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It's a split decision.
Choose OpenCode for a standalone coding agent you can use on desktop, in a terminal, or through its SDK, with access to 200+ model providers and free models that need no account. Choose Continue if you want AI features inside VS Code or JetBrains, configurable model roles for tasks such as autocomplete and chat, and an Apache 2.0-licensed project. Both are open source and self-hostable; pricing differs most when you use hosted models or pay for team seats.
01Side by side
| OpenCode | Continue | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly Go subscriptions; extra usage costs vary. | Free, per-token, per-seat, or custom plans. |
| Free tier | Free models available without an account. | Free Solo plan; bring API keys or local models. |
| Open source and licence | Open source; licence not named on product page. | Open source under Apache 2.0. |
| Self-hosting | Self-hostable; can connect to local models. | Self-hostable; supports local or private-infrastructure models. |
| CLI and docs | Terminal app, SDK, and documentation. | Continue CLI (`cn`), IDE extensions, and documentation. |
| Integrations | 200+ model providers, MCP servers, and listed services. | Major model providers, OpenAI-compatible APIs, MCP, and tools. |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux, terminal, iPhone; Android coming soon. | Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, and command line. |
| Limits and scaling | Go plans publish estimated model requests per five hours. | Seat and usage limits are not published. |
OpenCode Choose OpenCode if
- Choose OpenCode if you want an agent outside your IDE.
- Choose OpenCode if you need broad provider and MCP connections.
- Choose OpenCode if published model-request estimates help plan usage.
Continue Choose Continue if
- Choose Continue if you work primarily in VS Code or JetBrains.
- Choose Continue if you want different models for different tasks.
- Choose Continue if Apache 2.0 licensing matters to your team.
02Pricing at real usage
OpenCode offers free models without an account, alongside paid Go subscriptions. The pricing page lists Go at $10 per month, with estimated limits of 110 Kimi K3 or 1,050 DeepSeek V4 Pro requests per five hours. Go Plus costs $40 per month and lists 440 Kimi K3 or 4,200 DeepSeek V4 Pro requests per five hours. Extra Usage top-ups are available, but their price is not published.
Continue’s Open Source (Solo) plan is free if you bring API keys or use local models. Its Starter plan lists $3 per million tokens, so the bill grows with token consumption. Team is $20 per seat per month and includes $10 in credits per seat; Company pricing is custom. The pricing page does not publish seat or usage limits for these plans. Annual pricing is not listed for either product. Compare OpenCode’s model-specific request allowances with Continue’s token and seat costs against your expected workload.
03API, SDKs and integration
OpenCode can be used through a desktop app, terminal, phone, or SDK. Its site describes the SDK as a way to drive the agent from scripts, CI jobs, and tools; it does not name SDK languages on the vendor's site. OpenCode connects to more than 200 model providers, including local models, and supports MCP servers. Listed service integrations include GitHub, Linear, Figma, Sentry, Notion, Slack, Supabase, and Stripe. Its terminal installation options include an npm package.
Continue embeds chat, edit, autocomplete, and agent workflows in Visual Studio Code and JetBrains IDEs, and also provides the cn command-line interface. Developers can assign models to roles such as Chat, Edit, Apply, Autocomplete, Embeddings, and Reranking. Continue connects to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Mistral, Groq, Amazon Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, OpenRouter, and OpenAI-compatible APIs. Its MCP client connects to external tools and data. The product pages describe features and integrations, but don’t specify a general-purpose Continue SDK.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Both products are open source and self-hostable. Continue’s project is licensed under Apache 2.0. OpenCode’s product page calls it open source but does not name its licence, so teams with licence requirements should confirm the applicable terms before adopting it.
Both can connect to local models, which gives teams an option to keep inference on their own infrastructure. Continue also describes support for private infrastructure and lets developers bring model-provider keys. OpenCode connects to a broad range of providers and exposes an SDK for scripts, CI jobs, and tools. Those options reduce dependence on a single model provider, but do not by themselves establish how sessions, configuration, or other data can be exported. Neither product page describes a dedicated data-export path. Before rollout, check how your team can back up settings and move its model configuration if it changes tools.
Questions people ask
Is OpenCode or Continue free?
Both have free options. OpenCode says free models are available without an account. Continue’s Open Source (Solo) plan costs $0, but developers supply their own API keys or use local models. Hosted-model usage can still incur provider charges.
Can I use OpenCode and Continue with local models?
Yes. OpenCode connects to local models, and Continue supports local models as part of its bring-your-own-model approach. The products differ in workflow: OpenCode is a standalone agent across desktop, terminal, and other clients, while Continue integrates with IDEs and the command line.
Which tool works with VS Code and JetBrains?
Continue lists Visual Studio Code and the JetBrains IDE family, including IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, and GoLand. OpenCode lists desktop apps for macOS, Windows, and Linux, plus terminal and phone access; its product page does not list IDE extensions.
Which product is better for teams?
It depends on how the team works and pays. OpenCode offers a $40 monthly Go Plus plan with higher listed model-request estimates. Continue’s Team plan costs $20 per seat per month and includes $10 in credits per seat. Check limits and fit against expected usage.