Continue
Open-source AI coding assistant for VS Code and JetBrains; customizable provider and rules.
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Install
- vscode ext
- Website
- https://continue.dev
- GitHub
- https://github.com/continuedev/continue
code --install-extension Continue.continue
Claude Code
Anthropic's terminal-native coding agent with MCP-native tool use and skills system.
- License
- proprietary
- Install
- npm package
- Website
- https://claude.com/claude-code
- GitHub
- https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
When to reach for which
Continue — Open-source AI coding assistant for VS Code and JetBrains; customizable provider and rules.
Claude Code — Anthropic's terminal-native coding agent with MCP-native tool use and skills system.
Both sit in the AI Coding Agents category — they're substitutes, not complements. Pick by your install constraint (MCP-native, license, hosting model) and which tag overlap matters most to your stack.