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Freedom251 › Blog › AI coding assistants

OpenCode vs. Continue: Which AI Coding Assistant Gives You More Control?

By Freedom251 Team · · 9 min read

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OpenCode gives more control overall if you want a terminal-first workflow, a wide choice of model providers, local-model options, project instructions and a documented planning mode that prevents edits while the agent proposes an approach. Continue is compelling if you want chat, edit, autocomplete and agent assistance inside VS Code or JetBrains. But its repository is marked read-only after the final 2.0.0 release, a significant consideration for anyone choosing a tool for long-term use.

What “control” means in this comparison

Control is not a single feature. For an AI coding assistant, it can mean choosing the model and where it runs, deciding how the assistant interacts with your code, controlling when it may make changes, and knowing whether the software is likely to receive ongoing maintenance. OpenCode and Continue offer different balances across those dimensions.

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OpenCode is an open-source coding agent offered through a terminal interface, desktop app and IDE extensions. Its documentation emphasizes provider choice, project initialization and multi-session work. Continue is an open-source assistant centered on VS Code and JetBrains, with agent, chat, edit and autocomplete modes; it also offers a CLI. Both document routes to local or self-hosted models. The major difference beyond workflow is lifecycle: Continue’s repository says it is no longer actively maintained and is read-only for all users.

There is no independent head-to-head performance benchmark in the available evidence, so this is a comparison of documented capabilities and maintenance status, not a claim that one produces better code or makes developers faster.

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OpenCode vs. Continue at a glance

Decision area OpenCode Continue
Primary workspaces Terminal, desktop app and IDE extensions VS Code and JetBrains, plus a CLI
Model options Documentation advertises 75+ LLM providers through Models.dev, including local models Documents hosted providers, local model options and self-hosting
Documented interaction modes Plan mode, which disables changes while the agent proposes an implementation Agent, chat, edit and autocomplete
Project-level setup /init creates an AGENTS.md describing project structure and coding patterns Provider configuration, custom agents and documented integrations
Other documented capabilities LSP support, multi-session use and share links MCP integrations, offline-development guidance and CLI automation
Maintenance status Current installation and product documentation are available Repository marked read-only after the final 2.0.0 release
License MIT Apache 2.0
Software-client price Product page says the software is free to use Repository identifies the project as open source; no price is established here

The provider count is OpenCode’s own documented capability figure, not an independent evaluation of every provider or model. Also separate the cost of a client from the cost of running it: API usage, hosted model access or local computing resources may involve separate costs.

Model choice, API keys and local models

OpenCode: provider-neutral setup

OpenCode’s setup is designed around selecting a provider and configuring credentials for that choice rather than tying the client to one model service. Its documentation advertises support for more than 75 LLM providers through Models.dev, including local models. The product page also describes support for GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT Plus/Pro sign-in. These are different ways to access a model: the available sign-in options and provider credentials depend on the service selected, so do not assume a subscription to one service automatically pays for all model use.

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For a reader who already has an API key, the practical advantage is choice: select a supported provider, configure its credentials, then use OpenCode with that provider. The available data does not establish a universal key-entry screen or exact credential-storage path, so check the current instructions for the provider and installation method you use rather than assuming all providers are configured identically.

Continue: a broad provider list and self-hosting guidance

Continue’s provider documentation lists hosted options including Anthropic, OpenAI, Azure, Amazon Bedrock, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Mistral, xAI and Vertex AI, along with other services. It also lists Ollama, LM Studio, llama.cpp, LlamaStack and llamafile as local options, and says users can self-host a model provider. Its guides cover Ollama setup, self-hosting and offline development.

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This is meaningful flexibility, especially for teams that have already built around a particular provider or want configuration inside their IDE workflow. However, model-provider breadth is not the same as ongoing project maintenance. Continue’s repository status should be considered separately from the number of providers its documentation describes.

What local or self-hosted use does—and does not—guarantee

Both tools offer ways to work with local models, and Continue documents self-hosting and offline-development guidance. Those capabilities can reduce reliance on a hosted model service, but “supports local models” does not by itself prove that a given coding session is fully offline or that no information leaves a machine. The outcome depends on the chosen model, provider, deployment and configuration. Confirm the path end to end before using sensitive code; do not infer a privacy guarantee from the client’s local-model support alone.

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Local use also shifts practical responsibility. The model must be available through the selected local setup, and the machine or self-hosted environment must be able to run it. The documentation summary establishes supported local options, but does not provide comparable hardware requirements, speed figures or model-quality results for the two tools.

How much control do you have over edits?

OpenCode’s Plan mode

OpenCode documents a Plan mode that disables changes while the agent proposes an implementation. That distinction is useful when you want to inspect an approach before allowing code edits: it creates a documented planning stage rather than treating every request as immediate permission to modify files. It does not establish that all actions in every workflow are universally read-only; the stated guarantee is specific to Plan mode.

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OpenCode also lets you initialize a project with /init. The resulting AGENTS.md describes project structure and coding patterns. Project-level instructions can make the agent’s context more specific to a repository, giving you a place to communicate how the project is organized and how it is developed. The file is an instruction mechanism, not proof that an agent will always follow every instruction correctly; review proposed work as you would with any coding assistant.

Continue’s modes

Continue documents four modes: agent, chat, edit and autocomplete. That gives an IDE user distinct interaction styles, from asking questions to working with code edits or suggestions. Its agent and edit modes are not described in the available evidence as a single equivalent to OpenCode’s read-only Plan mode. If a strict “plan first, do not change files yet” step is important to your process, do not assume the two products offer identical controls just because both have agent-oriented capabilities.

