aicoolies logo

Continue Review: Historical Open-Source Coding Assistant Acquired by Cursor

Continue was a model-agnostic open-source AI coding assistant for VS Code and JetBrains. Its official site now says Continue has been acquired by Cursor, so this review is maintained as historical context and migration guidance rather than a current standalone recommendation.

Reviewed by Raşit Akyol on March 27, 2026

Share
Overall
40
Speed
78
Privacy
92
Dev Experience
82

Current Status

Continue is now treated as a historical product on aicoolies. The official Continue site states that Continue has been acquired by Cursor, so the old buyer-guide framing no longer reflects a standalone active tool.

What Continue Was

Continue was one of the most important open-source AI coding assistants for developers who wanted model choice inside VS Code and JetBrains. It connected cloud and local LLMs to chat, autocomplete, edit, and agent workflows, and it appealed to teams that cared about BYOK deployments, local models, and transparent configuration.

Why the Recommendation Changed

The previous review recommended Continue as a flexible active alternative to proprietary coding assistants. After the Cursor acquisition notice, that recommendation is no longer safe for teams choosing a durable independent product. The historical strengths remain relevant, but new adoption decisions should be based on Cursor’s current product direction or on other active open-source/enterprise coding assistants.

Migration Guidance

Developers who used Continue for editor-native AI should compare Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Cline, Aider, and self-hosted coding-agent stacks. Teams that depended on local models or BYOK workflows should specifically verify current support, data-boundary controls, extension maintenance, and migration paths before standardizing.

Bottom Line

Continue was influential because it proved that model-agnostic, configurable coding assistance could compete with polished proprietary assistants. In 2026, the practical recommendation is no longer “adopt Continue as an active standalone tool,” but “treat Continue as historical context and evaluate current alternatives.”

Pros

  • Historically offered strong model-agnostic workflows across cloud and local LLMs
  • Helped popularize configurable open-source AI coding inside VS Code and JetBrains
  • Useful historical reference for BYOK, local-model, and privacy-focused coding-assistant patterns

Cons

  • Official site now states Continue has been acquired by Cursor
  • No longer safe to recommend as an active standalone independent coding assistant
  • Existing adopters should verify Cursor’s current roadmap, migration path, and data-boundary story before continuing

Verdict

Continue was an influential open-source coding assistant for teams that wanted model choice and local/BYOK control, but the Cursor acquisition means new buyers should evaluate current alternatives instead of treating Continue as an active independent product.

View Continue on aicoolies

Pricing, platforms, and community stacks — explore the full tool page

Alternatives to Continue