ToolRankGitHub Copilot vs Continue.dev
Updated 16 Oct 2026 · Facts from vendor pages · How we rank →
Who should pick which
Continue was long the open-source answer to Copilot, but Continue has been acquired by Cursor and is no longer maintained. Pick GitHub Copilot if you want a supported assistant in VS Code, JetBrains and more, with a free plan and Pro at $10/month. Only stay on Continue's final open-source release if you specifically need local models or full control and accept frozen software. If open source matters to you, compare Copilot with Cline instead.
Side by side
| GitHub Copilot | Continue | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $10/month (Pro) | Not yet verified |
| Pricing model | freemium | free |
| Free tier | Limited chat and agent usage; no code review or cloud agent | Open-source extension (Apache-2.0), self-run with your own model keys |
| Best for | Teams already on GitHub who want AI in their existing IDE | Existing users who want a frozen, self-run open-source assistant with their own models |
| Main limitation | Free plan has limited chat and agent usage and no code review or cloud agent. | Discontinued: no further updates or fixes and the hosted services are gone. Treat it as frozen software. |
| Key plans & features |
| Not yet verified |
| Platforms | VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse, Xcode, CLI, GitHub.com, GitHub Mobile | VS Code, JetBrains, CLI |
| Integrations | MCP servers, GitHub pull requests | Bring your own model keys, Local models |
| Model / provider | Not yet verified | Bring your own (any provider or local model) |
| Last checked | 16 Oct 2026 | 16 Oct 2026 |
| Visit GitHub Copilot → | Visit Continue → |
Prices as listed by each vendor on the check date, before tax. Plans and limits change; follow the sources below.
Starting price
Lowest paid plan shown on each vendor’s pricing page, checked 16 Oct 2026. Currencies as listed.
Open in the interactive comparer →
Full profiles: GitHub Copilot profile · Continue profile
FAQ
Is Continue.dev a free Copilot alternative?
It was, but the project is now discontinued and read-only after Cursor acquired it. The code still runs with your own keys or local models, without updates.
Does Copilot have a free plan?
Yes. Copilot Free includes limited chat and agent usage. Pro is $10/month.
Can Copilot use local models?
We haven't verified local-model support for Copilot. Continue's final release supports local models through your own setup.
Sources
- GitHub Copilot: GitHub Copilot plans checked 16 Oct 2026
- Continue: continue.dev: Continue was acquired by Cursor checked 16 Oct 2026
- Continue: Continue GitHub README (read-only, final 2.0.0 release) checked 16 Oct 2026
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