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The choice here is not simply “safe versus unsafe.” Continue’s separate modes may suit developers who want assistance embedded in familiar editors, while OpenCode’s documented Plan mode gives a clear planning control for users who want to review a proposal before changes. In either case, verify the behavior of the installed version and inspect changes before relying on generated code.

Terminal agent or IDE assistant?

Choose OpenCode if the terminal is your natural workspace

OpenCode spans terminal, desktop and IDE extensions. Its terminal orientation, project initialization, Plan mode and multi-session support make it a strong fit for developers who want an agent as a distinct part of their development workflow rather than only as an editor panel. LSP support is also documented, though the evidence does not establish a comparative language-by-language coverage list.

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Multi-session use can matter when you want to keep separate work streams available. OpenCode also documents share links, which can help make a session shareable. The available details do not define the retention, access or privacy behavior of those links, so check the current product documentation before sharing code or session content.

Choose Continue if editor integration is the priority

Continue’s strongest case is the IDE-centered workflow: agent, chat, edit and autocomplete modes in VS Code and JetBrains. If you prefer assistance close to the files you are editing, or want model configuration and custom agents as part of an editor-based setup, Continue’s documented feature set is relevant. Its CLI means it is not limited to the editor, but the main appeal remains its IDE modes.

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Continue also documents MCP cookbooks, CLI automation and offline-development guides. These are useful integration directions, but the read-only repository status changes the long-term calculation: a documented capability may remain usable in an existing installation while still carrying uncertainty about future updates, compatibility fixes or maintenance.

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Maintenance status changes the recommendation

Continue’s official repository says it is “no longer actively maintained and is read-only for all users.” It identifies a final 2.0.0 release for the VS Code extension, CLI and JetBrains plugin. That does not mean an installed copy immediately stops working, nor does it establish that every documented workflow is broken. It does mean new adopters should account for the risk that the project will not receive ongoing fixes or updates through that repository.

For an individual experimenting with an existing setup, that may be an acceptable trade-off if the tool works with their editor and provider today. For a team standardizing on an assistant, the decision has a larger operational footprint: editor updates, provider changes and workflow needs can evolve. A read-only project is a weaker foundation for a new long-term dependency than a currently documented and maintained product, unless the team has a clear plan for accepting or managing that risk.

OpenCode’s current documentation shows installation and product documentation, which supports treating it as the more current choice based on the evidence here. That is not a promise of any particular release schedule, support response or future feature. Evaluate the live project status at the time you adopt either tool.

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Cost, licensing and what “free” means

OpenCode’s product page says the client is free to use and licensed under MIT. Continue’s repository identifies an Apache 2.0 license. These licenses are distinct, and organizations with licensing requirements should review the applicable license terms directly rather than treating “open source” as a substitute for legal review.

A free client does not mean every coding session is cost-free. A hosted model provider may charge separately for usage or access, and locally running models can require suitable computing resources. OpenCode’s product page mentions existing subscriptions, but provider access and billing depend on the selected service and its terms. The available information does not provide comparable provider prices, usage limits or hardware costs, so a cost comparison must be made against the specific model and deployment you intend to use.

A practical decision framework

Pick OpenCode when these controls matter most

  • You want a terminal-first agent, with desktop and IDE options available too.
  • You want broad provider choice, including documented local-model support.
  • You want a documented Plan mode that disables changes while an implementation is proposed.
  • You want project initialization to create an AGENTS.md describing structure and coding patterns.
  • You value multi-session workflows and documented LSP support.

Consider Continue when these needs dominate

  • You want agent, chat, edit and autocomplete modes in VS Code or JetBrains.
  • You value its documented provider configuration, custom agents and integration guidance.
  • You need a documented path involving local options such as Ollama, LM Studio or llama.cpp, or self-hosting.
  • You already use Continue and have verified that your current installation works for your editor and workflow.
  • You are willing to factor the repository’s read-only status into your maintenance and upgrade plans.

Check these items before standardizing on either tool

  1. Decide where work should happen. If your default is a terminal, desktop app or mixed workflow, OpenCode has the clearer fit. If it is an IDE with distinct chat, edit and autocomplete interactions, Continue’s modes are a closer match.
  2. Name the model and deployment. Identify whether you will use a hosted provider, a local model or a self-hosted provider. Confirm credentials, terms and any usage charges with that provider.
  3. Test the edit boundary. If review-before-edit is essential, try OpenCode’s documented Plan mode and confirm how your chosen workflow behaves. Do not assume Continue has an identical read-only planning mode.
  4. Set project expectations. For OpenCode, use /init to generate the project’s AGENTS.md and review its description of project structure and coding patterns. For Continue, assess the provider configuration, custom-agent and integration setup relevant to your team.
  5. Assess lifecycle risk. If adopting Continue, decide whether a read-only final 2.0.0 release is acceptable for your use case. For either tool, verify current project status before making it part of a critical workflow.
  6. Validate privacy and cost separately. A local-model option is not a blanket privacy guarantee, and a free client does not remove provider or infrastructure costs.

Verdict

OpenCode is the stronger overall choice for a developer asking which assistant gives more control: it combines terminal, desktop and IDE access with provider choice, local-model support, project instructions and a documented mode for planning without edits. Continue remains a capable fit for IDE-first workflows, especially for developers who want agent, chat, edit and autocomplete modes together. Its read-only repository status is the deciding caveat for new long-term adopters. Choose based on where you work and what controls you need, but include maintenance confidence—not just feature lists—in the decision.

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