Cline
FreemiumThe Open Coding Agent.
Published 27 September 2026Last updated 3 November 2026
Scores
Popularity4/5
Widely used
66K+ GitHub stars and 8M+ installs make it one of the largest independent (non single-vendor) coding agents, though still behind OpenCode's scale and well behind GitHub Copilot's installed base.
Learning Curve2/5
Easy
Installs as a familiar VS Code sidebar extension and the Plan/Act toggle maps to an intuitive review-then-execute mental model; getting productive requires only an API key.
Flexibility5/5
Unopinionated
Bring-your-own-key across 10+ providers, `.clinerules` customization, MCP support, and an SDK for embedding agent behavior into other workflows give it very open-ended extensibility.
Performance4/5
Fast
Output quality tracks the underlying model selected rather than a fixed baseline, and the default step-by-step approval workflow favors accuracy and reviewability over raw autonomous throughput compared to fully autonomous cloud agents.
Portability5/5
No lock-in
Apache-2.0 licensed, model-agnostic, and available across VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor, Windsurf, and a standalone CLI — no single-editor or single-provider lock-in.
About Cline
Cline is an open-source, Apache-2.0-licensed autonomous coding agent that began as a VS Code sidebar extension (originally shipped as "Claude Dev") and has grown into one of the most widely used open-source coding agents. It reads and writes project files, executes terminal commands with live output, and uses the browser for research, with full visibility into every action and configurable human approval at each step.
Its defining workflow is the Plan/Act toggle: Plan mode analyzes a request and proposes an approach without touching any files, and Act mode then executes it, editing code, running commands, and completing multi-step tasks. Custom behavior can be defined via .clinerules files, and the project has expanded into multi-agent teams, cron-scheduled tasks, a headless CI/CD mode, and integrations with Slack, Linear, Discord, and Telegram through plugins and MCP servers.
Cline is model-agnostic and bring-your-own-key by design, connecting to Claude, GPT, Gemini, AWS Bedrock, Ollama, and hundreds more models through OpenRouter. Beyond the original extension, which also runs in Cursor, Windsurf, and VSCodium, it ships as a cross-platform CLI, a Node.js SDK, and Cline Desktop, a native app in beta for macOS, Windows, and Linux that runs parallel sessions, scheduled runs, and SSH remote development without an editor. Cline Cloud Agents run it from a browser, including a phone: connect a GitHub repository, give it a task, and it works in an isolated cloud sandbox on its own cline/ branch, ready for a pull request.
The agent itself is free. Model usage is billed by the provider, or bought through Cline at cost, and the optional ClinePass subscription gives a flat-rate allotment on popular open-weight models. An Enterprise plan adds the JetBrains extension, SSO, centralized billing, role-based access, and authentication logs.
Key Features
- Plan/Act workflow: propose an approach with no file changes, then execute it
- Multi-file edits with reviewable diffs and checkpoint undo
- Terminal commands with live output the agent reacts to, plus browser use for research
- Custom rules via `.clinerules` files, plus plugins and MCP servers
- Model-agnostic, bring-your-own-key across Claude, GPT, Gemini, Bedrock, Ollama, and OpenRouter
- Cloud Agents: browser-based sessions in isolated sandboxes that work on a GitHub repository and run in parallel
- Multi-agent teams, cron scheduling, headless CI/CD mode, and Slack/Linear/Discord/Telegram integrations
- VS Code extension, CLI, desktop app, and Node.js SDK, plus a JetBrains extension on Enterprise
Pros
- Step-by-step human approval by default gives high visibility and control over agent actions
- Model-agnostic BYOK design avoids lock-in to a single provider's pricing or roadmap
- Large, mature open-source community with an active plugin and SDK ecosystem
- Optional ClinePass gives a predictable flat-rate option without forcing it on every user
- Wide reach: VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, the CLI, a desktop app, and cloud sessions from any browser
Cons
- ClinePass covers open-weight models only, so premium closed models are still billed per token and heavy use gets expensive
- Step-by-step approval, while safer, is slower than a fully autonomous run unless auto-approve is switched on
- Cloud Agents are new, need a GitHub repository, and do not yet support rules, skills, MCP servers, or connectors
- JetBrains support is limited to the Enterprise plan
- Cline Desktop is still labelled beta on every platform, and the CLI and SDK are younger than the extension
Cline Pricing
Freemium- VS Code extension, CLI, and desktop app
- Bring your own API key, or buy model usage through Cline at cost
- MCP marketplace, multi-root workspaces, and community support
- Optional flat-rate subscription for popular open-weight models
- 2-5x the usage of standard API-rate pricing on included models
- Not required to use Cline; works alongside any other provider
- JetBrains extension, SSO, SLA, and dedicated support
- Centralized billing, team dashboard, role-based access, and provider restrictions
- Authentication logs; contact sales for pricing
Tech Stacks with Cline
Cline Dev Stack
Developer
DeveloperCline as the coding agent, in the terminal CLI or the Cline Desktop app, running GLM or another model of your choice, with GitHub or GitLab for version control.
VS Code AI Dev Stack
DeveloperVS Code as the editor, with your choice of AI extension (GitHub Copilot by default, or Cline, Kilo Code, Claude Code, Codex, or Qwen Code) and your pick of GitHub or GitLab for version control.
Development
Local LLM Dev Stack
DeveloperA coding agent that works against a model on your own hardware. A local runtime such as Ollama or LM Studio serves an open-weight coding model such as Qwen or Mistral's Devstral, and an agent such as OpenCode or Cline does the editing. No code leaves the machine and there is no per-token bill.
Tools Related to Cline
Works well with Cline(3)
Cline documents DeepSeek as one of its cloud providers with dedicated setup docs.
Cline documents Alibaba Qwen among its cloud providers, via the Model Studio endpoint.
OpenRouter is a first-class provider in Cline's settings, with a dedicated docs page and provider dropdown entry.
Integrates with Cline(1)
Cline is published and maintained as an official extension on the Visual Studio Code Marketplace — its original and still-primary distribution surface, providing the full sidebar agent UI, Plan/Act workflow, and file/terminal access inside the editor.
Alternatives to Cline(12)
Cline bolts an open-source, bring-your-own-key agent onto an existing editor (primarily VS Code); Cursor is a dedicated, proprietary AI-first IDE forked from VS Code — a common comparison for developers deciding between staying in their current editor or switching to an AI-native fork.
Cline and OpenCode are both open-source, model-agnostic coding agents: Cline is VS-Code-extension-first with a distinctive Plan/Act approval workflow, while OpenCode is terminal-first with a shared session store across its terminal UI, desktop app, and IDE extension.
Cline and Kilo Code are both open-source, model-agnostic agents that started as VS Code extensions and now span CLI/JetBrains too — Cline is built around a simpler Plan/Act approval loop, while Kilo differentiates with an Orchestrator mode, cloud agents, and zero-markup Gateway pricing.
Cline is an editor-first agent with a guided Plan/Act loop; oh-my-pi is a feature-heavy terminal fork of Pi with LSP/DAP, browser automation, and 60+ model providers. Pick Cline inside VS Code, oh-my-pi for a maximal terminal harness.
Cline runs in VS Code and the CLI with step-by-step Plan/Act approval; Grok Build is a full-screen terminal agent that fans work out to parallel subagents, optionally in separate git worktrees. Cline suits supervised editing, Grok Build parallel work on Grok models.
Cline is a mature bring-your-own-key agent rooted in VS Code with a Plan/Act workflow; DeepSeek Harness is a newer plugin-built agent with its own web UI and desktop app. Pick Cline to work inside the editor, the harness to customise the agent outside it.
