Cline vs GitHub Copilot

Pricing, features, platforms and who each one suits — side by side.

Cline

Open-source AI coding agent for your editor, terminal, desktop and apps

FreeVisit site

GitHub Copilot

AI coding assistant and agents for editors, terminal, desktop and GitHub

Free · from $10/moVisit site

Choose Cline if…

you need an API to build on
you want open source you can self-host or audit
you work on Windows, Linux, Slack
you're in its core audience: software developers, engineering teams

Choose GitHub Copilot if…

you work on Web, iOS, Android
you're in its core audience: software developers, students and open source maintainers

Side by side

FeatureC

ClineG

GitHub Copilot

Pricing modelFreeFreemium

Starting priceFree$10/mo

Free plan

Free trial

API

Open source

GitHub stars70.9K—

Agent mode

Tab completion—

CLI / terminal

Cloud agents—

AI PR review—

Bring your own key—

Local / self-hosted models—

MCP support

PlatformsVS Code, JetBrains, macOS, Windows, Linux, Slack, Discord, TelegramWeb, macOS, VS Code, JetBrains, iOS, Android

CategoryCode AssistantsCode Assistants

CompanyCline Bot Inc.GitHub, Inc.

Based inUnited StatesUnited States

Founded——

Part of——

Key features

C Cline

Plan and Act modes with step approval or auto-approve
Multi-file edits with diffs, checkpoints and one-click undo
Runs bash commands and reacts to their output
Supports Claude, GPT, Gemini, Ollama, LM Studio and OpenAI-compatible endpoints
.clinerules files that teach the agent your project conventions
MCP server integrations and SDK plugins
Runs headless in GitHub Actions, GitLab and other CI pipelines
Multi-agent teams with cron-scheduled automations

G GitHub Copilot

Inline code completion and next edit suggestions
Chat assistance in the IDE and on GitHub.com
Agent mode for proposing and validating edits
Cloud agents that work on issues in the background
Third-party agents including Claude Code and Codex
Choice of multiple LLMs
AI code review on pull requests
MCP server allow lists and audit logs

Plans and prices

From each vendor's site. Prices change — confirm before buying.

Cline

Open SourceFree

EnterpriseCustom

GitHub Copilot

Free$0

Pro$10

Pro+$39

Max$100

Business$19

Enterprise$39

Strengths and limitations

Cline

Free and open source for individual developers
Works with any major model provider, including local models
Available as an IDE extension, CLI, desktop app and SDK
Inference sold at cost, or bring your own API key

The JetBrains extension is listed only under the Enterprise plan on the pricing page
Enterprise pricing is available only through sales
Advanced config management and fine-grained permissions are still marked as coming soon

GitHub Copilot

Free plan with 2,000 completions a month, no credit card required
Works in many editors plus the CLI, a desktop app and GitHub
Supports third-party agents such as Claude Code and Codex
Business plans include IP indemnity and governance controls

Chat is only available in VS Code, JetBrains and Visual Studio, per the FAQ
Free, Pro and Pro+ interactions may be used for model training unless you opt out
Premium models such as Opus require the $39 Pro+ plan or higher