Cline
Verified Oct 29, 2026 ActiveOpen-source AI coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains, the terminal and a desktop app, running on any model you bring.
Listed on EffectHub ·
Pricing
- Pricing model
- Freemium
The open-source extension and CLI are free with no seat fee; you pay only for model inference, either with your own API keys or at cost through the Cline provider. Enterprise (JetBrains extension, SSO, RBAC, audit logs, VPC deployment) is a custom quote with no published price.
Use tool ↗About Cline
Cline is an Apache-2.0 open-source coding agent that reads your repository, plans a change, then edits files and runs terminal commands, asking for approval at each step unless you turn on auto-approve. A Plan mode lets you agree on a strategy before the Act mode writes code, and MCP servers connect it to databases, APIs and infrastructure. It ships as an extension for VS Code, Cursor and Windsurf, a CLI, a desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux, and an SDK for embedding the runtime in your own tools or CI. You bring keys from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others, or buy inference through Cline's own provider; Cline Bot Inc. of San Francisco sells an Enterprise tier on top.
- Platforms
- VS Code extension · macOS · Windows · Linux · API
- API
- Yes
- Last verified
- Oct 29, 2026
Verified sources
- Open Source plan free with usage-based inference or BYOK; Enterprise custom with JetBrains, SSO, RBACcline.bot ↗
- Agent runtime for editor, terminal, desktop app and SDK; Plan/Act; MCP servers; VS Code, Windsurf, JetBrains, Cursorcline.bot ↗
- GitHub repo cline/cline, Apache-2.0, created July 2024, about 71k starsgithub.com ↗
- $32M seed and Series A led by Emergence Capital and Pace Capital, announced July 2025cline.bot ↗
Is Cline legit?
We don’t label tools safe or unsafe. Below are the records we checked ourselves, each with the date we read it.
- TLS certificate
- Issued by Let's Encrypt, valid until Jan 23, 2027Seen in our own connection to the site on Oct 29, 2026
- Last checked
- Oct 29, 2026The site answered
- On the market since
- 2024The vendor's own material, read by us
- Operated by
- Cline Bot Inc., United StatesOur research, card verified Oct 29, 2026
Pros & cons of Cline
Cline suits developers who want an agent that does multi-file work inside their existing editor and who prefer to choose and pay for the model themselves. Anyone who wants one predictable monthly price, or a tool that never spends tokens without a human in the loop, should compare it with GitHub Copilot or Cursor first.
Pros
- Apache-2.0 open source, with no subscription for individuals
- Works with many model providers, including self-hosted ones
- Plan/Act split and step approvals keep changes reviewable
- MCP support and an SDK for custom tools and headless runs
Cons
- Costs depend entirely on token usage, which large tasks can drive up quickly
- JetBrains support and admin controls sit behind the Enterprise quote
- Quality varies a lot with the model you pick
Best for
- Developers who want an open-source agent with their own API keys
- Teams that need to pick or restrict model providers for compliance
- Engineers who want the same agent in the editor, terminal and CI
Not for
- Users who want a flat subscription with included usage
- Beginners who will not review each plan, diff and command
Watch out: Inference is billed per token by whichever provider you connect; auto-approve on a long task with a frontier model can run up a large bill. Set provider spending limits before you let it run unattended.
Alternatives to Cline
Cline head-to-head
Side-by-side fact sheets against the competitors our research or their makers name — pricing, platforms, API and both verdicts on one page.
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