Cline

0:08 Cline is an open-source AI coding agent, licensed Apache 2.0, that runs in Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, the command line and a desktop app. The agent itself is free: you connect your own API key for Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, AWS Bedrock, a local model through Ollama or LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible service, or pay through Cline's own provider, and you pay only for the model you use. Cline says its VS Code extension is installed by over 11 million developers (Sep 2, 2026).

Cline is the pick if you want an agent with no subscription, full control over which model you pay for, local models, or code you can read and change. If you would rather have one flat monthly price and a polished editor, Cursor or GitHub Copilot is simpler; for Anthropic's own agent, Claude Code is the closest rival.

Quick facts

Plans and prices

Source: Cline pricing, read Nov 6, 2026. What you really pay is your model provider's bill: Cline adds no markup when you use your own key, and its page lists no seat price for teams. Cost depends heavily on the model and on how much of the codebase each task reads, so a long session on a frontier model can cost more than a flat-price subscription, while a local model costs nothing beyond your hardware.

Features

0:24 Plan and Act. In Plan mode Cline explores the codebase and drafts an approach without changing anything; in Act mode it carries the plan out. File edits and terminal commands ask for approval by default, with auto-approve as an option (GitHub).

Edits you can undo. Cline shows a diff for every change across several files and keeps checkpoints, so you can roll a task back. It runs terminal commands and watches their output.

0:58 Rules, skills and MCP. .clinerules files and skills hold project instructions, and MCP servers, installable from Cline's marketplace, add tools such as databases or issue trackers (GitHub).

CLI, SDK and scheduled agents. The CLI runs headless with JSON output for CI pipelines, the SDK (@cline/sdk) builds custom agents on the same runtime, and agents can run on a schedule or answer from Slack, Discord, Telegram and other chat apps (GitHub).

Cline 2.0 harness. In Aug 2026 Cline replaced the extension's roughly 76,000-line core with the SDK runtime the CLI already used, with reworked prompts, tools and context handling; the switch reached all users on Aug 23, 2026.

History

• Jul 31, 2025: Cline raises $32 million in seed and Series A funding, led by Emergence Capital and Pace Capital, reporting 2.7 million installs.
• Aug 23, 2026: the Cline 2.0 harness reaches every VS Code user.
• Sep 2, 2026: Cline reports over 11 million installs of its VS Code extension.

Cline vs the alternatives

• Claude Code: Anthropic's agent with a flat-price Claude plan; better if you mostly use Claude and want predictable cost.
• Cursor: a full editor with its own agent and subscription; better if you want everything in one app.
• GitHub Copilot: a low monthly price inside VS Code and GitHub; better for teams on GitHub Enterprise.
• Gemini CLI: Google's open-source terminal agent, now for enterprise and paid-key users only.
• OpenRouter: not a rival but a common pairing, one key for hundreds of models inside Cline.

To run Cline with a model on your own machine, see Ollama, LM Studio and Run AI Locally. For the full comparison, see Best AI Coding Agent.

Privacy and data

With your own key, your code goes from your machine to the model provider you chose, under that provider's terms; Cline's Enterprise plan adds central controls and audit logs (Cline). With a local model, nothing leaves your machine.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cline free? Yes, Cline is free and open source under Apache 2.0; you pay only for the AI model you connect, or nothing with a local model.

What is the difference between Plan and Act in Cline? In Plan mode Cline reads the code and proposes an approach without changing files; in Act mode it makes the edits and runs commands, asking for approval by default.

Does Cline work with JetBrains? Yes, Cline has a JetBrains plugin for IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand and others; Cline's pricing page lists it under Enterprise.

Which models does Cline support? Cline supports Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, AWS Bedrock, Vertex, Groq, Cerebras and any OpenAI-compatible API, plus local models through Ollama and LM Studio.

Is Cline better than Cursor? Cline is better if you want open source, your own key or local models; Cursor is better if you want one subscription and a ready-made editor.

Sources

• cline/cline, GitHub, read Nov 6, 2026
• Pricing, Cline, read Nov 6, 2026
• Cline raises $32M Series A and Seed funding, Cline, Jul 31, 2025
• How We Migrated 11 Million Users to Cline's Biggest Harness Upgrade, Cline, Sep 2, 2026
• Ideal Setup for Cline, Cline, May 16, 2025 (video)
• How to Use Plan & Act Modes in Cline, Cline, May 6, 2025 (video)