The Continue alternative with a dedicated multi-agent workspace.
Continue is the best open-source AI extension for VS Code and JetBrains. AIDEN is what comes next: a standalone desktop workspace where multiple agents run on parallel branches with a kanban board and auto-PRs.
TL;DR
Continue (15K+ GitHub stars, open-source, MIT licensed) is the gold standard for bring-your-own-key AI coding inside VS Code and JetBrains. It supports virtually every model provider — Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama (local models), OpenRouter — and is deeply customizable. AIDEN shares Continue's BYOK philosophy but operates at a different scope: where Continue is an extension inside your existing editor (one agent, one context window, one model at a time), AIDEN is a dedicated desktop workspace with multi-agent parallelism, a kanban board, branch-per-story git automation, and auto-PRs. Continue excels at interactive, single-agent coding. AIDEN excels at shipping multiple features in parallel without touching the editor yourself.
Stick with Continue when
- You need local model support via Ollama — Continue's broadest model provider list is unmatched.
- You want free, open-source tooling with full community extensibility.
- You live in VS Code or JetBrains and don't want to leave your editor.
- You only run one agent task at a time and the extension form factor is enough.
Switch to AIDEN when
- You want a complete agentic workspace beyond what a VS Code extension can offer.
- You need multiple agent sessions running in parallel on separate branches simultaneously.
- You want a kanban board showing every story's status, branch, and agent output.
- You want auto-PRs and spec-driven workflow as first-class features, not afterthoughts.
Continue vs AIDEN — side by side
| Feature | Continue | AIDEN |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | VS Code / JetBrains extension | Standalone desktop workspace |
| Bring your own API keys | Yes | Yes |
| Local models (Ollama) | Yes | Via Claude Code config |
| Multi-agent parallel runs | No | Yes |
| Git branch per story | No | Yes |
| Kanban story board | No | Yes |
| Spec-driven workflow | No | Yes |
| Auto pull requests with tests | No | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Pricing | Free (open source) | $99 one-time (launch) |
A switcher's take
Continue is the best free, open-source, BYOK extension in the market — and if you need Ollama local model support, it's currently the strongest option in that lane. AIDEN is the answer when you've outgrown the extension model: when you want a dedicated desktop workspace, when you want to run five stories in parallel, and when 'one agent, one context window' is the bottleneck rather than the solution.
Continue vs AIDEN — FAQ
Does AIDEN support local models like Continue does via Ollama?
Can I use Continue inside AIDEN?
Why pay $99 when Continue is free?
Is AIDEN open source like Continue?
Stop chatting. Start shipping.
Try AIDEN free. Bring your existing Claude Code or Codex setup.
Download AIDEN — free