Moving Beyond the Continue AI Assistant

Continue is a powerful open-source autopilot for VS Code and JetBrains. However, as AI agents move from simple autocomplete to autonomous shell and file manipulation, the overhead of an IDE extension becomes a bottleneck. This guide examines where Continue excels and where AZMX AI provides a more secure, lightweight, and sovereign alternative for professional engineers.

TL;DR: AZMX wins when you need a standalone, native agent with strict approval gates and zero telemetry; Continue wins when you want your AI deeply embedded within the VS Code or JetBrains editor UI.

Feature	Continue	AZMX AI
Pricing	Free / Open Source	Free / Pro ($20mo) / Teams ($40seat)
Privacy	Local config; extension-based	No account, no telemetry, native binary
BYOK Support	Comprehensive	Comprehensive (OpenRouter, Groq, etc.)
Offline Mode	Yes (via Ollama/LM Studio)	Yes (Native Ollama/LM Studio integration)
MCP Support	Limited / Emerging	Full (stdio and HTTP)
Approval Gates	Basic	Strict (Every shell/edit op gated)
Sub-agents	No	Yes
Architecture	IDE Extension (TS/JS)	Native Rust + System Webview (~7MB)
Platform	VS Code, JetBrains	macOS, Windows, Linux

Where Continue is actually better

• IDE Integration: Because Continue lives inside your editor, it has direct access to the IDE's internal API for symbol jumping and refactoring tools without needing to communicate via a separate process.
• Ecosystem: If your entire workflow is locked into a specific VS Code theme and set of extensions, staying within the sidebar is more convenient than switching windows.
• Open Source Core: For those who must audit every line of the UI code, Continue's open-source nature is a significant advantage.

Where AZMX wins

• Performance and Footprint: While Electron-based IDEs consume gigabytes of RAM, AZMX is a ~7 MB native binary. It uses a Rust backend and a system webview, ensuring it doesn't compete with your compiler for resources.
• Security by Default: Most agents blindly execute commands. AZMX implements a hard deny-list for .env, .ssh, and credential files. Every shell command and file edit requires an explicit approval gate.
• Sovereign Agent Capabilities: AZMX supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP) over both stdio and HTTP, allowing it to connect to external tools and sub-agents. Project memory is maintained in a transparent AZMX.md file rather than a hidden database.
• Zero Friction: There is no account creation, no onboarding flow, and no telemetry. The only network call the app makes independently is a signed check for the updater.

How to switch from Continue

Migrating from a plugin-based workflow to a sovereign agent is straightforward. Follow these steps:

1. Export your Config: Locate your config.json in the Continue directory. Note your preferred models and system prompts.
2. Install AZMX: Download the binary from /download. Since it is a native app, no IDE restart is required.
3. Map your Keys: Enter your API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, etc.) into the AZMX settings. If you use Ollama or LM Studio, AZMX will auto-detect the local endpoint.
4. Initialize Project Memory: Create an AZMX.md file in your root directory. Copy your project's core architectural rules from your Continue system prompt into this file to give the agent immediate context.
5. Configure MCP Servers: If you used custom scripts in Continue, add them as MCP servers in AZMX to maintain tool functionality.

Pricing Breakdown

Continue is primarily free, but you pay for the tokens you consume via your provider. AZMX follows a similar BYOK model but offers tiers for power users.

• Continue: $0 + Token Costs (BYOK).
• AZMX Free: $0 + Token Costs. Full access to native terminal and editor.
• AZMX Pro: $20/month. Priority updates and advanced agent orchestration features.
• AZMX Teams: $40/seat/month. Shared project memory and team-wide deny-lists.

For a team of 10 developers over one year: Continue remains free (excluding tokens), while AZMX Teams costs $4,800/year. The trade-off is the move from an IDE plugin to a dedicated, secure, native agent platform with strict security gates and MCP support.

If you are tired of Electron bloat and want a tool that respects your privacy without requiring an account, download AZMX AI. It is free to start, BYOK, and requires no registration. Visit azmx.ai to get started.