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Continue vs GitHub Copilot

A side-by-side comparison of Continue and GitHub Copilot, two IDE tools, drawn from Ignaite's continuously-verified listings.

Compared from listings verified as of

Continue

IDE

Open-source AI coding assistant for VS Code, JetBrains, and the CLI.

View Continue

GitHub Copilot

IDE

AI pair programmer in your editor — completions, chat, and agents.

View GitHub Copilot

At a glance

Feature comparison of Continue and GitHub Copilot
AttributeContinueGitHub Copilot
CategoryIDEIDE
PricingFREEMIUMFREEMIUM
License (differs)Open coreProprietary
Deployment (differs)LocalCloud
Platforms (differs)VS Code extension, CLI, macOS, Windows, LinuxVS Code extension, CLI, Web
Model supportMulti-modelMulti-model
Vendor (differs)Continue DevGitHub (Microsoft)

The honest brief

Continue

Runs fully local via Ollama with your own keys, so code never leaves your machine — unlike cloud-bound rivals like Cursor or Copilot.

  • Apache-2.0 open source
  • VS Code, JetBrains, and CLI
  • Any model provider, your own keys
  • Chat, autocomplete, and agent modes
  • More setup than turnkey tools
  • Quality depends on chosen model
  • Less polished than Cursor

GitHub Copilot

Deepest IDE + GitHub-native reach — runs in VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, CLI, and ships a cloud agent that opens PRs.

  • Works across most major IDEs
  • GitHub-native PR/agent workflow
  • Model picker spans Anthropic/OpenAI/Google
  • Free tier for light use
  • Usage-based AI-credit billing can surprise
  • Agent quality trails dedicated tools
  • Closed source
Continue detailsGitHub Copilot detailsAll IDE apps