Continue vs PearAIComparisonUpdated 2026-03-16
SUMMARY
Continue (IDE) uses markdown configuration while PearAI (Editor) uses markdown. They differ on 4 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.
FEATURE COMPARISON
| Feature | Continue | PearAI |
|---|---|---|
| Config format | markdown | markdown |
| Hierarchy support | ✓ | ✗ |
| Global config | ✓ | ✗ |
| Project config | ✓ | ✓ |
| Subdirectory scoping | ✓ | ✗ |
| File inclusion / imports | ✗ | ✗ |
| Ignore file | ✗ | ✗ |
| IDE integration | ✓ | Editor |
| Schema / structure | Free-form (Markdown) | Free-form (Markdown) |
| Git committed | ✓ | ✓ |
| Encoding | UTF-8 | UTF-8 |
FILE MAPPING
| Purpose | Continue | PearAI |
|---|---|---|
| Project rules | .continue/rules/*.md | .pearai/rules |
SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES
Continue
.continue/rules/*.md
markdown
# Code Style Rules
- Use TypeScript strict mode for all files
- Prefer named exports over default exports
- Use async/await over .then() chains
- Keep functions under 30 lines
- Use descriptive variable names (no single letters except loop counters)
PearAI
.pearai/rules
markdown
# PearAI Project Rules
## Framework
- Next.js 15 App Router with TypeScript
- Drizzle ORM with PostgreSQL
- TailwindCSS v4 for styling
## Patterns
- Use server actions for mutations
- Colocate loading.tsx and error.tsx with page routes
- Prefer RSC; add "use client" only when needed
## Naming
- Components: PascalCase (UserProfile.tsx)
- Utilities: camelCase (formatDate.ts)
- Database tables: snake_case
## Dependencies
- Do NOT add new dependencies without asking
- Use date-fns for date manipulation
- Use zod for all validation
## Commands
- Dev: pnpm dev
- Build: pnpm build
- Lint: pnpm lint
KEY DIFFERENCES
Continue: Supported. PearAI: Not supported.
Continue: Supported. PearAI: Not supported.
Continue: Supported. PearAI: Not supported.
Continue: Supported. PearAI: Editor.
WHICH SHOULD I USE?
Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Continue, configure .continue/config.yaml. If you use PearAI, configure .pearai/rules. Many projects include config files for multiple tools so each team member can use their preferred editor.
PORTABILITY TIP
sync-instructions.sh
bash
# Maintain a single source of truth:
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md CLAUDE.md
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md .cursorrules
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md AGENTS.md
SEE ALSO
agentconfig.ing2026-03-16COMPARE(1)