# Aider vs Continue (2026)

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified October 26, 2026.

> **Verdict:** Choose Aider if you want a free, model-agnostic coding assistant that is still in wide use: Aider reports 6.8 million weekly installs, works from the terminal, maps large repositories and commits every accepted edit to git. Choose Continue only to keep an existing VS Code setup running while you migrate, because Cursor acquired Continue Dev, Inc. in June 2026, shut down every hosted plan, and left the repository read-only after the final v2.1.0 release. The deciding factor is maintenance over editor integration.

**Choose Aider if:** You are moving off Continue and want another free Apache-2.0 assistant that works with your own API keys or local models; You work in a terminal and want an assistant that edits files directly inside your git repository; You want every accepted AI edit committed to git automatically so changes stay reviewable and revertible; You work on a large existing codebase and need Aider's repository map to keep the LLM within context limits; You want to add images, web pages or voice input as context while you code

**Choose Continue if:** Not for new rollouts: Cursor acquired Continue Dev, Inc. in June 2026, every paid plan was shut down, and the GitHub repository is read-only; You already run Continue in VS Code on your own API keys or a local model and need it working while you migrate; the final v2.1.0 extension still installs and needs no sign-in; You need in-editor autocomplete, chat, edit and agent modes in VS Code today and accept that the original team will not fix new bugs; You plan to fork and maintain an IDE assistant yourself: Continue's Apache 2.0 codebase has about 36,300 GitHub stars and 5,500 forks

## At a glance

|  | Aider | Continue |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| License | Open source | Open source |
| Best for | developers comfortable in a terminal who want a model-agnostic AI coding assistant without a subscription, paying only for the LLM tokens they actually use | pointing an IDE coding agent at your own API keys or a local model served through Ollama, when you can accept software that no longer receives updates |
| Ratings | Product Hunt 5/5 (1 reviews) | — |

## Feature comparison

| Feature | Aider | Continue |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Project status | Yes (in active use; 6.8 million weekly installs reported) | No (unmaintained; repository read-only since the final v2.1.0 release (June 19, 2026)) |
| Starting price | Yes (free, plus your own LLM API costs) | Yes (free, plus your own model provider costs) |
| Hosted paid plans | No (no subscription; Aider charges nothing itself) | No (Starter, Team ($20/seat/mo) and Company plans shut down in June 2026) |
| Platforms | Yes (Windows, macOS, Linux) | Yes (Windows, macOS, Linux) |
| License | Yes (open source, Apache-2.0) | Yes (open source, Apache 2.0; repository read-only) |
| Editor integration | No (terminal only, no GUI or IDE plugin) | Partial (VS Code extension (final v2.1.0); JetBrains plugin stopped at v1.0.67 in March 2026) |
| Terminal / CLI | Yes (core interface (pip install aider-chat)) | Yes (cn CLI on npm (@continuedev/cli)) |
| Model providers | Yes (Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, local models via Ollama) | Yes (any provider, or local models through Ollama) |
| In-editor autocomplete | No (terminal only) | Yes (VS Code and JetBrains, no further updates) |
| Automatic git commits | Yes (every accepted edit is committed) | Unknown |
| Large-codebase context | Yes (repository map sends a condensed map plus relevant files) | Unknown |
| Configuration | Unknown | Yes (local config.yaml with rules, prompts and MCP servers) |
| Images, web pages and voice input | Yes (all three accepted as context) | Unknown |
| Telemetry and sign-in | Unknown | Yes (none since the final 2.0 release) |
| Bug fixes and support | Partial (community support only, no paid SLAs) | No (original team no longer fixes bugs or adds model support) |
| Adoption | Yes (48.4k GitHub stars, 6.8 million weekly installs) | Yes (about 36,300 GitHub stars, 4.4 million VS Code Marketplace installs) |
| Learning curve | Partial (moderate) | Partial (moderate) |

## Is Continue still maintained?

No, Continue is no longer maintained: Cursor acquired Continue Dev, Inc. in June 2026, the hosted service was shut down, and the GitHub repository has been read-only since the final VS Code release, v2.1.0, on June 19, 2026.

After the acquisition, recurring billing was disabled, unused paid credits are being refunded and hosted user data has been deleted. The team's final 2.0 release removed anonymous telemetry, hosted sign-in and Hub-based model references, so the Continue extension now runs only on your own API keys or local models. The Apache 2.0 code stays free to install, use and fork from the VS Code Marketplace, Open VSX, the JetBrains Marketplace and npm, but new models, new IDE versions and security issues will not get fixes from the original team. The JetBrains plugin stopped earlier, at v1.0.67 in March 2026.

## Can Aider replace Continue?

Aider can replace Continue for developers willing to work in a terminal, since both are free, Apache-licensed and model-agnostic, but Aider has no VS Code or JetBrains plugin and no in-editor autocomplete.

Aider covers the multi-file editing side of Continue's agent and edit modes: you describe a change in plain language, and Aider edits the relevant files in your git repository and commits the result. Aider's repository map sends a condensed view of the project plus the most relevant files, which keeps large codebases within context limits, and Aider supports more than 100 programming languages. Both tools take your own Anthropic or OpenAI keys or local models through Ollama, so the same provider accounts work with Aider. Continue's in-editor autocomplete and chat have no Aider equivalent.

## Aider vs Continue pricing: which costs less?

Aider and Continue are both free under Apache 2.0, so with either tool the only ongoing cost is the model provider you configure.

