head to head · open source
Aider vs Continue
Aider has 49,021 GitHub stars, 4,967 forks, 1,860 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. Continue has 35,946 stars, 5,395 forks, 951 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Aider leads on adoption by 36% (49,021 vs 35,946 stars). Aider is written in Python under Apache-2.0; Continue is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Aider has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Continue 15%. Continue was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (cli), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Aider | Continue | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 49K | ★ 36K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-05-22 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.0K | ⑂ 5.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Aider if
- You weight community size — 49K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Continue if
- You want the Continue feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Continue fits your workflow better
About Aider
Aider is an open source AI pair programming tool that runs in the terminal. It connects to large language models—cloud based or local—to assist with writing, editing, and debugging code directly within a developer’s existing workflow. Built in Python and licensed under Apache 2.0, it integrates with popular LLMs including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, and open source models like Llama.
read the full Aider overview →
About Continue
Continue is an open source coding agent designed to assist developers directly within their IDE or terminal. It operates as a CLI tool, VS Code extension, and JetBrains plugin, enabling natural language interaction with codebases to generate, edit, and explain code. The project lives in the AI assisted developer tools ecosystem and is built with TypeScript under the Apache 2.0 license.
read the full Continue overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Aider or Continue more popular?
Aider has 49,021 GitHub stars and Continue has 35,946. Aider has the larger community by that measure.
Are Aider and Continue free?
Both are open source. Aider is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Continue under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Aider and Continue?
Aider is written in Python and Continue in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Aider or Continue?
Choose Aider if you want the larger community (49,021 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Continue if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.