Code extension but actively developed.