How much does Cline cost?

Cline operates on a freemium model. The ClinePass subscription costs $9.99 per month. Since it is model-agnostic, you may also need to pay for API keys for providers like Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google, or use local runtimes.

Which AI models does Cline support?

Cline is model-agnostic, supporting Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Mistral, and Cerebras. It also supports local runtimes like Ollama and LM Studio, allowing you to choose the provider and API key that best fits your needs.

Is Cline safe for complex refactors?

Yes. Cline uses a Plan/Act workflow where the agent outlines an approach and requires sign-off before touching code. It surfaces every action for human approval via diff views, checkpoints, and one-click undo, making it safer for non-trivial refactors.

What IDEs and platforms does Cline support?

Cline primarily runs as a VS Code extension but also supports JetBrains, Cursor, and Windsurf. Additionally, a CLI and SDK are available, allowing developers to integrate agentic coding capabilities into their existing workflows and CI pipelines.

Can Cline integrate with external tools and databases?

Yes, Cline speaks the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This allows you to connect external tools, databases, browsers, and services like Jira, Linear, Slack, or CI pipelines, extending the agent's capabilities beyond simple code editing.

Cline

✓ Editorially verified

Open-source agentic coding assistant that plans, edits, and runs code inside your IDE

Freemium· ClinePass: $9.99/monthCodingModel-agnostic: Claude (Anthropic), GPT (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), DeepSeek, Grok, Mistral, Cerebras, plus local Ollama/LM Studio8.7 / 10

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In short

Cline is an open-source agentic coding assistant for VS Code and other IDEs that plans, edits, and runs code with human approval. It supports multiple AI models and local runtimes.

Best for

Developers and engineering teams who want a powerful open-source agentic coding assistant inside their existing IDE, with full control over which model provider and API key are used.

Skip if

Non-technical users, teams that want a fully managed all-in-one subscription with hosted models, or shops that require zero configuration and no API key management.

Cline is an open-source, agentic AI coding assistant that runs primarily as a VS Code extension (with JetBrains, Cursor, Windsurf, and a CLI/SDK also supported) and behaves less like an autocomplete and more like a junior engineer sitting inside your editor. Given a natural-language goal, it plans a sequence of steps, opens files, writes coordinated multi-file diffs, runs terminal commands, reads the output, and iterates until the task is done — always surfacing every action for human approval via a diff view, checkpoints, and one-click undo. Its signature Plan/Act workflow forces the agent to lay out an approach and get sign-off before touching code, which makes it noticeably safer on non-trivial refactors than pure act-first agents. Cline is model-agnostic by design: you bring your own key (Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Mistral, Cerebras) or point it at local runtimes like Ollama and LM Studio, and it also speaks the Model Context Protocol so you can bolt on tools, databases, browsers, Jira/Linear/Slack, or CI pipelines. Project-level .clinerules files let you encode coding standards, architectural conventions, and guardrails the agent must follow. Typical workflows include bootstrapping features across many files, migrating APIs, writing test suites, chasing down failing CI runs, wiring up new integrations, and doing exploratory refactors on unfamiliar codebases. It has grown into one of the most popular open-source coding agents on GitHub with 64k+ stars, 250+ contributors, 8M+ installations, and adoption inside teams at Samsung, Salesforce, Oracle, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Editor's take

Cline is the agent I reach for when I want Claude or GPT to actually do the work across a repo rather than just suggest a snippet. The Plan/Act split and checkpoint UX make it feel safer than most YOLO agents, and being able to swap models per task (cheap Gemini for scaffolding, Claude for the gnarly refactor) is genuinely liberating. Watch the token meter.

— The AI Tool Bible editorial team

Pros

✅ Truly model-agnostic — bring your own Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Mistral, or local Ollama/LM Studio key
✅ Open source under Apache 2.0 with an active contributor community and no vendor lock-in
✅ Plan/Act mode plus per-step approval and checkpoints give strong human-in-the-loop control
✅ First-class MCP support means it can drive browsers, databases, and third-party APIs, not just edit files
✅ .clinerules let teams codify project conventions the agent must honour
✅ Runs in VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor, Windsurf, and headless via CLI/SDK for CI use
✅ Transparent cost model — you pay upstream model providers directly, no markup subscription required

Cons

⚠️ Token spend can escalate quickly on long agentic runs, especially with Claude Opus or GPT-4-class models
⚠️ No hosted model included in the free tier — you must supply API keys or set up ClinePass
⚠️ Quality is bounded by whichever model you plug in; weaker models produce noticeably worse plans
⚠️ Enterprise features (SSO, RBAC, JetBrains extension, audit logs) are gated behind a sales conversation
⚠️ Autonomous multi-file edits still need careful review on large legacy codebases to avoid regressions

Use cases

Multi-file feature scaffoldingLarge-scale refactorsAPI migrationsUnit and integration test generationDebugging failing CI runsCodebase exploration and documentationPrototyping with local LLMs via OllamaMCP-driven browser and database automationLegacy code modernizationAgentic tasks inside CI pipelines

Frequently asked

How much does Cline cost?: Cline operates on a freemium model. The ClinePass subscription costs $9.99 per month. Since it is model-agnostic, you may also need to pay for API keys for providers like Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google, or use local runtimes.
Which AI models does Cline support?: Cline is model-agnostic, supporting Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Mistral, and Cerebras. It also supports local runtimes like Ollama and LM Studio, allowing you to choose the provider and API key that best fits your needs.
Is Cline safe for complex refactors?: Yes. Cline uses a Plan/Act workflow where the agent outlines an approach and requires sign-off before touching code. It surfaces every action for human approval via diff views, checkpoints, and one-click undo, making it safer for non-trivial refactors.
What IDEs and platforms does Cline support?: Cline primarily runs as a VS Code extension but also supports JetBrains, Cursor, and Windsurf. Additionally, a CLI and SDK are available, allowing developers to integrate agentic coding capabilities into their existing workflows and CI pipelines.
Can Cline integrate with external tools and databases?: Yes, Cline speaks the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This allows you to connect external tools, databases, browsers, and services like Jira, Linear, Slack, or CI pipelines, extending the agent's capabilities beyond simple code editing.