Cursor vs Continue (2026)
A head-to-head comparison to help you pick the right tool
Cursor
Cursor is an AI-first code editor built on VS Code that lets you chat with your codebase and write code with AI assistance.
Get Pricing →Continue
Continue is an open-source AI code assistant that integrates into VS Code and JetBrains, letting you use any LLM as your coding assistant.
Get Pricing →Pros
- ✓Codebase-aware AI chat
- ✓Built on VS Code so familiar
- ✓Composer for multi-file edits
- ✓Fast and responsive
Cons
- ✗Separate app from VS Code
- ✗Pro plan required for best models
- ✗Still maturing as a product
Pros
- ✓Open source and free
- ✓Use any LLM including local models
- ✓Good IDE integration
- ✓Privacy-friendly local model option
Cons
- ✗Requires LLM API keys
- ✗Less polished than Copilot
- ✗Setup required
Our Take
Choose Cursor if developers who want a fully ai-native coding environment. Choose Continue if privacy-conscious developers who want to use their own llm with ai coding assistance.