The product is the working loop
AI coding assistants are not interchangeable chat boxes. Aider puts the repository, terminal and Git diff close to the conversation. Continue brings model-assisted work into editor workflows and project context. OpenHands is aimed at longer task sequences where an agent may inspect, modify and run a project. The more actions the tool can take, the more explicit the review and sandbox need to be.
Where each is relatively distinctive
Aider is relatively suitable when a developer wants a direct, text-first loop with a visible diff and deliberate commits. Continue is relatively suitable when the editor is the main place a team reads code, tests suggestions and switches models. OpenHands is relatively suitable for bounded tasks that benefit from an agent operating across files and commands, provided the environment is disposable or tightly controlled.
Boundaries and ownership
The model is not the maintainer. Keep secrets out of the workspace, restrict network access where possible and require tests or human review before merging. Measure the cost of correcting a plausible but wrong change. Also check each project’s current installation, model-provider and license documentation before standardizing it across a team.
A comparison you can run
Give each assistant the same small issue in a temporary repository: add one feature, update one test and explain the change. Compare the resulting diff, test behavior, number of manual corrections and clarity of the final explanation. Then repeat with an intentionally ambiguous requirement. The second run reveals where autonomy starts creating review debt.