Cline review
A flexible coding agent with broad model support, automation, and a free open-source core.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Cline is an open-source AI coding agent for developers working in editors and terminals. It reads project context, plans multi-step changes, edits multiple files, executes terminal commands, and supports browser control. Its feature set also includes Plan and Act modes, checkpoints, diffs, undo, multi-agent teams, scheduled automations, a CLI, and an SDK. The free open-source product suits individual developers who want control over model providers and a broader agent workflow than code completion alone.
Model flexibility is a central part of Cline’s positioning. It connects with Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, AWS Bedrock, Azure, GCP Vertex, Ollama, DeepSeek, xAI, Mistral, Cerebras, and OpenRouter, while MCP server integrations extend its connection options. The product is available through a VS Code extension and supports JetBrains IDEs, Cursor, and Windsurf. Windows, macOS, API, and self-hosted deployments are listed, giving teams and individuals several ways to fit Cline into an existing development environment. Slack and Discord integrations are also available.
The Open Source plan includes the VS Code extension, CLI, MCP Marketplace, and community support. Individual use of the open-source product is free, although AI inference may be usage-based. ClinePass adds included open-weight models, generous quotas, and no separate provider setup or API keys. Enterprise adds SSO, centralized billing, role-based access control, a team management dashboard, and dedicated support, with custom pricing. Choose Cline for flexible model selection, agent controls, and automation; developers seeking only a narrowly focused completion tool may find its broader workflow unnecessary.
Cline pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free open-source core with codebase context and multi-file editing
- Supports hosted and local providers through MCP and major model platforms
- Includes terminal, browser, CLI, SDK, checkpoints, and scheduled automations
- Where it doesn't
- AI inference may add usage-based costs beyond the free product
- ClinePass is a separate subscription for included model access
- Enterprise pricing is custom rather than publicly specified
Cline fact sheet, pricing and score →
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