A free open-source AI coding agent for VS Code and JetBrains, formerly known as Claude Dev. Runs autonomously inside the IDE: reads the codebase, writes and edits files, runs terminal commands, controls a browser, and builds custom MCP tools with approval gates at each step.
The extension itself costs nothing. Bring your own API key for Claude Opus 4.7, OpenAI frontier models, Gemini 3.1 Pro, or a local model via Ollama.
System Verdict
Pick Cline if you want a capable autonomous agent inside VS Code or JetBrains with no subscription and full model choice. Plan mode shows the approach before any code is written; Act mode executes with explicit approval at every significant step.
60,300+ GitHub stars and 5M+ installs. Reported enterprise use at Samsung, Salesforce, Oracle, Amazon, and Microsoft.
Skip it for zero-setup usage or centralized team dashboards. Cursor bundles a model subscription and more polished UX. GitHub Copilot has the lowest setup friction for individuals.
Who pays what: Extension is free. API costs land on your provider bill. Light use on Haiku 4.5 or a local model can run under $5/month; heavy Opus 4.7 use can reach $20-$50/month on frontier-heavy sessions.
Key Facts
| License | MIT, open source |
| Primary IDE | VS Code · JetBrains (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm) · CLI |
| Modes | Plan (read-only planning) · Act (execution with approval gates) |
| BYOK providers | Anthropic · OpenAI · Google · AWS Bedrock · Azure OpenAI · GCP Vertex · OpenRouter · Cerebras · Groq |
| Local models | LM Studio · Ollama · any OpenAI-compatible API |
| MCP support | First-class, runtime MCP server creation |
| Terminal execution | Yes, with Proceed While Running for non-blocking tasks |
| Browser automation | Yes, via Claude Computer Use |
| Checkpoints | Workspace snapshots at each significant step |
| GitHub stars | 60,300+ · 5M+ installs |
Every data point above was verified against vendor documentation on 2026-04-17. See Sources.
What it actually is
An open-source VS Code and JetBrains extension that turns the IDE into an autonomous coding agent. Plan mode is read-only: Cline analyzes the task, explores the codebase, and proposes an approach without modifying anything. Act mode executes, with user approval required for every significant step.
Context commands scope what the agent sees: @file, @folder, @url, @problems. Terminal commands run in the integrated terminal with full output visibility. Browser automation runs through Claude’s Computer Use (clicks, scrolls, form fills, screenshots).
MCP support is first-class. Ask Cline to build a Jira MCP server and it creates, installs, and registers the server for you. Checkpoints snapshot the workspace so rollback to any prior state is one click.
BYOK is total. Any Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google API key works. AWS Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, GCP Vertex, OpenRouter, Cerebras, Groq, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint route cleanly. Local models via LM Studio or Ollama cost nothing beyond hardware.
When to pick Cline
- You want an autonomous coding agent without a monthly subscription. Extension is free, costs match API usage.
- You already pay for API access. Route usage through your existing Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google account.
- You need transparent approval gates. Every file edit and terminal command waits for explicit approval in Act mode.
- You want custom MCP tools for your stack. Jira, AWS, private APIs: ask Cline to build the MCP server and it handles the rest.
- Data residency matters. Pair Cline with a local Ollama model to keep code entirely on-device.
When to pick something else
- Polished IDE with bundled models: Cursor at $20/mo. Less setup, more design polish.
- Lightest-weight inline autocomplete: GitHub Copilot at $10/mo.
- Terminal-first agentic runs: Claude Code CLI. Deeper agentic capability on complex multi-file tasks.
- CLI-first open source with git-commit transparency: Aider. Free, BYOK, auto-commits every change.
- Async ticket delegation: Devin. Hand a ticket off, review the PR.
Pricing
| Tier | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cline extension | Free | MIT license · VS Code Marketplace · Open VSX |
| API costs | Usage-based | Varies by model and session length |
| Local models | $0 | Via LM Studio or Ollama |
Typical session costs on BYOK (verified 2026-04-17):
| Model | Typical session | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | Pennies to under $1 | Fastest, cheapest |
| Claude Opus 4.7 | $0.50-$5 | Best multi-file quality |
| OpenAI frontier models | $0.50-$5 | Strong alternative |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | $0.02-$2 | Long context, lowest cost tier |
| Ollama (local) | $0 | Hardware-bound quality |
Costs verified 2026-04-17 via vendor API pricing pages. Light use can run under $5/month; heavy Opus 4.7 use can reach $20-$50/month.
