Ralph Workflow vs Continue: IDE Assistant vs Autonomous Coding Loop

Continue is an AI code assistant that works inside VS Code and JetBrains. Ralph Workflow is a free open-source composable loop framework for autonomous coding runs that aims to end in finished, tested code you can actually review.

They address different parts of the AI-assisted development problem.

At a Glance

| Ralph Workflow | Continue
What it is | Operating system for autonomous coding: free open-source composable loop framework and AI orchestrator | The leading AI code assistant inside your IDE
License | AGPL (source) / CC0 (outputs) | Free / Open source
Setup | TOML config files, no cloud required | VS Code / JetBrains extension
Vendor lock-in | None — own your config | Varies
Primary use case | Unattended coding runs with a reviewable finish | Interactive in-IDE coding assistance

Key Differences

Continue brings AI assistance directly into your existing editor workflow. Ralph Workflow runs as a separate process that manages the full task loop — you hand off a task, it runs, and you come back to a result.

Ralph Workflow is the better choice when you want:

A full task loop that runs unattended and ends with verifiable output

Multi-phase workflows: planning, development, verification, follow-up

Cost control via model routing across task phases

A free, open-source system you control completely

Continue is the better choice when you want:

AI assistance without leaving your editor

Multi-model support within VS Code or JetBrains

Codebase-aware suggestions as you code

Feature Comparison

Feature | Ralph Workflow | Continue
Multi-agent orchestration | ✅ | ❌
Claude Code integration | ✅ | ❌
OpenCode / Codex integration | ✅ | ❌
Cost model routing | ✅ | ❌
Unattended execution | ✅ (built for it) | ⚠️ (interactive-first)
Policy-defined config (TOML) | ✅ | ❌
Checkpoint / resume | ✅ | ⚠️
MCP support | ✅ | ⚠️
Parallel work units | ✅ | ✅
Open source | ✅ | ✅
Self-hosted | ✅ | ⚠️

The Operational Distinction

Continue helps you code faster in your editor. Ralph Workflow is designed for when you want to step back from the keyboard entirely and trust the result when you return.

The gap Ralph Workflow is trying to close: AI coding tools are good at seeming done. The question is whether what you get back is actually finished code you can review and merge, or just a confident transcript that still needs work.

When You'd Use Both Together

Continue and Ralph Workflow pair naturally because they operate at different phases of a developer's workflow. After a Ralph Workflow unattended run finishes and produces a reviewable output package (diff, test results, open questions), Continue is the ideal tool for the human review phase — codebase-aware suggestions, inline editing, and model flexibility all inside your editor while you inspect what the workflow produced.

Think of it as: Ralph Workflow produces the deliverable when you're not at the keyboard. Continue accelerates the human judgment phase when you are. The combination means the unattended run doesn't end with a raw diff dumped in your editor — it ends with your preferred AI assistant already loaded and context-aware for the review.

Try Ralph Workflow

pipx install ralph-workflow
cd /path/to/your/project
ralph --init
$EDITOR PROMPT.md # write your task
ralph # walk away

Ralph Workflow runs on your own machine. It works with Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode. The default workflow handles planning, development, verification, and follow-up — or you can compose your own.

Install guide → · Quick start → · Primary Codeberg repo → · GitHub mirror: github.com/Ralph-Workflow/Ralph-Workflow