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Cline

An open-source coding agent for VS Code that plans, edits files and runs commands.

Open sourceAI Codingby Cline Bot Inc.

What is Cline?

Cline is an open-source AI agent that runs inside VS Code and other editors. It can read your project, plan changes, edit files and run terminal commands, asking for approval along the way. You connect it to the AI model provider of your choice.

Best for: Developers who want a transparent, controllable coding agent.

What you can do with Cline

  1. Have the agent add a feature across several files

  2. Debug a failing build step by step

  3. Use a local or cheaper model for coding

Key features

  • Plan and act modes
  • File edits with approval
  • Terminal and browser actions
  • Works with many model providers

Cline pros and cons

Pros

  • Free and open source
  • You choose the model

Cons

  • API usage costs can add up on big tasks

Cline pricing

Open source

Cline is open source, so you can use it for free and run it yourself. Plans change often, so check the official site for current prices.

How to get started

  1. Open cline.bot and create a free account.
  2. Try one real task first: have the agent add a feature across several files.
  3. Compare the result with CodeRabbit or Zed, then keep the one that fits how you work.

Compare Cline

Side-by-side comparisons of features, pricing, pros and cons.

Cline alternatives

Other tools that do a similar job, ranked by our editors.

All Cline alternatives
  • CodeRabbit

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  • Zed

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  • Aider

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    An open-source AI pair programmer that edits code in your terminal and commits to git.

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  • Continue

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    Open-source AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains with any model you like.

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  • GitHub Copilot

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    AI pair programmer inside VS Code, JetBrains and GitHub.

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  • Cursor

    Free + PaidEditor's pick

    An AI-first code editor that understands your whole project.

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Top AI coding tools

How Cline compares with the best in AI Coding.

  1. AI pair programmer inside VS Code, JetBrains and GitHub.

  2. 2. Cursor

    Free + Paid

    An AI-first code editor that understands your whole project.

  3. Anthropic's agentic coding tool for the terminal, IDE and web.

  4. OpenAI's developer platform for building apps with GPT, image, audio and embedding models.

  5. Anthropic's console and API for building with the Claude family of models.

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Cline FAQ

What is Cline?

Cline is an open-source AI agent that runs inside VS Code and other editors. It can read your project, plan changes, edit files and run terminal commands, asking for approval along the way. You connect it to the AI model provider of your choice.

Is Cline free?

Cline is open source, so you can use it for free and run it yourself. Check the official site for current limits and prices.

What can you do with Cline?

With Cline you can have the agent add a feature across several files; debug a failing build step by step; use a local or cheaper model for coding.

Who is Cline best for?

Developers who want a transparent, controllable coding agent.

Does Cline have an app?

Cline runs as vs code; we know of no dedicated phone or desktop app.

Who makes Cline?

Cline is made by Cline Bot Inc..

What are the best alternatives to Cline?

Popular alternatives include CodeRabbit, Zed, Aider and Continue. See the full ranking on our AI Coding page.

AltFTool is not affiliated with Cline. This summary was written by our editors from the tool's public information. Browse all 451 AI tools