Codeium is a free AI code completion tool with broad IDE support and cloud-based processing, while Continue is an open-source IDE extension framework that lets developers integrate multiple AI models locally or via API. Codeium emphasizes ease of use and accessibility, whereas Continue offers deeper customization and privacy control for developers willing to manage their own setup.
Codeium vs Continue — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Cloud-based AI code completion assistant with freemium pricing and enterprise features
Open-source AI code completion IDE extension with local and remote model support
Pricing Model. Model Flexibility. Privacy & Data Processing. Setup Complexity. IDE Support. Customization & Extensibility. Community & Open Source
Choose Codeium if you want instant setup, broad IDE compatibility, and a reliable free experience without configuration overhead. Choose Continue if you prioritize privacy, model flexibility, cost efficiency at scale, and are comfortable managing API keys or running models locally.
Codeium: 2,000 completions | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Codeium proprietary model only | Continue: N/A
Codeium: 2-5 (IDE extension install) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Current file + visible buffer | Continue: N/A
Codeium: No—suggestions only, manual application required | Continue: N/A
Codeium: April 2024 (~20 months old) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: No (default local) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Free (Pro: $12) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Basic GitHub support only | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Full local processing available | Continue: N/A
Codeium: 1-2 (one-click install) | Continue: 10-20 (API key + config required)
Codeium: Unlimited | Continue: Unlimited with local models
Codeium: 120-180ms | Continue: 200-500ms average
Codeium: 64K tokens | Continue: Up to 100,000+ tokens
Codeium: Cloud-based (enterprise VPC option available) | Continue: Local-only, zero cloud transmission
Codeium: VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Visual Studio, Eclipse (5 platforms) | Continue: VS Code, JetBrains suite, Vim, Neovim (4 major platforms)
Codeium: $12/month for unlimited usage | Continue: Free (optional donations for commercial use)
Codeium: $0 (Pro: $20) | Continue: $0 (self-hosted)
Codeium: Proprietary Codeium model only | Continue: Claude, GPT-4, Llama, Mistral, local
Codeium: Cloud (US servers; on-prem available for Enterprise) | Continue: Local (on-device)
Codeium: Not open-source | Continue: 13,000+
Codeium: 2,000+ | Continue: Unlimited (depends on API usage)
Codeium: Limited UI settings only | Continue: Full JSON config (prompts, model params, shortcuts)
Primary AI Model Quality (MMBENCH score)
Codeium: 72 (Codeium model) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: 3-5 steps (plugin install) | Continue: High (manual LLM configuration required)
Codeium: Free (unlimited) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: 15+ integrations | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Standard SAML, No HIPAA/SOC2 | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Available on Pro/Teams | Continue: N/A
Codeium: $0 (Free tier available) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: 15+ | Continue: 4 major (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim)
Codeium: Optional (server-based default) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Yes, with team features | Continue: N/A
Codeium: $0 (free) or $12 | Continue: $0
Codeium: Full-featured free tier | Continue: N/A
Codeium: 1-2 minutes (API key login) | Continue: 15-30 minutes (model download + config)
Codeium: 1-3 seconds (cloud-optimized) | Continue: 5-15 seconds (hardware-dependent)
Codeium: 4GB (negligible, cloud-based) | Continue: 2-4 GB (extension only)
Codeium: 6+ platforms (VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor, VSCodium, Sublime, Vim) | Continue: 4 major platforms (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim)
Codeium: 40 completions/month (free tier) | Continue: Unlimited (fully free and open-source)
Codeium: No (proprietary) | Continue: Yes (GitHub public repository)
Codeium: 6 platforms (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim, Emacs, Visual Studio) | Continue: 6+
Codeium: Yes, with role-based access control | Continue: No
Context Retention (consecutive requests)
Codeium: Maintains context across 3-5 requests | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Unlimited (with rate limits) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: ~50KB per request | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Codeium's proprietary + Claude | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Limited (plugin dependent) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: 2/10 (familiar editor) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Free (Pro: $12/month) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: 70+ languages | Continue: 50+ (with LLM-dependent support)
Codeium: Free only (no paid tier) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: 5+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim, Emacs, Sublime) | Continue: 1 (VS Code)
Codeium: Yes (Enterprise plan) | Continue: N/A
Codeium: $12 | Continue: $0 (open-source) or hosted option available
Codeium: Codeium (proprietary) + Claude 3.5 Sonnet + GPT-4o options | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Basic sidebar chat with limited context | Continue: N/A
Codeium: Free (with limits) | Continue: Free (open-source)
Codeium: $30-50 per user | Continue: Self-hosted (variable)
Codeium: 2-3 | Continue: 15-30 (with model download)
