Cline

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

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Pricing

Free

API

Yes

Open source

Yes

Company

Cline Bot Inc.United States

GitHub stars

70.9K

Platforms

VS CodeJetBrainsmacOSWindowsLinuxSlackDiscordTelegram

What is Cline?

Cline is an open-source AI coding agent that reads your codebase, makes coordinated multi-file edits, and runs terminal commands. You can use it as an extension in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf or JetBrains, as a CLI, as a native desktop app, or embed its agent runtime in your own products through the SDK.

You work in two modes. In Plan mode you agree on a strategy with the agent, and in Act mode it carries the plan out. You can approve each step or turn on auto-approve. Every edit gets a checkpoint, so you can undo it in one click. Cline works with Claude, GPT and Gemini, with local models through Ollama or LM Studio, and with any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. You can bring your own key or buy inference through Cline at cost.

The open-source version is free for individual developers. A sales-priced Enterprise tier adds SSO, role-based access control, centralized billing and an SLA for teams.

Key features

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

Use cases

Who it's for

Software developersEngineering teamsEnterprises with security requirementsDevelopers building AI-powered products

Understanding an unfamiliar codebase

Ask Cline about the files, dependencies and behavior in a repository to see how it is structured.

Large refactors

Plan a change first, then let the agent make coordinated edits across many files, with a checkpoint at every step.

CI and chat automation

Run the agent headless in GitHub Actions or GitLab, or assign it tasks from Slack, Discord, Telegram or Linear.

Embedding an agent in your own product

Use the @cline/sdk package to add Cline's agent runtime to your own applications.

Cline pricing

From the vendor's site, checked Oct 26, 2026; we re-check prices monthly. Prices change — confirm on their pricing page.

Open Source

Free

VS Code extension and CLI
Pay for inference at cost or bring your own key
MCP Marketplace
Multi-root workspaces
Community support

Enterprise

Custom

JetBrains extension
SSO, SLA and dedicated support
Centralized billing
Role-based access control
Team management dashboard

How Cline compares

Cline has a free plan, like all 4 alternatives below.
It offers an API, which only 2 of the others do.
It is open source, the only one here.

Tool	Starts at	Free trial	API	Open source
CCline	Free	—
GGitHub Copilot	$10/mo	—	—	—	Cline vs GitHub Copilot
CCursor	$8/mo	—	—	—	Cline vs Cursor
OOpenAI Codex	$8/mo	—		—	Cline vs OpenAI Codex
WWindsurf	$20/mo	—		—	Cline vs Windsurf

Compare 8 capabilities

Capability	Cline	GitHub Copilot	Cursor	OpenAI Codex	Windsurf
Agent mode
Tab completion	—		—	—
CLI / terminal					—
Cloud agents	—
AI PR review	—
Bring your own key		—	—	—	—
Local / self-hosted models		—	—	—	—
MCP support				—	—

Capabilities as stated on each vendor's own site; — means the site doesn't say. The closest alternatives in our directory by category. “Starts at” is the cheapest paid plan per month, as each vendor lists it.

Pros and cons

Strengths

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

Limitations

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

Cline FAQ

Is Cline free?

Yes. The open-source version is free for individual developers. You pay only for AI inference, based on usage.

Can I use my own API keys?

Yes. You can bring keys from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and other providers, or use the Cline provider.

Which editors and platforms does Cline support?

It runs in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf and JetBrains. There is also a CLI, a desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux, and an SDK.

When do I need Enterprise?

Enterprise is for organizations that need SSO, role-based access control, centralized billing, audit logs, VPC deployments and an SLA.

Is there vendor lock-in?

No. Cline supports many providers, including Anthropic, Gemini, OpenAI, OpenRouter, AWS Bedrock and DeepSeek, and you can switch providers or self-host.