Cline

ResearchedCodingAgents

In short

Cline is open-source autonomous coding agent as a VS Code extension, CLI or SDK. Bring your own API key. It has a free plan; it is open source (Apache-2.0). We recommend it in: Best AI for vibe coding.

Last checked Oct 25, 2026 · Test depth: Researched · Sources

Cline pricing and key facts

Official site
https://cline.bot
Pricing (as of Oct 25, 2026)
Free for individual developers (pay only for model inference, or BYO key); Enterprise custom.
Free tier
Yes
Open source
Yes — Apache-2.0
Repository
cline/cline · 70,830 stars (as of Oct 25, 2026)
Test depth
Researched Compiled from official pages and public sources. Not used hands-on yet.
Last checked
Oct 25, 2026

Cline score: 82/100

Test depth40Researched
Value100free tier/plan verified: +50; OSI open-source license: +30; fully usable for free (open source): +20
Freshness100checked 0 day(s) before this build

How scores work

Cline alternatives

ToolFree planPaid fromOpen sourceScore
ClineYesFree / usage-basedYes82
AiderYesFree / usage-basedYes82
Browser UseYesFree / usage-basedYes82
CrewAIYesFree / usage-basedYes82
LangGraphYesFree / usage-basedYes82
OpenAI CodexYesFree / usage-basedYes82
OpenHandsYesFree / usage-basedYes82

Alternatives share Cline's category and are sorted by score. See the Coding leaderboard.

Where Cline fits

Best AI for vibe coding

Sources