Cline

What is Cline?

Cline is an AI coding agent that works in your editor and terminal. It reads and writes files, runs shell commands, uses a browser and builds features through conversation, and the overview says every action needs your approval. You can run it as an extension for VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf and JetBrains, as a command-line tool installed with npm, as a desktop app, as a Kanban board that runs many agents in parallel, or embed its agent core through an SDK. Models come from your own API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others), from Cline's usage-billing provider with a pay-as-you-go balance, or from ClinePass, an optional $9.99/month subscription for a curated set of open-weight coding models with 2-5x the usage of standard API rates. The open-source extension is free for individual developers, so you pay only for model inference. Enterprise adds the JetBrains extension, SSO, role-based access control, audit logs, centralized billing and dedicated support.

Use cases

• Build features across several files
• Run tests and react to the output
• Automate CI and scripting from the CLI
• Run parallel agents on a task board
• Use local or open-weight models for coding
• Embed a coding agent in your own product

Who it's for

• Software developers
• Engineering teams
• Enterprise IT admins
• Open-source contributors

Why use Cline

• The extension is free and open source, so you pay only for the model usage you choose.
• You can switch between providers, local models and the Cline provider without being locked in.
• Approval prompts and checkpoints keep you in control of what changes in your project.
• One agent core powers the editor extensions, CLI, desktop app and SDK, so you can use it where it suits you.
• Enterprise controls such as SSO, role-based access and audit logs cover team requirements.

Cline features

• Human-in-the-loop approval for each action
• File reading and writing with diffs
• Terminal commands and output handling
• Browser use for checking results
• Checkpoints and review loops
• MCP Marketplace and multi-root workspaces
• Desktop app with parallel sessions and scheduled tasks
• Kanban task board with per-card worktrees
• SDK for building your own agents
• Bring-your-own-key or Cline credits for 100+ models

Cline integrations

• VS Code
• Cursor
• Windsurf
• JetBrains
• Zed
• Neovim
• OpenRouter
• AWS Bedrock
• GCP Vertex
• Datadog
• Grafana
• Splunk

How to get started with Cline

1. Install the VS Code extension, the JetBrains plugin, the desktop app, or the CLI with npm i -g cline.
2. Choose how to access models: your own API key, Cline usage-billing credits, or a ClinePass subscription.
3. Describe the task in chat and let Cline read files, plan and propose edits.
4. Approve each file change or command, or review diffs and roll back to a checkpoint if needed.
5. Add project rules, MCP servers or the SDK as your workflow grows.

Cline limitations

• Model inference is billed separately unless you use a free model option
• JetBrains support, SSO and team controls need the Enterprise plan
• ClinePass covers a fixed set of open-weight models and some models have been retired
• Some Enterprise features such as advanced config management are marked Coming Soon

Cline pricing

Cline is open source, so you can use and self-host it for free. Paid plans start at $9.99 per month, according to the official pricing page on 24 Oct 2026.

Cline plans

• Open Source

  Free

  pay for model usage only

  • VS Code extension
  • CLI
  • MCP Marketplace
  • Multi-root workspaces
  • Community support

• ClinePass

  $9.99/month

  • 2-5x usage on popular open coding models
  • Curated open-weight models
  • Works in the IDE extension and CLI

• Enterprise

  Custom

  • JetBrains extension
  • SSO and role-based access control
  • Centralized billing
  • Authentication logs
  • SLA and dedicated support

Plans as listed on the official pricing page on 24 Oct 2026. Prices can change and may vary by country or exclude tax. Check the official pricing page.

Cline alternatives

The main Cline alternatives listed on Debuly are Claude Code, Aider, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Continue and Codex Infinity. The table compares pricing and platforms; order is A–Z.

1. Ai

   Aider

   Open-source AI pair programming tool that runs in your terminal and edits code in your local git repository using the LLM you choose.

   CodingDeveloper platforms
   Open sourceVisit Aider (official site)
2. 

   Claude Code

   Anthropic's coding agent that fixes bugs, writes tests and runs migrations from your terminal, IDE, desktop app, web or Slack.

   CodingAutomation and agentsDeveloper platforms
   PaidVisit Claude Code (official site)
3. 

   Codex Infinity

   Cloud platform that runs autonomous coding agents, with your choice of agent harness and model, GitHub triggers and an API.

   CodingAutomation and agentsDeveloper platforms
   FreemiumVisit Codex Infinity (official site)
4. 

   Continue

   Open-source AI coding assistant for VS Code and JetBrains with chat, agent, edit and autocomplete modes, now part of Cursor.

   CodingDeveloper platforms
   Open sourceVisit Continue (official site)
5. 

   Cursor

   AI code editor and coding agent with cloud agents, Bugbot code review and multi-provider models, sold with Grok and X plans.

   CodingAutomation and agentsDeveloper platforms
   FreemiumVisit Cursor (official site)
6. 

   GitHub Copilot

   GitHub's AI coding assistant for code completion, chat and agents in VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, the CLI and GitHub.com.

   CodingAutomation and agents
   FreemiumVisit GitHub Copilot (official site)

Cline FAQ

Sources & verification

Facts on this page come from the official sources below, each with the date we read it. Written by Debuly; the vendor did not review this page.

Image credits

• Logo: from cline.bot · fetched 23 Oct 2026 · Vendor trademark, used only to identify the product; removed on request
• Cover: none collected yet, so a generated tile is shown.

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