Cline
Free open-source coding agent; you pick the model and pay the provider. Quality depends on the model you choose.
Should you use it?
Pick it if
Developers who want a free, open agent in VS Code, the terminal or a desktop app and already pay for a model API.
Best for: VS Code users who already pay for a model and want a free open agent (Coding agents Top 20)
Skip it if
You want one flat monthly price with usage included; Claude Code or Copilot do that.
You give up: Quality depends on your model; a recent security flaw means updating to 3.0.30
The short version
- What this is
- An open-source AI coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains, the terminal and a desktop app that works with the model of your choice.
- Why it matters
- It is an open-source agent with no seat fee, so you pay only for the model, and you can keep code local.
- Free and open source; you pay only for the model you use s2.
- Turn off telemetry in settings if you want; it does not include your code with your own key s3.
Good at
Weak at
- No independent test of Cline itself yet; results depend on the model you plug in.
- Local models need a lot of memory: Cline suggests 32 to 64GB for mid-size coding models s4.
Our take
Cline is a free, open coding agent for your editor, the terminal or its desktop app, and you bring the model s1 s2. That makes it as good as the model you choose and as cheap as that model's API. With a top model key it can use the same models the paid tools use; with Ollama or LM Studio it can run fully on your computer, if you have the memory s4.
There is no independent benchmark of Cline itself yet, so we haven't scored it. Telemetry is on by default but, with your own key, holds no code or prompts, and you can switch it off s3. If you'd rather pay one flat monthly fee, Claude Code or GitHub Copilot is simpler.
Not scored yet
This is a First look: the call above comes from the maker's own pages, so there is no score yet. When an independent coding-agent benchmark publishes current results for Cline.
CodingAgents
New to this? What the scores and labels mean
- 0 to 100
- Our score for one job, like writing or coding, compared with everything else out today. 100 is the best available today. For AI models we build it from public data, such as Arena's blind votes and Epoch AI's independent tests; apps and tools are scored on our own checklist. The same tool can score differently for different jobs, and where two likely ranges overlap, we call it a tie.
- Our verdict
- Use it: a top choice for most people. Worth trying: good, and worth a go. Depends: good for some people or one kind of job. Wait: too early to tell, or not out for everyone yet. Skip: something else does the job better.
- First look
- Just released. We say what it is and whether to bother, and give it a score once public results exist.
- No score yet
- None of the public sources we use covers it yet, or the only evidence is from a source whose numbers we can't use, so we describe it in words instead.
- Best buy
- Nothing cheaper scores as well for that job.
- Best free
- The best score for that job that costs nothing, through a free plan or by running on your own computer.
- Pay as you go
- No monthly plan: you pay for each use, usually through a developer account.
- Checked
- The day we last confirmed the score and the price against the sources. Prices change often, so check the date.
- AI model
- The engine underneath, like GPT or Claude. You use it through an app or, if you code, directly.
- Open source
- Free to download and run on your own computer, so nothing leaves your machine.
Alternatives
Better or cheaper for coding, from our scores, then the ones we'd also look at. The same kind of product comes first.
- OpenCodeTop scoredCoding agent80FreeScores 80 in coding, first in our ranking; free. Side by side
- OpenAI Codex CLICoding agent70$20 a monthAlso open source, included with ChatGPT Plus instead of pay per use. Side by side
- Claude CodeCoding agent70$20 a monthFlat $20/month plan on Opus 5.5, top of arena.ai WebDev. Side by side
- OllamaPlatform80FreeFree way to run the local models Cline can use. Side by side
Evidence
Everything behind the call and the scores, folded so the page stays short. Spotted a wrong price, score or link? Report a mistake.
How we scored this
Reviews are drafted with help from AI models, including Anthropic's Claude. Model scores come only from outside leaderboards and independent evaluations, by a written rule.
No one paid for this review or gave us free access, and we earn nothing if you sign up. How we score
Sources 5
- s1Cline on GitHub
- s2Cline pricing
- s3Cline docs: Telemetry
- s4Cline docs: Ollama and local models
- s5Cline releases on GitHub
Something here out of date or wrong? Report a mistake and we will check it against the source.
History 2 changes
Every change to a rating, the price or our call, with the reason. Scores are against what exists on the day, so they drift down as better things ship. Older entries come from before we moved to scores.
- First look. No independent test of Cline itself, so not rated.
- Audit: removed an unsourced claim that it is the main open-source agent.
Use it well 4 guides on this site
Pages on this site that help with the jobs above.