Continue vs GitHub Copilot
Which AI coding tool should you choose? Feature, pricing, and workflow comparison for 2026.
Quick Comparison
Continue
Open-source AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains. Bring your own model.
| Pricing | Free open source, API usage-based |
| Type | Tool |
GitHub Copilot
AI pair programmer by GitHub and OpenAI. Integrated into VS Code, JetBrains, and Neovim.
| Pricing | Free for students, $10/mo individual, $19/mo business |
| Type | IDE Extension |
Key Differences
Continue is a versatile AI coding tool. Copilot focuses on inline completions.
Choose Continue if you want terminal-based AI coding. Choose GitHub Copilot if you prefer GitHub ecosystem integration and familiar autocomplete.
Best AI Models to Use with Continue and GitHub Copilot
Both tools support multiple AI models. Here are the most cost-effective options ranked by value.
| # | Model | Provider | Input ($/M) | Medium Project | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GLM-4-Flash | Zhipu AI | $0.010 | $0.01 | 128K tokens |
| 2 | Amazon Nova Micro | Amazon | $0.035 | $0.04 | 128K tokens |
| 3 | Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite | $0.037 | $0.04 | 1M tokens | |
| 4 | MiniMax Text 01 | MiniMax | $0.050 | $0.06 | 8K tokens |
| 5 | Stable Code 3B | Stability AI | $0.050 | $0.06 | 32K tokens |
| 6 | Llama 3.1 8B | Meta | $0.050 | $0.04 | 128K tokens |
| 7 | Phi-3 Mini | Microsoft | $0.050 | $0.04 | 128K tokens |
| 8 | Amazon Nova Lite | Amazon | $0.060 | $0.07 | 300K tokens |