Continue's hosted plans are gone: Starter at $3 per million tokens, Team at $20/seat/month with $10 of credits per seat, and custom Company contracts were discontinued in June 2026, and unused paid credits are being refunded. Former Continue Team customers who move to Aider pay no seat fee, only their own token usage. Aider installs with pip install aider-chat, and its repository map keeps token spend down on large codebases by sending a condensed map plus the most relevant files instead of the whole project. Aider's total cost still scales with usage, from near-free on cheap models to significant spend with frontier models.

## Which is easier to use, Aider or Continue?

Continue is easier for developers who live in an editor, because Continue installs as a VS Code extension while Aider runs only in a terminal; both carry a moderate learning-curve rating.

Both need setup before they do anything: Aider users manage and secure their own API keys and billing, and nothing in Continue works until a model provider and key or a local model is configured. Continue's JetBrains plugin stopped at v1.0.67 in March 2026 and the Continue project recommends its terminal CLI instead, which puts JetBrains users in a terminal workflow similar to Aider's. Aider has no built-in GUI, a barrier for developers who expect an editor-integrated assistant like Cursor or GitHub Copilot.

## Strengths and weaknesses

### Aider

- Pro: No subscription fee; Apache-2.0 licensed and free to self-host indefinitely.
- Pro: Works with any LLM provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, local models), avoiding vendor lock-in.
- Pro: Automatic git commits on every edit keep changes reviewable and revertible.
- Pro: Repository mapping lets it work effectively on large, existing codebases, not just greenfield projects.
- Con: Terminal-only interface with no native GUI, a steeper adjustment for developers used to IDE-integrated tools.
- Con: Actual cost is variable and provider-dependent, since Aider itself doesn't charge but token usage does.
- Con: Requires users to separately manage and secure their own LLM API keys and billing.
- Con: Community support only, since there is no vendor offering paid enterprise support or SLAs.

### Continue

- Pro: Free under Apache 2.0 with no subscription; the only cost is the model provider you choose.
- Pro: Works with any LLM provider or a local model through Ollama, and the docs cover running fully offline.
- Pro: Agent, chat, edit and autocomplete modes across VS Code, JetBrains and a terminal CLI.
- Pro: Since the final 2.0 release there is no telemetry and no sign-in; configuration lives in a local config.yaml file.
- Con: No longer maintained: the repository is read-only and the last VS Code release (v2.1.0) shipped on June 19, 2026.
- Con: The hosted features (cloud agents, team management, the Hub) and all paid plans were shut down after the Cursor acquisition.
- Con: Nothing works until you configure a model provider and API key or a local model.
- Con: The JetBrains plugin stopped at v1.0.67 in March 2026, and the project recommends its CLI instead.

## Which fits your use case?

| Use case | Pick | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Team standardizing on an AI coding assistant | Aider | Continue's repository is read-only and its hosted plans were shut down in June 2026; Aider is free, Apache-2.0 and reports 6.8 million weekly installs. |
| Former Continue Team customer whose $20/seat plan was shut down | Aider | Aider charges no seat fee, so the team pays only its own model usage with the same Anthropic, OpenAI or local providers the team used in Continue. |
| VS Code user who wants in-editor autocomplete and chat on their own model right now | Continue | The final Continue v2.1.0 extension still installs and runs on your own keys or a local model, and Aider has no IDE-native experience; the original Continue team will not ship fixes. |
| JetBrains user whose Continue plugin stopped updating | Aider | Continue's JetBrains plugin stopped at v1.0.67 in March 2026 and the project recommends a terminal CLI instead; Aider is a terminal assistant with 6.8 million weekly installs reported. |
| Developer in a large existing repository who wants every change reviewable | Aider | Aider's repository map keeps large codebases within context limits and commits every accepted edit to git; Continue's listing describes neither feature. |
| Developer who wants to fork and maintain an IDE assistant | Continue | Continue's Apache 2.0 codebase, with about 36,300 stars and 5,500 forks, stays free to fork; Aider has no IDE plugin to start from. |

## Migration FAQ

### Should I use Aider or Continue?

Use Aider for anything long-term, because Continue is no longer maintained: Cursor acquired Continue Dev, Inc. in June 2026 and the Continue repository is read-only. Keep Continue only as a stopgap if you need an in-editor assistant in VS Code today.

### Is Aider cheaper than Continue?

No, Aider and Continue are both free under Apache 2.0, so with either tool you pay only your model provider. Continue's paid hosted plans, including Team at $20/seat/month, were shut down in June 2026.

### Can Aider replace Continue?

Yes for developers who can work in a terminal: Aider is free, model-agnostic, edits files in your git repository and commits every change. Aider has no VS Code or JetBrains plugin, so Continue's in-editor autocomplete and chat have no direct Aider equivalent.

### What happened to Continue?

Cursor acquired Continue Dev, Inc. in June 2026 and shut down Continue's hosted service: recurring billing is disabled, unused paid credits are being refunded and hosted user data has been deleted. The final VS Code release, v2.1.0, shipped on June 19, 2026, and the GitHub repository is now read-only.

### Does Continue still work?

Yes, the Continue extension still installs from the VS Code Marketplace, Open VSX, the JetBrains Marketplace and npm, and runs on your own API keys or a local model with no sign-in. The original team no longer fixes bugs or adds support for new models or IDE versions.

## Neither a match?

- 4 alternatives to Aider: https://findalternative.to/aider
- 4 alternatives to Continue: https://findalternative.to/continue

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Markdown mirror of https://findalternative.to/compare/aider-vs-continue — findalternative.to, honestly ranked software alternatives. AI info: https://findalternative.to/ai