GitHub's AI pair-programmer — inline completions, chat, and the new Agent mode that ships PRs.
CodeTool useMemory
Demo · hover to play
Continue vs Factory AIwhich AI code agent should you pick in 2026?
Open-source coding agent for VS Code and JetBrains — bring your own model, customize every prompt.
CodeTool useMemory
Autonomous "Droid" agent for end-to-end engineering with native AGENTS.md support.
CodeTool useMemoryMulti-agent
Continue vs Factory AI — specs
| Spec | Continue | Factory AI |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Rank | 77 / 100 (A) | 75 / 100 (A) |
| Autonomy | Semi-autonomous | Autonomous |
| Pricing | Free · OSS | Subscription · from $40 |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Capabilities | Code, Tool use, Memory | Code, Tool use, Memory, Multi-agent |
| Integrations | 3 apps | 4 apps |
| Verified | Verified | — |
| Released | Feb 2025 | Oct 2025 |
Agent Rank breakdown
Continue
Agent Rank
77/ 100
- Autonomy
- 8
- Capabilities
- 6
- Integrations
- 4
- Pricing
- 10
- Polish
- 8
- Verifiability
- 10
Auto-computed from autonomy, capabilities, integrations, pricing, maturity and editorial verification. Updated every deploy. How is this computed?
Factory AI
Agent Rank
75/ 100
- Autonomy
- 9
- Capabilities
- 8
- Integrations
- 8
- Pricing
- 7
- Polish
- 7
- Verifiability
- 6
Auto-computed from autonomy, capabilities, integrations, pricing, maturity and editorial verification. Updated every deploy. How is this computed?
Pros & cons
Continue
Pros
- +Apache 2.0 — fully open source; auditable end-to-end
- +Works with any OpenAI-compatible API endpoint, including local LLMs
- +JetBrains support that Cursor and Cline lack
Cons
- −Smaller community than Cursor or Cline
- −Less polished than Cursor; requires more configuration
- −No native MCP server marketplace — manual config required
Factory AI
Pros
- +True end-to-end autonomy — Droid agent ships complete features without hand-holding
- +Native AGENTS.md adopter — fits modern repo conventions out of the box
- +Multi-agent coordination across linked repos for cross-service changes
Cons
- −Token-based pricing can spike on large refactors
- −Zed-first; JetBrains support newer, VS Code on roadmap
- −Less mature than Devin for very long-running autonomous sessions
Pricing
Continue
Open source
Free
Engineers + teams
- +Apache 2.0 license
- +BYO model API key
- +VS Code + JetBrains support
Recommended
Hub
$20/mo
Teams sharing config
- +Shared models + assistants
- +Org-wide rules and prompts
- +Usage analytics
Factory AI
Standard
$40/mo
Individuals
- +Droid autonomous agent
- +Zed + JetBrains
- +5M Standard Tokens/mo
Recommended
Pro
$200/mo
Engineering teams
- +Unlimited Droids
- +50M tokens/mo
- +Multi-agent coordination
Enterprise
Custom
Large orgs
- +Custom token volume
- +SSO + audit
- +Dedicated support
Which one should you pick?
Continue
Pick Continue if cost is the main constraint or if auditability or self-hosting matters.
Try Continue →Factory AI
Pick Factory AI if you want the highest autonomy and the verification loop is in place.
Try Factory AI →Affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked
Should I pick Continue or Factory AI in 2026?+
Pick Continue if cost is the main constraint or if auditability or self-hosting matters. Pick Factory AI if you want the highest autonomy and the verification loop is in place. Most working teams running both can use Continue for primary work and Factory AI for the workflows where its specific strengths matter.
What's the price difference between Continue and Factory AI?+
Continue starts at Free · OSS; Factory AI starts at Subscription · from $40. Continue is the cheaper entry option. For team deployments the TCO can differ — use the AI Agent Rank TCO calculator for your specific volume.
Which is more autonomous, Continue or Factory AI?+
Factory AI is the more autonomous of the two (Autonomous vs Semi-autonomous). Higher autonomy ships throughput faster but requires verification loops in place — see our autonomous-vs-copilot framing for when each tier wins.
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See more alternatives: alternatives to Continue · alternatives to Factory AI
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