TL;DR - Cline
- Free open-source autonomous AI coding agent for VS Code (pay only for AI API)
- Creates/edits files, runs terminal commands, and browses with user permission
- Plan and Act workflow with snapshot checkpoints for Claude, GPT, or local models
Pricing: Free plan available
Best for: Growing teams
Pricing
Freemium
Cline offers a generous free tier with optional paid upgrades for advanced features.
About Cline
Cline is an open-source autonomous AI coding agent that runs directly in VS Code and JetBrains IDEs. Unlike simple code completion tools, Cline can create and edit files, execute terminal commands, browse the web, and perform complex multi-step development tasks while asking permission at each step to keep developers in control.
The tool supports multiple AI providers including Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, and local models through Ollama or LM Studio. This flexibility lets developers choose their preferred AI backend or use local models for cost-effective development. Cline maintains context awareness throughout coding sessions and can understand entire project structures.
Cline is free and open-source for individual developers, with users only paying for AI inference costs from their chosen provider. The project has gained significant popularity as an alternative to proprietary coding assistants, offering similar capabilities without vendor lock-in.
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Cline FAQ
The Cline extension itself is free and open-source. You pay only for AI inference through your chosen API provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.) or use local models for near-zero cost. There are no subscription fees for individual developers.
Cline supports Claude (Anthropic), GPT-4 (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), AWS Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, and local models through Ollama or LM Studio. You can switch between providers or bring your own API keys.
Cline is open-source and runs as a VS Code extension with no subscription required. Cursor is a proprietary IDE fork with its own pricing. Cline offers more flexibility in AI provider choice and can use local models.
Cline can create and edit files, run terminal commands, browse documentation, read project files, and handle multi-step tasks. It asks permission before each action, keeping you in control of changes to your codebase.
Yes, Cline offers Open Source Teams (free through Q1 2026, then 20 dollars/month with first 10 seats always free) with centralized billing, team management, and role-based access control. Enterprise options are also available.