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Cline
Open-source AI coding agent that started as a hackathon project in July 2024 and now runs in VS Code, JetBrains, and the terminal with any model a developer chooses.
Developers and engineering teams that want an agentic coding tool with full model choice, transparent costs, and code that stays on their own infrastructure.
Teams that want one predictable subscription price covering model usage, or developers who prefer simple autocomplete over agentic edits.
Verdict
Cline is worth using for developers who want a powerful coding agent and full control over which model runs. Its open-source code and Plan and Act modes, which let developers approve a plan before any file changes, suit security-minded teams. Teams that want one vendor to supply both the agent and the model may prefer a bundled tool.
Score Breakdown
How Cline scores in the categories that matter to its buyers.
Pricing
Cline's open-source extension is free for individual developers, who pay only for the AI models they use. Enterprise adds team features on custom terms.
| Plan | Price | What stands out |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | Free | Bring your own API keys; pay model providers for usage |
| Enterprise | Custom | JetBrains extension, centralized billing, team dashboard, role-based access |
The Field at a Glance
How Cline compares with other coding agents and developer tools vendors we reviewed, by Overall Score and relative typical engagement cost.
Cline scores 8.2 in coding agents and developer tools, under Sourcegraph (8.3), and ahead of Factory (7.8), Augment Code (7.7), and Ellipsis (7.7). Relative cost lands lower for this subcategory.
Use-case matrix
| Use case | Fit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Any model | Strong | Works with frontier, open-weight, and local models. |
| Plan and Act modes | Strong | The agent plans before it edits. |
| Transparency | Strong | Every file, plan, and tool call is shown. |
| Open source | Strong | Code can be audited and extended. |
| Cost predictability | Mixed | Model costs depend on usage. |
| Team admin on free version | Weak | Team controls need Enterprise. |
Who it’s for
Good fit
- Developers wanting model choice
- Security-conscious engineering teams
- Teams running local or open-weight models
Poor fit
- Buyers wanting one flat subscription
- Developers wanting autocomplete only
- Teams without model API access
Review Excerpts
Below are excerpts from public reviews. Our team scoured public reviews, forums, and chat rooms to get a balanced view of customers' experience with this company. Paid reviews and pay-for-play sites such as Clutch were excluded.
Cline says it has more than 11 million installs across its platforms, and it runs as an editor extension, in the terminal, or embedded in other products.
Cline's open-source extension is free for individual developers, who bring their own API keys and pay model providers directly, with no seat fees or subscriptions.
Cline passes model costs straight through, so monthly spend depends on how much the agent runs and which model it uses, and team management and the JetBrains extension need Enterprise.
Company Facts
- First release
- July 2024, as Claude-Dev (Emergence Capital)
- Funding
- $32M seed and Series A (Cline)
- Lead investors
- Emergence Capital and Pace Capital (Cline)
- Installs
- More than 11 million (Cline)
- Website
- cline.bot
Key Leadership
Saoud Rizwan
Founder and CEO
Methodology
This page is an independent evaluation of Cline for buyers comparing options in coding agents and developer tools. AI Industry Reviews accepts no sponsorships, advertising, or pay-for-placement fees. Cline did not pay for this review.
What we scored
The headline number is an Overall Score on a 0-10 scale. Eight criteria sit under it in two groups.
- Buyer outcomes (for coding agents and developer tools)
- Model choice and transparency
- Agentic coding power
- Open-source trust
- Cost predictability
- Company & commercial
- Innovation & product leadership
- Project management & communication
- Pricing
- Contract fairness
Pricing measures whether the price looks fair for the value delivered, including packaging and renewal friction that show up in real buying cycles.
Score Composition
| Input | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 40% | A proprietary read of what practitioners say about likes, complaints, and day-to-day use, including public review sites, forums, and private chat rooms. Paid reviews and pay-for-play sites such as Clutch are out of scope. |
| Product | 35% | Hands-on look at screens and workflows. |
| Pricing | 15% | Whether the price looks fair for what you get. |
| Docs & training | 10% | Docs, tutorials, and training material. |
How we balanced the evidence
The Overall Score is the simple average of the eight criteria. Recommendation language follows that score and the fit pattern described above.
Scope
Cline is graded here as coding agents and developer tools. Criteria scores can move as more review volume and product checks are added.