Against the alternatives
| Cline | Cursor Pro | Claude Code (Max 5x) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free + BYOK API | $20/mo flat | $100/mo flat |
| Form factor | Extension in VS Code / JetBrains | VS Code fork | Terminal CLI |
| Model choice | Any BYOK provider | Mostly bundled | Claude-only |
| MCP support | Runtime build + install | Partial | MCP registry |
| Approval gates | Plan/Act · explicit per step | Partial | Transcript-level |
| Best viewed as | Free agentic IDE layer | Polished default IDE | Strongest CLI agent |
Failure modes
- API costs are on you. No built-in usage caps or guardrails. Heavy frontier-model sessions can compound quickly.
- VS Code gets priority over JetBrains and CLI. JetBrains and the CLI exist but lag the VS Code extension on feature parity.
- No bundled model subscription. Setup requires API keys, account configuration, and provider routing. Not plug-and-play.
- Autonomous execution risk. Act mode with broad permissions makes real changes fast. Plan mode mitigates this but adds friction.
- Open-source moat is low. Architecture is public. Any IDE maker can replicate the approach.
- Context limits on very large repos. Context management commands help. Monorepos still need careful scoping.
- No team dashboard or audit log. Cline is a local extension. No shared workspace, centralized logs, or team-wide policy.
- Browser automation depends on Computer Use. Requires a Claude model and is still evolving. Flakier than core coding flows.
Methodology
This page was produced by the aipedia.wiki editorial pipeline, an automated system that ingests vendor documentation, verifies pricing and model details against primary sources, and generates the editorial analysis you are reading. No individual human wrote this review. Scoring follows the four-dimension rubric at /about/scoring/ (Utility × Value × Moat × Longevity, unweighted average). Last verified 2026-04-17 against cline.bot, Cline docs, the Cline GitHub repo, and the VS Code Marketplace listing.
FAQ
Is Cline free? The extension is free and MIT-licensed. You pay only for the API calls to your chosen provider. A local Ollama model brings total cost to zero.
What was Cline called before? It launched as Claude Dev in mid-2024. Renamed to Cline to reflect model-agnostic support for Claude, OpenAI frontier models, Gemini 3.1 Pro, and local models.
How does Plan mode work? Plan mode is read-only. Cline analyzes the codebase and task, then generates a step-by-step plan for your review. No code is written until you approve and switch to Act mode.
Can Cline run fully offline? Yes. Configure Cline with a local Ollama or LM Studio model. Code stays on-device; no API calls leave your machine.
What is MCP and why does it matter here? Model Context Protocol is an open standard for extending AI agents with custom tools. In Cline you can ask for a Jira or AWS MCP server and the agent will build, install, and register it automatically.
Cline vs Cursor, which should I pick? Cursor is a polished VS Code fork with a bundled model subscription and less setup work. Cline is a free extension with full BYOK flexibility and transparent Plan/Act approval gates. Pick Cursor for out-of-the-box polish; pick Cline to minimize fixed costs and keep model choice open.
Sources
- cline.bot: product features, documentation, and release notes
- Cline docs: overview: Plan/Act modes and MCP setup
- GitHub: cline/cline: source code, stars, community
- VS Code Marketplace listing: installs and ratings
Related
- Category: AI Coding
- Comparisons: Claude vs Cline · Cline vs Cursor
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According to aipedia.wiki Editorial at aipedia.wiki (https://aipedia.wiki/tools/cline/) aipedia.wiki Editorial. (2026). Cline — Editorial Review. aipedia.wiki. Retrieved May 8, 2026, from https://aipedia.wiki/tools/cline/ aipedia.wiki Editorial. "Cline — Editorial Review." aipedia.wiki, 2026, https://aipedia.wiki/tools/cline/. Accessed May 8, 2026. aipedia.wiki Editorial. 2026. "Cline — Editorial Review." aipedia.wiki. https://aipedia.wiki/tools/cline/. @misc{cline-editorial-review-2026,
author = {{aipedia.wiki Editorial}},
title = {Cline — Editorial Review},
year = {2026},
publisher = {aipedia.wiki},
url = {https://aipedia.wiki/tools/cline/},
note = {Accessed: 2026-05-08}
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