Codeium: Cloud-only, no offline mode | Continue: Full offline with local models
Codeium: Data processed on Codeium servers | Continue: No data transmission with local setup
Codeium: 1 (Codeium proprietary) | Continue: 8+ (Claude, GPT-4, Llama, Mistral, local models)
Codeium: 500+ | Continue: ~50-100 (estimated)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: Free (+ API costs)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: 5+ (Claude, GPT-4, Llama 2, custom, local)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: VS Code, IntelliJ, PyCharm, CLion, Rider, WebStorm
Codeium: N/A | Continue: 6+ (Claude, GPT-4, Ollama, local)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: 5+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: 8000-200000 (model-dependent)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: Yes (Ollama, LLaMA)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: Yes (full local support)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: ~0.05 million (2025 estimate)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: No (community-driven)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: Optional (local or cloud)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: Full open-source (Apache 2.0)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: 2-5 sec (Claude/GPT-4)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: $50-150 for power users
Codeium: N/A | Continue: 10+ providers supported
Codeium: N/A | Continue: Required for cloud models
Codeium: N/A | Continue: Native VS Code extension
Codeium: N/A | Continue: Depends on provider, some cloud processing
Codeium: N/A | Continue: Varies by provider
Codeium: N/A | Continue: 3 major editors (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: 15+ providers including premium APIs
Codeium: N/A | Continue: 2 minutes (IDE extension)
Privacy Level (0=cloud-only, 100=fully local)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: 80 (optional local via Ollama backend)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: Comprehensive with config examples
Codeium: N/A | Continue: $0 (free + optional API costs)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: Fully local option available
Codeium: N/A | Continue: 4+ (Claude, Llama, GPT-4, Mistral)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: Depends on LLM vendor (Claude, OpenAI, Google store data per ToS)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: 120-200 (with cloud LLMs like Claude)
Codeium: N/A | Continue: GPT-4, Claude 3, Gemini, custom servers
How to choose between Codeium and Continue
Codeium vs Continue — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Codeium vs Continue. Contains 164 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Codeium vs Continue — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Codeium vs Continue.
Is Codeium free? How does the pricing work?
Yes, Codeium is completely free for individual developers with up to 2,000+ code completions per month. A Pro plan ($20/month) removes usage limits and adds priority support. Enterprise customers get on-premises deployment and single sign-on. Continue is also free but requires you to bring your own API keys for cloud models (OpenAI, Anthropic) or run models locally.
Which one is better for privacy and data security?
Continue is better for privacy as it defaults to local processing and never sends your code to servers unless you explicitly use an API-based model. Codeium processes code on cloud servers (US-based), though they claim not to train on user code. For HIPAA, FedRAMP, or SOC 2 compliance, Continue with local models is the safest choice; Codeium requires Enterprise tier for on-premises deployment.
Can I use Continue with Claude or GPT-4?
Yes, Continue is model-agnostic and officially supports Claude (Anthropic), GPT-4 (OpenAI), Llama, Mistral, and local models via Ollama. You provide your own API keys. Codeium uses only its proprietary model and doesn't offer a choice of AI backends, so if you want Claude or GPT-4 integration in your IDE, Continue is the way to go.
Codeium supports 15+ IDEs including VSCode, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim, Sublime, Emacs, and more. Continue is primarily optimized for VSCode and JetBrains, with newer support for Cursor. If you use a niche editor like Vim, Emacs, or Sublime, Codeium is the better choice.
Is Continue open-source and safe to use?
Yes, Continue is MIT-licensed open-source with 10,000+ GitHub stars and is actively maintained. You can audit the code and self-host it. Codeium is closed-source proprietary. Both are production-safe, but Continue offers full transparency and no vendor lock-in, making it ideal for teams with strict compliance or transparency requirements.
How to Choose Between Codeium and Continue
Pricing Model: Codeium has Free with optional Pro ($20/month), while Continue has Open-source & free (self-hosted).
Model Flexibility: Codeium has Proprietary Codeium model only, while Continue has Claude, GPT-4, Llama, Mistral, local models.
Privacy & Data Processing: Codeium has Cloud-based (optional on-prem for Enterprise), while Continue has Local-first with option for API-based.
Setup Complexity: Codeium has One-click install, instant use, while Continue has Requires API keys/model configuration.
IDE Support: Codeium has 15+ IDEs (VSCode, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim), while Continue has VSCode, JetBrains, Cursor (core focus).
Customization & Extensibility: Codeium has Limited (basic settings only), while Continue has Highly customizable with JSON config.
Community & Open Source: Codeium has Closed-source proprietary, while Continue has MIT licensed, 10K+ GitHub stars.