> The Best AI Coding Tools_

An expert-curated list of the best AI-powered coding assistants to help you write code faster and build better software.

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Continue.dev

Score: 81/100

An open-source, self-hosted alternative to GitHub Copilot that allows you to connect your own local or cloud-based LLMs to your IDE.

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Key Features

Connect to any LLM, including local models (Ollama, Llamafile) or API-based ones (OpenAI, Anthropic).

Custom prompt engineering capabilities

Fully open-source and customizable

Inline chat and autocomplete in VS Code & JetBrains.

Project-wide context through plug-and-play indexing.

Smart Tab for autocomplete and in-line chat/edit interface in VS Code & JetBrains.

Support for local LLMs like Code Llama

Best For

Open-Source & Self-HostingLocal LLMsCustomization

Common Use Cases

Self-hosted AI coding assistance for teams with strict data privacy requirements or offline development
Experimenting with different LLMs (local and cloud) to find the best model for specific coding tasks
Custom AI workflows and prompts tailored to specific development teams or programming languages

Pros & Cons

✓ Pros

Connect to any LLM, including local models (Ollama, Llamafile) or API-based ones (OpenAI, Anthropic).
Custom prompt engineering capabilities
Fully open-source and customizable
Inline chat and autocomplete in VS Code & JetBrains.

✗ Cons

Feature set smaller than industry leaders
Accuracy varies across programming languages

Expert Review

Continue.dev is a powerful choice for developers who want ultimate control over their AI assistant. Being open-source and self-hostable allows you to choose your own LLM, whether it's running locally for offline use or a powerful cloud API. This flexibility lets you tailor the experience precisely to your needs and privacy constraints, though it requires more setup than commercial tools.

Last Verified: 2025-07

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