Claude Code vs Continue: Side-by-Side Comparison 2026
Claude Code vs Continue comparison 2026. Side-by-side features, pricing & capabilities.
| Feature | Claude Code | Continue |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Agent | Extension |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| Model Family | Claude | Multi-model (any) |
| Context Window | 200K (Haiku) / 1M (Sonnet, Opus beta) | Depends on model |
| Code Completion | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inline Editing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Agentic Mode | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-File Editing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Terminal Commands | ✓ | ✓ |
| Browser Use | ✗ | ✗ |
| Test Generation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Debugging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Refactoring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Code Review | ✓ | ✗ |
| PR Review | ✓ | ✗ |
| Documentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Image to Code | ✗ | ✗ |
| Voice Input | ✗ | ✗ |
| App Generation | ✗ | ✗ |
| Deployment | ✗ | ✗ |
| Git Integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Supported IDEs | VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, Terminal | VS Code, JetBrains, CLI |
| Open Source | No | Yes (Apache 2.0) |
Pricing verified 2026-02-05. Claude Code pricing | Continue pricing
Overview
Claude Code is ai agent from Anthropic. Continue is editor extension from Continue. Both tools are actively maintained as of 2026.
Claude Code: What You Get
Anthropic's CLI tool that brings Claude directly into your terminal for agentic coding — it can read, edit, and create files autonomously.
- Agentic file editing
- Terminal integration
- Git operations
- Multi-file refactoring
- Code review
- Test writing
Pricing: Free / $20/mo. 7 plans available.
Models: Claude Opus 4.6, Claude Sonnet 4.5, Claude Haiku 4.5
Continue: What You Get
Continue — AI Code Assistant from Continue. Open Source IDE Extension.
- Code completions
- AI chat
- Agentic mode
- Multi-file editing
- Terminal commands
- Test generation
- Debugging
- Git integration
Pricing: Free / $10/mo. 3 plans available.
Models: Any LLM (Claude, GPT, Gemini, local models, etc.)
Key Differences
- Category: Claude Code is ai agent, Continue is editor extension.
- Model family: Claude Code uses Claude; Continue uses Multi-model (any).
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Claude Code if you want Autonomous multi-file changes with full codebase understanding. Choose Continue if you want AI coding assistance in your existing editor. Both tools are strong options — the right choice depends on your workflow and priorities.
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