Continue Pricing Guide 2026
Continue is an open-source AI code assistant that works across VS Code and JetBrains IDEs. It follows a "bring your own model" approach — the extension is free, and you choose which AI provider to pay for.
Visit Continue →Continue Pricing Plans
| Component | Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Continue | Free | Open source, works in VS Code and JetBrains |
| Model API costs | Varies | Bring your own model |
| Budget option | ~$0.01/session | Local models (Ollama) or Gemini Flash |
| Premium option | ~$0.50/session | Claude Sonnet 4 |
Best AI Models for Continue (2026)
Based on cost-effectiveness, coding quality, and availability. Data updated Apr 18, 2026.
Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite
Google · $0.037/M input
High-volume tasks, batch processing, cost-optimized pipelines
View full pricing →Mistral Nemo
Mistral · $0.150/M input
Self-hosted deployments, cost-sensitive coding, edge deployments
View full pricing →Mistral Nemo
Mistral · $0.150/M input
Self-hosted deployments, cost-sensitive coding, edge deployments
View full pricing →Cost Per Session with Continue
Estimated cost for a medium feature implementation (100K input + 10K output tokens).
| Model | Provider | Cost/Session | Input Price | Output Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite | $0.04 | $0.037/M | $0.150/M | |
| Qwen Turbo | Qwen | $0.08 | $0.080/M | $0.240/M |
| Mistral Nemo | Mistral | $0.08 | $0.150/M | $0.150/M |
| Gemini 1.5 Flash | $0.09 | $0.075/M | $0.300/M | |
| Mistral Small 3 | Mistral | $0.10 | $0.100/M | $0.300/M |
| Microsoft Phi-4 | Microsoft | $0.10 | $0.100/M | $0.300/M |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Continue free?
Yes, Continue is free and open source. You bring your own AI model API key.
Can I use Continue with local models?
Yes! Continue supports local models via Ollama, which means you can use AI coding assistants completely free with no API costs.
What IDEs does Continue support?
Continue works with VS Code and JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, WebStorm, PyCharm, etc.).
Compare Continue with Other Platforms
See how Continue stacks up against the competition.
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