Cline

Freemium

Open-source autonomous coding agent living in your VS Code editor

Cline · Code Assistance Launched Jul 2024 (as Claude Dev); renamed Cline 2024

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Quick Answer

Cline is open-source autonomous coding agent living in your vs code editor, made by Cline. It offers a free tier with paid upgrades. Key uses: Autonomous feature development, Multi-file refactoring, Terminal command automation.

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Users
40K+ GitHub stars; 2M+ VS Code installs

What is Cline?

Cline (formerly Claude Dev) is an open-source AI coding agent that runs as a VS Code extension. It can read and edit files, execute terminal commands, use the browser, and complete multi-step engineering tasks autonomously with human-in-the-loop approval for every action. It supports any model via API (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, Ollama) and pioneered the 'Plan/Act' agent workflow now widely copied.

What's new in Cline in 2026?

Plan/Act mode for structured autonomy; MCP Marketplace for one-click tool installs; checkpoints to snapshot/restore workspace state; 40K+ GitHub stars; 2M+ installs on VS Code Marketplace; Cline enterprise tier for teams

How much does Cline cost?

Open-Source

$0

  • Full extension free
  • Bring your own API key
  • All models supported
  • MCP support
  • Apache 2.0 license

Cline (hosted credits)

Usage-based

  • Managed model access
  • No separate API setup
  • Pay-per-token

What can you do with Cline?

  • Autonomous feature development
  • Multi-file refactoring
  • Terminal command automation
  • Bug fixing
  • Codebase exploration

Pros

  • Fully open-source (Apache 2.0)
  • Bring your own API key / model
  • Approve every file edit and command
  • MCP server support
  • Works with local models via Ollama

Cons

  • API token costs can add up
  • Requires VS Code
  • Less polished than Cursor UI
  • Model quality depends on chosen provider

Specs

Underlying Models

  • Claude Opus 4.8
  • Claude Sonnet 4.6
  • GPT-4.1
  • Gemini 2.5 Pro
  • DeepSeek V3
  • Any via OpenRouter/Ollama

Platforms

  • VS Code Extension
  • Cursor
  • Windsurf
  • VS Code forks

Integrations

  • Anthropic API
  • OpenAI API
  • Google Gemini
  • OpenRouter
  • AWS Bedrock
  • Ollama
  • MCP servers

Ideal For

  • Developers wanting open-source agents
  • Teams avoiding vendor lock-in
  • Privacy-conscious devs using local models
  • MCP power users

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What are the best alternatives to Cline?

Compare Cline Head-to-Head

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Frequently Asked Questions about Cline

How much does Cline cost?

Cline pricing: Open-Source at $0; Cline (hosted credits) at Usage-based.

Is Cline free?

Cline offers a free tier with limited usage. Paid plans unlock additional features.

What is Cline used for?

Cline is used for: Autonomous feature development, Multi-file refactoring, Terminal command automation, Bug fixing, Codebase exploration.

What are the best alternatives to Cline?

Top alternatives to Cline include Cursor, Aider, Claude Code, Windsurf.

What platforms does Cline support?

Cline is available on: VS Code Extension, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code forks.