Continue is an open-source IDE extension that runs AI models locally with full privacy, while Codeium is a cloud-based AI coding assistant with freemium pricing and broader IDE support. Continue prioritizes user control and data privacy, whereas Codeium emphasizes ease of use and instant setup without installation complexity.
Continue vs Codeium — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Free, open-source AI code assistant that runs locally with multi-provider support.
Free AI code autocomplete plugin supporting 9+ editors and IDEs
Architecture. Data Privacy. Setup Complexity. IDE Support. Pricing Model. Model Customization. Inference Speed (typical)
Choose Continue if you prioritize code privacy, want full control over your AI models, and have the technical capacity to run models locally—ideal for enterprises and privacy-conscious developers. Choose Codeium if you value instant setup, faster inference speeds, broader IDE compatibility, and don't have data sensitivity concerns—better for individual developers and teams wanting zero configuration.
Continue: 10-20 (API key + config required) | Codeium: 1-2 (one-click install)
Continue: Unlimited with local models | Codeium: 2,000 completions/month
Continue: 200-500ms average | Codeium: 120-180ms
Continue: Up to 100,000+ tokens | Codeium: 64K tokens
Continue: VS Code, JetBrains suite, Vim, Neovim (4 major platforms) | Codeium: VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Visual Studio, Eclipse (5 platforms)
Continue: Free (optional donations for commercial use) | Codeium: $12/month for unlimited usage
Continue: 50+ (with LLM-dependent support) | Codeium: 70+ languages
Continue: $0 (self-hosted) | Codeium: $0 (Pro: $20)
Continue: 3 (VSCode, JetBrains, Cursor) | Codeium: 80+
Continue: Claude, GPT-4, Llama, Mistral, local | Codeium: Proprietary Codeium model only
Continue: Local + optional cloud | Codeium: Cloud (US servers; on-prem available for Enterprise)
Continue: 10,000+ | Codeium: Not open-source
Continue: Unlimited (depends on API usage) | Codeium: 2,000+
Continue: Full JSON config (prompts, model params, shortcuts) | Codeium: Limited UI settings only
Continue: Free (+ API costs) | Codeium: N/A
Continue: 5+ (Claude, GPT-4, Llama 2, custom, local) | Codeium: N/A
Continue: 4 major (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Web) | 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: 15–30 min (API key configuration) | Codeium: 3-5 steps (plugin install)
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: 8GB minimum (16GB recommended) | Codeium: 4GB (negligible, cloud-based)
Continue: Native VS Code extension | Codeium: N/A
Continue: Depends on provider, some cloud processing | Codeium: N/A
Continue: 15-30 minutes (model download + config) | Codeium: 1-2 minutes (API key login)
Continue: 5-15 seconds (hardware-dependent) | Codeium: 1-3 seconds (cloud-optimized)
Continue: 4 major platforms (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim) | Codeium: 6+ platforms (VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor, VSCodium, Sublime, Vim)
Continue: Unlimited (fully free and open-source) | Codeium: 40 completions/month (free tier)
Continue: $0 (open-source) or hosted option available | Codeium: $12/month
Continue: Local-only, zero cloud transmission | Codeium: Cloud-based (enterprise VPC option available)
Continue: Yes (GitHub public repository) | Codeium: No (proprietary)
Continue: 6+ | Codeium: 6 platforms (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim, Emacs, Visual Studio)
Continue: Varies by provider | Codeium: N/A
Continue: N/A | 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
Primary AI Model Quality (MMBENCH score)
Continue: N/A | Codeium: 72 (Codeium model)
Continue: N/A | 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: 18 integrations
Continue: N/A | Codeium: Optional (server-based default)
Continue: N/A | Codeium: Yes, with team features
Continue: N/A | Codeium: $0 (free) or $12
Continue: N/A | Codeium: Full-featured free tier
Continue: N/A | Codeium: Yes, with role-based access control
Context Retention (consecutive requests)
Continue: N/A | 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)
How to choose between Continue and Codeium
Continue vs Codeium — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Continue vs Codeium. Contains 117 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Continue vs Codeium — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Continue vs Codeium.
Is my code private with Continue vs Codeium?
Continue keeps all code local on your machine—nothing is transmitted or stored externally. Codeium sends code snippets to its cloud servers for processing, though they claim GDPR/HIPAA compliance. For highly sensitive code, Continue is the only truly private option. Codeium does offer enterprise on-premise deployments for data isolation.
Codeium is significantly faster at 1-3 seconds per completion due to optimized cloud infrastructure. Continue averages 5-15 seconds depending on your hardware, GPU availability, and which model you run locally. For speed-critical workflows, Codeium wins; Continue prioritizes privacy over speed.
Can I customize the AI models in either tool?
Continue allows full model customization—you can swap in any open-source LLM (Llama 2, Mistral, CodeLlama) and even fine-tune models on your own codebase. Codeium uses a proprietary model with no customization options. If you need model control, Continue is the only choice.
What are the real costs after the free tier?
Continue is permanently free as open-source software. Codeium offers 40 completions/month free, then charges $12/month for Pro (unlimited completions). Enterprise plans for both start at custom pricing. For individual developers, Continue's zero-cost model is unbeatable.
Codeium supports 6+ IDEs (VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor, VSCodium, Sublime, Vim, Neovim) while Continue supports 4 major platforms (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim). Codeium wins on breadth, particularly for Cursor and Sublime users. Continue covers the most popular options.
How to Choose Between Continue and Codeium
Architecture: Continue has Local-first, open-source, runs models on user's machine, while Codeium has Cloud-based SaaS, proprietary backend.
Data Privacy: Continue has 100% local processing, zero data sent to servers, while Codeium has Code sent to Codeium servers (with enterprise option for local).
Setup Complexity: Continue has Requires model download and local configuration (10-30 minutes), while Codeium has One-click install, instant activation with API key.
IDE Support: Continue has VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Vim/Neovim (4 major platforms), while Codeium has VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor, VSCodium, Sublime, Vim (6+ platforms).
Pricing Model: Continue has Free and open-source, optional paid hosted version, while Codeium has Free tier (limited), Pro $12/month, Enterprise custom.
Model Customization: Continue has Full control, swap any open-source model, fine-tune locally, while Codeium has Fixed proprietary model, no customization.
Inference Speed (typical): Continue has 5-15 seconds per completion (GPU-dependent, local), while Codeium has 1-3 seconds per completion (cloud-optimized).