Cline
Open-source coding agent for editors, terminals, and SDK integrations, with approval-based actions and several model access options.
About Cline
Cline is an open-source AI coding agent for editors, terminals, and embedded products. It reads and edits project files, runs terminal commands, uses browser tools, and coordinates changes across several files. Plan and Act modes separate reviewing an approach from carrying it out. Each action can require explicit approval, while checkpoints and one-click undo provide a way back when a change goes wrong. Developers can use managed usage billing, bring keys from supported model providers, or connect local and OpenAI-compatible models. Cline is available as a VS Code extension and CLI, with support for other major editors and an SDK for custom integrations. The open-source edition has no subscription fee for individual developers, but hosted AI inference is still billed by usage unless the developer supplies provider credentials. ClinePass costs $9.99 per month for selected open coding models. Enterprise uses custom pricing and adds SSO, role controls, centralized billing, authentication logs, team management, an SLA, and dedicated support.
Best for
Best use cases
Explore an unfamiliar repository by reading files and dependencies before proposing a change with an approval checkpoint.
Refactor a feature across several files while running commands, reacting to test output, and retaining an undo path.
Schedule repeatable repository checks or updates through a headless CLI process in CI/CD and automation scripts.
Compare before choosing
Compared with subscription-only assistants, the individual edition has no software fee, but inference charges still depend on the chosen model path.
Compared with agents tied to one provider, Cline supports managed billing, bring-your-own-key providers, and local runtimes.
Compared with editor-only assistants, Cline also runs in terminals and exposes an SDK, though some organization controls require Enterprise.
Features
Understand a codebase
Read project files and dependencies, then answer questions about structure, behavior, and implementation details.
Refactor across files
Coordinate multi-file edits while responding to imports, types, linter feedback, tests, and terminal output.
Automate terminal work
Run the CLI interactively or headlessly in scripts and CI/CD workflows for recurring engineering tasks.
Pros
- The open-source individual edition has no subscription or seat fee, reducing the fixed cost of trying the workflow.
- Support for managed billing, provider keys, and local runtimes gives teams practical control over model choice and inference spending.
- Editor, terminal, headless CLI, and SDK options let the same agent approach cover interactive work and automation.
Cons
- Inference remains a variable cost for hosted models even though the individual software edition itself is free.
- Actions that require approval improve control but can add interaction overhead during long or highly automated tasks.
- SSO, centralized billing, role controls, authentication logs, SLAs, and dedicated support require custom-priced Enterprise access.
Pricing Plans
Open Source
- VS Code extension and CLI
- Client-side architecture
- Inference at cost or bring your own key
- MCP marketplace and multi-root workspaces
- Community support
Enterprise
- All Open Source features
- JetBrains extension
- SSO, role-based access, and team management
- Centralized billing and authentication logs
- SLA and dedicated support
* Pricing information is for reference only. Please refer to the latest announcement on Cline's official website.