Continue
dbt
| Feature | Continue | dbt |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $100/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Best For | developers, open-source-advocates, privacy-focused-devs, self-hosters | data-teams, analytics-engineers, bi-teams, data-driven-companies |
| Founded | 2023 | 2016 |
| Autocomplete | ✓ | ✗ |
| Chat | ✓ | ✗ |
| Inline Editing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Multi Model Support | ✓ | ✗ |
| Context Providers | ✓ | ✗ |
| Custom Commands | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sql Transformations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Data Testing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Documentation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Version Control | ✗ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Lineage | ✗ | ✓ |
| Metrics Layer | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Continue Pros
- Fully open-source (Apache 2.0)
- Works with any LLM provider
- VS Code and JetBrains support
- Local model support
✗ Continue Cons
- Requires self-configuration of LLM
- Less polished than Copilot
- Setup can be complex for beginners
✓ dbt Pros
- Industry standard for data transformation in warehouses
- SQL-based (accessible to analysts, not just engineers)
- Excellent testing and documentation framework
- dbt Core is fully open-source and free
✗ dbt Cons
- dbt Cloud pricing can be steep for large teams
- Requires a data warehouse (does not store data)
- Learning curve for software engineering practices
The Verdict
Continue is built for developers and open source advocates, with a focus on autocomplete and chat. dbt targets data teams and analytics engineers and leads with sql-transformations and data-testing.
Continue uses custom enterprise pricing, while dbt starts at $100/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, dbt offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Continue takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: dbt has a slight overall edge — but if fully open-source (apache 2.0) matters most to you, Continue may still be the right call.