Aider vs Continue: pricing, features and which to choose

Aider is an open-source AI pair-programming tool from Aider AI LLC, created in 2023 and distributed under the Apache License 2.0. Its GitHub repository was created on May 9, 2023. The program runs in a terminal, reads a local Git repository, sends selected context to a connected language model, and applies edits to files. Aider does not sell a bundled hosted coding subscription. Its homepage reports 15 billion tokens per week and lists cloud and local model support. The repository lists 49,692 stars in the entered snapshot. For buyers, this means the product is software to operate and configure, not a packaged service with one account, model, or administration layer. Aider is centered on local repositories, command-line control, and external model services rather than a single hosted model.

A typical session starts inside a Git repository. Aider builds a repository map, then accepts a request in chat and proposes edits to selected files. It can add files, modify files, create Git commits with generated messages, display diffs, and use familiar Git operations to review or undo changes. Documentation also covers linting and testing, image and web-page context, voice-to-code, IDE integration, browser use, and scripting through the command line or Python. Users can connect hosted providers, GitHub Copilot, OpenRouter, Ollama, or other compatible endpoints. For a buyer, the practical appeal is a reviewable, scriptable workflow that fits existing Git habits. The repository and review process remain on the developer’s machine, while model requests follow the selected provider’s connection and terms.

Aider fits developers who understand Git, manage model credentials, and want cloud or local model choice. It is less suitable for teams seeking a hosted IDE, central seat administration, consolidated billing, or a fixed monthly model allowance. Privacy depends on the selected provider for code context sent with a request. Aider’s optional analytics collect model, token, feature, command, exception, and error data only after opt-in, and exclude code, chats, prompts, keys, and personal information. Compared with Cursor, Aider offers a terminal-first workflow and broader endpoint choice; GitHub Copilot offers subscription-based access inside its own product; Continue also supports local and hosted models inside developer editors. Pick Aider for Git control, scripting, and BYOK flexibility.

Continue is an open source coding agent project for editors, terminals, and pull requests. Founded by Ty Dunn and Nate Sesti, it launched in 2023 and entered Y Combinator’s Summer 2023 batch. It began with VS Code and JetBrains extensions, then added a command line interface and repository based agents. Continue’s homepage says it joined Cursor, while the open source codebase remains freely available. A June 2026 report described the hosted product as wound down, with users given until July 15, 2026 to export data. That change matters because Continue is no longer best understood as an independent vendor with a stable commercial roadmap. It is better viewed as an Apache 2.0 codebase and technology handoff for teams willing to manage configuration, providers, permissions, and ongoing operation themselves.

A typical workflow begins with installing the VS Code or JetBrains extension, choosing model providers, and assigning roles for chat, edit, apply, autocomplete, embeddings, and reranking. Developers can add repository rules, context providers, prompts, tools, and markdown agent files. The CLI runs an agent locally with a command such as cn --agent. GitHub Actions can discover agent files, run them in parallel, write job summaries, and create separate Check runs. Agents can read files and run commands, so the documented workflow recommends scoped GitHub permissions, secret based API keys, local testing, and review before enabling write actions. This makes Continue useful for teams that want repository controlled instructions and pull request checks, but less suitable for buyers seeking managed agents with little configuration or operational responsibility.

Continue offers more provider control than GitHub Copilot and keeps agent definitions close to repository code. Cursor is the closest commercial comparison and now owns Continue, while Claude Code is a stronger terminal first alternative with a more defined product identity. Gemini CLI offers another terminal workflow, and Goose targets configurable open source agents. Continue’s acquisition makes independent direction and hosted availability uncertain, and its agents can read files and run commands, requiring permission review and human checking. Pick Continue if Apache 2.0 code, local models, provider choice, repository based agents, and source controlled GitHub workflows matter more than a supported standalone subscription. Choose Cursor instead for a commercial integrated editor, or Claude Code for a clearer terminal first product with less emphasis on maintaining the surrounding codebase.