In This Comparison
3-10x faster development speed when using AI coding assistants
Source: McKinsey 2025
35-45% increase in employee productivity when AI tools are introduced
Source: Accenture 2025
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Category | Codeium | Continue |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free (cloud) | Free (BYO key) |
| Open Source | No | Yes |
| Model Choice | Codeium's models | Any LLM provider |
| Best For | Free AI completions | Open-source flexibility |
| Setup | Install extension | Install + configure API keys |
Codeium
- Pricing
- Free (cloud)
- Open Source
- No
- Model Choice
- Codeium's models
- Best For
- Free AI completions
- Setup
- Install extension
Continue
- Pricing
- Free (BYO key)
- Open Source
- Yes
- Model Choice
- Any LLM provider
- Best For
- Open-source flexibility
- Setup
- Install + configure API keys
Winner by Category
Best for Ease
CodeiumWorks immediately with no API key setup
Best for Flexibility
ContinueUse any LLM including local models
Best for Free_tier
CodeiumTruly free with no API costs
Our Recommendation
Choose Codeium for free AI completions that work instantly. Pick Continue for open-source flexibility with your own LLM provider.
“The best tool depends on what you are building and how you work. There is no universal winner. Pick the one that fits your workflow and budget, then ship something.”
When to Choose Each Tool
Choose Codeium
Want free AI completions with zero setup
Choose Continue
Want open-source with custom LLM providers
Overview
Codeium and Continue both offer free AI code completion but through different models. Codeium provides free cloud-based completions using their own models with no setup required. Continue is an open-source IDE extension that connects to any LLM provider, including local models via Ollama, giving you full control over which model powers your completions.
Choosing
Codeium is the easiest path to free AI completions: install and start coding. Continue requires more setup but gives you complete control over your AI infrastructure. If you want to use specific models or run everything locally, Continue is the better choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Codeium really free?
Yes. Codeium offers unlimited free completions and chat. No API keys or payment required.
Does Continue cost anything?
Continue itself is free. You pay for API calls to your chosen LLM provider, or run local models for zero cost.
Which has better completions?
Depends on your setup. Codeium's cloud model is well-tuned. Continue's quality depends on which LLM you configure.
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