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
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.
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
Structured comparison data for Codeium vs Continue with 164 attributes.
Primary AI Model Quality (MMBENCH score)
Context Retention (consecutive requests)
Privacy Level (0=cloud-only, 100=fully local)
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.