--- title: "continue vs qwen-code" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/continuedev-continue-vs-qwenlm-qwen-code" tools: ["continuedev-continue", "qwenlm-qwen-code"] --- # continue vs qwen-code *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick continue if continue is an open-source coding agent developed in TypeScript, designed to assist developers with coding tasks; pick qwen-code if qwen Code is an open-source AI coding agent that operates directly from the terminal, offering a CLI interface for coding tasks. [continue](https://continue.dev) reports 36k GitHub stars, 5.4k forks, and 966 open issues, last pushed Sep 16, 2026. [qwen-code](https://qwenlm.github.io/qwen-code-docs/en/users/overview) has 28k stars, 3.1k forks, and 1.4k open issues, last pushed Sep 18, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [continue's repository](https://github.com/continuedev/continue) and [qwen-code's repository](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code). | | [continue](/tools/continuedev-continue.md) | [qwen-code](/tools/qwenlm-qwen-code.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | open-source coding agent | An open-source AI coding agent that lives in your terminal | | Stars | 35,945 | 27,946 | | Forks | 5,398 | 3,062 | | Open issues | 966 | 1,442 | | Language | TypeScript | TypeScript | | Adopt for | continue is an open-source coding agent developed in TypeScript, designed to assist developers with coding tasks. | Qwen Code is an open-source AI coding agent that operates directly from the terminal, offering a CLI interface for coding tasks. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | Qwen Code is distributed under the Apache-2.0 license, which is permissive and allows for free use, modification, and distribution. | | Categories | AI Agents, Developer Tools | AI Agents, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [continue](/tools/continuedev-continue.md) | [qwen-code](/tools/qwenlm-qwen-code.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 1d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 966 | 1.4k | | Stars delta | +415 (30d) | Unknown | | Open issues delta | +15 (30d) | Unknown | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/continuedev-continue/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/qwenlm-qwen-code/trust.md) | **Typed relationship:** continue _(alternative)_ qwen-code Qwen Code and Continue are both open-source coding agents that aim to assist developers in their terminal environment, offering similar functionalities. ## Decision facts: continue - **Adopt for:** continue is an open-source coding agent developed in TypeScript, designed to assist developers with coding tasks. ## Decision facts: qwen-code - **Pricing:** freemium - Qwen Code is free and open-source, but may have premium features or services that require payment. - **Requirements:** Min 2 GB RAM; Requires Node.js 22+ for npm installation.; Restart terminal after installation to ensure environment variables take effect. - **Adopt for:** Qwen Code is an open-source AI coding agent that operates directly from the terminal, offering a CLI interface for coding tasks. - **License detail:** Qwen Code is distributed under the Apache-2.0 license, which is permissive and allows for free use, modification, and distribution. ## Choose when ### Choose continue if… - Qwen Code and Continue are both open-source coding agents that aim to assist developers in their terminal environment, offering similar functionalities. - Tags unique to continue: agent, ai, coding-assistant, open-source. - Use continue when you are working on projects that require TypeScript, as it is developed in this language and may offer better integration or performance. ### Choose qwen-code if… - Pricing: Qwen Code is free and open-source, but may have premium features or services that require payment.. - Requirements: Min 2 GB RAM; Requires Node.js 22+ for npm installation.; Restart terminal after installation to ensure environment variables take effect.. - Qwen Code and Continue are both open-source coding agents that aim to assist developers in their terminal environment, offering similar functionalities. - Tags unique to qwen-code: agentic, ai-coding, coding-agent, terminal. - qwen-code ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - When you need an AI coding assistant that integrates seamlessly with your terminal environment. ## When NOT to use continue - Avoid continue if your project is not in TypeScript or if you do not require a coding agent that is specifically optimized for TypeScript. - Do not use continue if you need a proprietary tool with specific support or features not available in open-source alternatives. ## When NOT to use qwen-code - If you require a GUI-based interface for your coding tasks, as Qwen Code is strictly a CLI tool. - When you are working in an environment where TypeScript is not the primary language, as Qwen Code is built with TypeScript. - If you need a proprietary solution with specific enterprise features not covered by open-source licenses. - When you are in a network environment that restricts access to external installation scripts, as Qwen Code requires downloading and running scripts from a remote server. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between continue and qwen-code? continue: open-source coding agent. qwen-code: An open-source AI coding agent that lives in your terminal. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose continue over qwen-code? Choose continue over qwen-code when Qwen Code and Continue are both open-source coding agents that aim to assist developers in their terminal environment, offering similar functionalities; Tags unique to continue: agent, ai, coding-assistant, open-source; Use continue when you are working on projects that require TypeScript, as it is developed in this language and may offer better integration or performance. ### When should I choose qwen-code over continue? Choose qwen-code over continue when Pricing: Qwen Code is free and open-source, but may have premium features or services that require payment.; Requirements: Min 2 GB RAM; Requires Node.js 22+ for npm installation.; Restart terminal after installation to ensure environment variables take effect.; Qwen Code and Continue are both open-source coding agents that aim to assist developers in their terminal environment, offering similar functionalities; Tags unique to qwen-code: agentic, ai-coding, coding-agent, terminal; qwen-code ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When you need an AI coding assistant that integrates seamlessly with your terminal environment. ### When should I avoid continue? Avoid continue if your project is not in TypeScript or if you do not require a coding agent that is specifically optimized for TypeScript. Do not use continue if you need a proprietary tool with specific support or features not available in open-source alternatives. ### When should I avoid qwen-code? If you require a GUI-based interface for your coding tasks, as Qwen Code is strictly a CLI tool. When you are working in an environment where TypeScript is not the primary language, as Qwen Code is built with TypeScript. If you need a proprietary solution with specific enterprise features not covered by open-source licenses. When you are in a network environment that restricts access to external installation scripts, as Qwen Code requires downloading and running scripts from a remote server. ### Is continue or qwen-code more popular on GitHub? continue has more GitHub stars (35,945 vs 27,946). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are continue and qwen-code open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (continue: Apache-2.0, qwen-code: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to continue or qwen-code? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [continue alternatives](/tools/continuedev-continue/alternatives) and [qwen-code alternatives](/tools/qwenlm-qwen-code/alternatives) ([continue markdown twin](/tools/continuedev-continue/alternatives.md), [qwen-code markdown twin](/tools/qwenlm-qwen-code/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/continuedev-continue-vs-qwenlm-qwen-code.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, continue or qwen-code? continue: Very active. qwen-code: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for continue and qwen-code? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [continue trust report](/tools/continuedev-continue/trust); [qwen-code trust report](/tools/qwenlm-qwen-code/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=continuedev-continue`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=continuedev-continue) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_