Cline review
7.7/10★★★★★Open-source coding agent for VS Code, terminal and desktop, with any AI model
- Best for
- Developers who want an open-source, model-agnostic agent and control over their AI spend
- Price
- Free
Free: The open-source extension, CLI and desktop app are free; you pay only for AI model usage - Platforms
- VS Code, JetBrains, Terminal, Desktop app
- Made by
- Cline Bot Inc.
What it is
Cline is an open-source (Apache 2.0) coding agent that makes multi-file edits, runs shell commands and works in Plan/Act modes with step-by-step approvals. It's free for individuals: you bring your own API keys or buy model usage at cost through Cline. It runs as a VS Code extension, a CLI and a desktop app.
What the AI does
- Plan/Act modes with per-step approval
- Multi-file edits with checkpoints and undo
- Runs terminal commands and reacts to output
- MCP marketplace and plugins
- Works with any model, including local ones
Pros and cons
- Free and open source
- No lock-in: any provider or local model
- Transparent, step-by-step approvals
- Runs in the editor, terminal, desktop or CI
- You manage API keys and token spend, which can spike
- Less polished than Cursor's integrated editor
- JetBrains support is an Enterprise feature
How it scores
Praised for transparency and model choice; output quality depends on the model you pick.
Feature checklist · 6 of 9
- Autonomous agent mode that edits multiple files (yes)
- Inline code completion as you type (no)
- Choice of AI models from more than one vendor (yes)
- Use your own API keys, local models or self-hosted deployment (yes)
- Extension for existing IDEs (VS Code or JetBrains) (yes)
- Command-line (terminal) agent (yes)
- Cloud agents that keep working in the background (no)
- AI code review for pull requests (no)
- Connects to external tools (MCP, plugins or apps like Slack and Jira) (yes)
Alternatives
See all Cline alternatives, ranked →
- OpenAI Codex 8.7/10Developers who want parallel, asynchronous tasks and pull requests back, bundled with ChatGPT
- GitHub Copilot 8.6/10Developers and teams on GitHub who want AI in the IDE they already use, at the lowest entry price
- Claude Code 8.5/10Engineers who hand off large multi-file tasks and long autonomous runs
- Cursor 8.3/10IDE-first developers who want AI in every keystroke and the freedom to switch models