Best API & Subscription for Continue

For Continue, evaluate autocomplete separately from chat and editing. A local model may suit frequent small completions; chat and edits may need a different model and provider. Standard Compute is an option for supported chat/edit workflows with a fixed monthly bill and a finite compute budget.

Guide updated 2026-09-07. Check each provider's current terms below.
Start with cost and task quality

If your hardware is suitable, test a local autocomplete model and compare usage-based options for chat. Hardware and maintenance are still costs; use actual response quality and latency to choose.

If you need a fixed monthly bill

Use Standard Compute for supported Continue workflows when a predictable bill and monthly compute allowance fit. Verify the selected role and API configuration; requests stop at the budget.

API and subscription options for Continue

Check your client's supported provider and API format before subscribing. A coding subscription is not automatically a general-purpose API key.

OptionPriceThe honest take
Local model (Ollama / vLLM)Hardware + electricityNo hosted per-token bill, but hardware, context capacity, throughput and maintenance still limit what you can run. Test task quality on your own hardware.Provider's current details →
OpenCode Go$10/moNative OpenCode subscription. Base limits are $12/5 hours, $30/week and $60/month; effective allowance varies by model. Other coding clients must meet its compatibility and request-identification requirements.Provider's current details →
Standard ComputeFLAT-RATEFrom $19/moStandard Compute starts at $19/month with a $20 monthly compute budget. Requests stop when that budget is exhausted until renewal or a plan change; there are no automatic overage charges. Optional pacing can spread usage across the month. Smart routing selects models per request; this is a fixed bill with a finite allowance, not unlimited inference or a promise of a pinned model.
OpenRouterPay-as-you-goChoose models and providers through one API. Usage-based pricing can suit light or bursty work; estimate long agent sessions and review current fees and limits.Provider's current details →

Prices and allowances can change. OpenCode Go and DevPass prices were checked against their linked public pages on September 5, 2026; other entries link to current plans without quoting an unverified price. Spot an error? Tell us.

Try one task before choosing a plan

Standard Compute starts at $19/month with a $20 monthly compute budget. Requests stop when that budget is exhausted until renewal or a plan change; there are no automatic overage charges. Optional pacing can spread usage across the month.

  1. Check the API format and model configuration supported by your installed Continue version.
  2. Run a small task on a clean branch and review the result, elapsed time and compute used.
  3. Estimate your actual monthly workload before selecting a larger allowance.
Set up ContinueCompare compute budgets →

Record your own results with the workload CSV and report template. These are blank templates, not published benchmark results.

Disclosure: this guide is maintained by Standard Compute. We're one of the options above. Our plans have enforced compute budgets. Choose based on task quality, supported features and total cost for your workload. Light usage may cost less on a usage-based API; sustained workloads need enough allowance on any subscription.

Continue setup guide →All flat-rate plans compared →The cheapest-tokens math →Plan compute for your team →