Continue vs GitHub Copilot

Self-host swap-in for GitHub Copilot. · Self-host GitHub Copilot · Continue on os-alt

Continue is one of the open-source self-host replacements for GitHub Copilot — license Apache-2.0, 10min — VS Code or JetBrains plugin + a local model to stand up, and free for the plugin; model server is the cost line — $0 on a workstation 16gb+ gpu, ~$200/mo on cloud gpu. Compare against GitHub Copilot's Copilot Individual $10/user/mo; Business $19/user/mo; Enterprise $39/user/mo below.

	Continueopen-source	GitHub Copilotpaid SaaS
Category	AI code completion / chat in the IDE	AI code completion / chat in the IDE
License / pricing	`Apache-2.0`	Copilot Individual $10/user/mo; Business $19/user/mo; Enterprise $39/user/mo
Starting price	$0 self-host	$10/user/mo
GitHub	continuedev/continue ★ 33.2k · last commit 4w agoalive	closed source
Setup time	10min — VS Code or JetBrains plugin + a local model	SaaS — sign up + bill
Monthly cost	Free for the plugin; model server is the cost line — $0 on a workstation 16GB+ GPU, ~$200/mo on cloud GPU.	from $10/user/mo (Copilot Individual $10/user/mo; Business $19/user/mo; Enterprise $39/user/mo)

Switching from GitHub Copilot to Continue

Install the Continue extension from the VS Code / JetBrains marketplace. Edit `~/.continue/config.json` to add an Ollama provider with `model: qwen2.5-coder:7b` for completions and a larger model (Llama 3.1 70B / DeepSeek-Coder-V2 33B) for chat. Uninstall Copilot from the same IDE — they fight over the inline-suggestion API. Continue's autocomplete latency on a 7B model is comparable to Copilot at <300ms on a recent GPU.

Good fit for: Developers who already run a local model and want the Copilot UX (ghost-text + chat + edit) without the hosted bill.
Weak at: Mobile / web IDEs (Codespaces, GitHub.dev) — Continue is desktop-IDE only.

Other open-source self-host alternatives to GitHub Copilot

Tabby
Apache-2.020min docker run with --gpus + plugin install$200+/mo cloud GPU for the inference server; $0 on a workstation.
Aider
Apache-2.05min `pip install aider-chat`Free CLI; model cost is the line item — pair with Ollama / vLLM for $0 marginal cost.

In a terminal? npx os-alt github-copilot prints GitHub Copilot's self-host options — how the CLI works →

FAQ

Is Continue a free alternative to GitHub Copilot?

Yes — Continue is open source under Apache-2.0. Self-host cost: Free for the plugin; model server is the cost line — $0 on a workstation 16GB+ GPU, ~$200/mo on cloud GPU.. GitHub Copilot starts at $10/user/mo (Copilot Individual $10/user/mo; Business $19/user/mo; Enterprise $39/user/mo).

How long does Continue take to set up vs GitHub Copilot?

Self-hosting Continue: 10min — VS Code or JetBrains plugin + a local model. GitHub Copilot is a hosted SaaS — sign up and you're in.

What is Continue good at, and what is it weak at?

Good fit for: Developers who already run a local model and want the Copilot UX (ghost-text + chat + edit) without the hosted bill.. Weak at: Mobile / web IDEs (Codespaces, GitHub.dev) — Continue is desktop-IDE only..