Introducing Cline CLI 2.0
Published by ClineWatch on YouTube
Updated Oct 4, 2026
AI Coding Tools
Cline
Open-source coding agent where you approve each step
Free plan available
Cline at a glance
from our research
A free, open-source coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, the terminal and other editors
File edits and commands wait for your approval by default, with a checkpoint after every step
Its documentation describes an agent, not as-you-type code completion
The agent costs $0; you pay per token via Cline credits or a provider, or use a Claude or OpenAI plan
Overview
What is Cline?
Cline is an open-source AI coding agent, released under the Apache 2.0 license by Cline Bot Inc., a US company founded in 2024. It installs as an extension in VS Code and in editors built on it, such as Cursor and Windsurf, and as a plugin in JetBrains IDEs. Cline CLI runs it in a terminal and, through the Agent Client Protocol, inside Zed, Neovim and Emacs. A desktop app runs on macOS, with Windows in beta.
You describe a task in a chat panel. In Plan mode, Cline reads the codebase, runs searches and discusses an approach, but cannot change files or run commands. In Act mode it edits files across the project, runs terminal commands and reacts to their output, and can use a browser and MCP servers. Each action waits for your approval unless you have auto-approved that kind of action. After every step it saves a checkpoint in a separate shadow Git repository, so you can roll back the files, the conversation or both. The task header shows the tokens and API cost used so far.
Cline charges no subscription or seat fee for the agent itself. You pay for model inference, either with Cline credits, which Cline says cost exactly what the model provider charges, or through your own account with a provider such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, AWS Bedrock or OpenRouter. Local models run through Ollama or LM Studio, and an existing Claude or OpenAI subscription can be connected instead of an API key.
Our verdict on Cline
Updated Oct 4, 2026Pricing checked Oct 3, 2026
Cline suits developers who want to watch and steer an agent step by step and to choose, and pay for, the model themselves. By default nothing is written and no command runs without your approval, Plan mode keeps the agent read-only until you agree on an approach, and a checkpoint after every step makes a bad edit easy to undo without touching your Git history. Because the extension runs on your machine, requests made with your own key go straight to the model provider, which matters for companies that must use an existing AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex AI account. The task header shows each task's cost as it runs.
The same design has costs. Approving every step is slow until you trust auto-approve for routine actions, and YOLO mode, which approves everything, is described in Cline's own documentation as dangerous. The documentation covers an agent only, with no as-you-type code completion, so most developers will keep a completion tool alongside it. Unless you connect a Claude or OpenAI subscription, spending is open-ended: every request is billed by the token with no included allowance, so the only ceiling is the one you set with your provider or by how many credits you buy. And on very large repositories, Cline warns that checkpoints can take significant storage and slow it down.
In practice the cost is whatever your model use comes to. The open-source tier is free and includes the VS Code extension, CLI, MCP Marketplace and community support, so individuals pay only for inference. Since Plan and Act can each use a different model, you can plan with a stronger reasoning model and implement with a faster, cheaper one. Organizations that need SSO, central billing, role-based access, limits on which inference providers people use and authentication logs need Enterprise, which is priced by quote.
Choose Cline if you want control over every step and the model behind it, or must run an agent against your company's own inference account. If you would rather pay a fixed monthly fee for completions and an agent together, GitHub Copilot is the simpler choice: Pro costs $10 a month and includes unlimited inline suggestions and 1,500 AI credits.
Written by Lokesh Kapoor
Pros & cons
Cline pros and cons
What it does well
- Apache 2.0 open source, with no subscription or seat fee for the agent
- Plan mode reads and discusses code without changing files or running commands
- Works with Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, AWS Bedrock, Vertex AI and local models
- The task header shows tokens and API cost while a task runs
Where it falls short
- Pay-per-token use has no included allowance, so you must set your own spending cap
- Approving each step slows routine work until auto-approve is set up
- Checkpoints can use significant storage and slow Cline on very large repos
Editor's assessment from vendor documentation and published pricing
Pricing
Cline pricing
Open source
$0
Free plan
- VS Code extension and CLI
- Model inference at cost, or your own API keys
- MCP Marketplace
- Community support
Usage: No subscription or seat fee. You pay only for the model inference you use, bought through Cline at cost, or bring your own API keys.
Enterprise
Custom
Tailored pricing for larger teams
- JetBrains extension
- SSO
- SLA and dedicated support
- Centralised billing
- Role-based access control
Checked against Cline Bot Inc.'s pricing page on October 3, 2026 · see the full breakdown
Capabilities
Cline features
Checked against the same feature list as every other tool in its category.
Platform
- Not included:Built-in hosting & deployRuns and deploys the application without configuring separate infrastructure.
Team & Governance
- Included:No training on your codeBusiness tiers exclude your source from model training by default.
- Included:Self-hosted or VPC optionRuns inside your own infrastructure for regulated or air-gapped environments.
- Included:Team admin & SSOCentral seat management, policy controls and single sign-on.Enterprise plan
Code Generation
- Included:In-editor chatAsk questions about the code you are looking at without leaving the editor.
- Not included:Inline autocompleteMulti-line suggestions as you type, accepted with a keystroke.
- Included:Test generationWrites unit and integration tests against existing code.
Codebase Awareness
- Included:Custom project rulesPersistent instructions describing your conventions, applied to every request.
- Included:Tool & MCP integrationConnects to external tools and data sources so the assistant can read docs, tickets or a database.
- Included:Whole-repository indexingIndexes the entire codebase so suggestions follow your existing patterns and reuse your helpers.Through on-demand search, not a stored index
Agent Autonomy
- Included:Automated PR reviewReviews pull requests and comments on problems before a human does.Via a GitHub Actions workflow you set up
- Included:Background & async agentsWorks on a task on its own while you do something else, then reports back.
- Included:Multi-file editsApplies a single instruction coherently across several files at once.
- Included:Runs commands & testsExecutes builds and test suites, reads the output and fixes what it broke.
Ecosystem
Cline integrations
Videos
Watch Cline in action
Product walkthroughs from Cline's own YouTube channel.
Cline Subagents
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Cline and JetBrains: A Great Match for Agentic Productivity
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Alternatives
Top Cline alternatives
Tools that do the same job, from the same category.
Fit check
Will Cline fit your team?
Support
- Knowledge base
- Community forum
Training
- Documentation
- Video tutorials
Deployment
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
Typical users
- Freelancers
- Small businesses
- Mid-size companies
FAQs
Cline FAQs
Written by our editorial team.
Is Cline free?
Yes. The agent is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license, with no subscription or seat fee. What you pay for is model inference: buy Cline credits, charged at the model provider's price with no markup, or use your own API key and pay the provider directly. Some models are offered free for limited periods to users with a Cline account. Enterprise, with SSO and team management, is priced by quote. See Cline pricing for details.
Which AI models can Cline use?
Almost any. Cline works with models from Anthropic, OpenAI and Google, through gateways such as OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway, through cloud platforms such as AWS Bedrock and Google Vertex AI, with local models via Ollama or LM Studio, and with any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. You can also connect an existing Claude or OpenAI subscription instead of paying per token, though with a Claude subscription responses may not stream token by token. Plan and Act mode can each use a different model.
Does Cline send your code to its servers?
Not when you use your own API key. The extension runs on your machine, and requests go directly from your environment to the model provider you chose. If you pay with Cline credits instead, your code and prompts pass through Cline's infrastructure on the way to the model, and Cline says it never uses them to train models. Its telemetry is anonymous, never includes code, file paths, conversation content or API keys, and can be switched off in settings.
Which editors does Cline work in?
Cline installs as an extension in VS Code and in VS Code-based editors such as Cursor, Windsurf and VSCodium, and as a plugin in JetBrains IDEs including IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm and WebStorm. Cline CLI runs in a terminal and can act as the coding agent in Zed, Neovim and Emacs through the Agent Client Protocol. There is also a desktop app for macOS, with Windows in beta. See Cline alternatives if you also want as-you-type completion.
How does Cline's approval system work?
By default, every file edit, terminal command, browser action and MCP tool call waits for your approval. Auto Approve lets you allow whole categories in advance, such as reading project files or running safe commands, while keeping prompts for riskier actions. YOLO mode approves everything, including file deletions and any command, and Cline's documentation warns that it is dangerous and should first be used in an isolated environment. Checkpoints let you roll back files after any step.
Sources & methodology
Product details come from Cline Bot Inc.'s public website and documentation (United States). Every plan and price was checked against the vendor's pricing page on October 3, 2026. We haven't tested this product hands-on; the verdict is a desk assessment. How we research and rank tools
- Founded 2024
- 1 language supported
- cline.bot
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