Key Takeaways
- Cline (cline.bot) is a free, open-source, Apache 2.0-licensed autonomous AI coding agent
- Available as a VS Code extension, a JetBrains plugin, a standalone CLI (
npm i -g cline), and an embeddable SDK - Founded by Saoud Rizwan, originally launched as "Claude Dev" for an Anthropic hackathon in 2024, renamed Cline at version 2.0 in October 2024
- Cline Bot Inc. raised $32M in combined seed and Series A funding, announced July 31, 2025, led by Emergence Capital and Pace Capital
- The core extension is free and bring-your-own-API-key; a paid Teams plan ($20/user/month after 10 free seats) and custom Enterprise pricing exist alongside it
- Over 67,500 GitHub stars and active daily commits as of this review
π In One Sentence
Cline is a free, open-source (Apache 2.0) autonomous AI coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains, and the terminal, built by Cline Bot Inc., grown from a 2024 hackathon project called "Claude Dev" into a tool with over 67,500 GitHub stars and $32M in funding as of July 2025.
π¬ In Plain Terms
Cline is a free extension that lets an AI model plan and carry out multi-step coding tasks in your editor β writing code across several files, running terminal commands, and even using a browser β while showing you each step so you can approve or stop it. You bring your own API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, or others) and pay that provider directly; Cline Inc. also sells optional paid plans for teams.
πNote: This review is based on Cline's own site, its GitHub repository, its official pricing page, and independent reporting. It does not claim PromptQuorum has run controlled benchmarks against every competitor named in this article.
What Is Cline?
Cline is a free, open-source, autonomous AI coding agent that plans and executes multi-step coding tasks inside your editor or terminal, with your approval at each step. It is built by Cline Bot Inc. and distributed as a VS Code extension, a JetBrains plugin, a standalone CLI package, and an embeddable SDK β making it usable inside an editor, from a terminal, or wired into your own tooling.
- Product type: an autonomous AI coding agent, not just an autocomplete extension
- Platforms: VS Code, JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, and others), a standalone CLI, and an SDK for embedding
- License: Apache 2.0, fully open source on GitHub
- Founder: Saoud Rizwan; company: Cline Bot Inc.
- Funding: $32M combined Seed + Series A, announced July 31, 2025, led by Emergence Capital and Pace Capital
- Scale: over 67,500 GitHub stars as of this review, with commit activity the same day this article was checked
What Does Cline Actually Do?
Cline plans and carries out multi-file code changes, runs terminal commands, and can control a browser, showing you a diff at each step for approval before it commits to the next one. Its signature feature is a Plan/Act mode toggle: Plan mode has Cline think through an approach and ask clarifying questions before touching any files; Act mode has it execute.
- Plan/Act mode: separates "thinking through the approach" from "actually making changes," so you can review the plan first
- Multi-file autonomous edits: Cline can create, edit, and delete files across a project as part of one task, with diffs shown for human approval
- Terminal command execution: Cline can run shell commands (installing packages, running tests) and read the live output to decide its next step
- Browser use: Cline can drive a browser (via Puppeteer) to check a running app, read console errors, or verify a UI change
- Model Context Protocol (MCP) support: Cline can connect to MCP servers to add tools, or even build a new MCP server on request
.clinerulescustom rules: project-level instructions that steer Cline's behavior consistently across a codebase- Model choice: Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, Google Gemini, AWS Bedrock, Azure, GCP Vertex, OpenRouter, Cerebras, Groq, DeepSeek, xAI, Mistral, and local models via Ollama or LM Studio, plus any OpenAI-compatible API
From Claude Dev to Cline: A Short History
Saoud Rizwan built the original prototype, called "Claude Dev," for an Anthropic hackathon in 2024, and it was renamed Cline β short for "CLI aNd Editor" β at version 2.0 in October 2024. The renamed project then scaled quickly: Cline Bot Inc. raised $32M in combined Seed and Series A funding, announced July 31, 2025, led by Emergence Capital and Pace Capital, with participation from 1984 Ventures, Essence VC, Cox Exponential, and angel investors including Jared Friedman, Theodore Browne, Logan Kilpatrick, Addy Osmani, and Eric Simons.
- 2024: Saoud Rizwan builds "Claude Dev" as an Anthropic hackathon project
- October 2024: renamed to Cline at version 2.0
- July 31, 2025: Cline Bot Inc. announces $32M combined Seed + Series A funding
- 2026: Cline expands beyond the original VS Code extension to JetBrains, a CLI, and an SDK, and adds multi-agent and scheduled-agent features
Platform, Pricing, and Licensing
Platforms
- What Cline states:
- VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, a standalone CLI (
npm i -g cline), and an embeddable SDK.
Core extension cost
- What Cline states:
- Free. Bring-your-own-API-key β you pay your chosen model provider directly, with no markup from Cline.
Cline credits (optional)
- What Cline states:
- A pay-as-you-go top-up billed at model inference cost, with no markup, for people who want Cline to manage API billing instead of using their own provider account directly. Exact per-credit rates are not published in detail on the pricing page as checked for this review.
Teams plan
- What Cline states:
- $20 per user per month, with the first 10 seats free permanently, as of the pricing checked for this review.
Enterprise plan
- What Cline states:
- Custom, "Contact Sales" pricing, adding the JetBrains extension, SSO/OIDC/SCIM, VPC deployment, an SLA, and audit logs.
Licensing
- What Cline states:
- Apache 2.0, verified via the GitHub repository's license file.
Verify exact current pricing directly on cline.bot/pricing before budgeting β pricing pages change, and this review reflects what was published as of the check date noted above.
Download and Install Cline
Cline is free to install from the VS Code Marketplace, Open VSX, or the JetBrains Marketplace, and the CLI installs via npm.
Source | Link |
|---|---|
| VS Code Marketplace | marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=saoudrizwan.claude-dev |
| Open VSX (for VS Code-compatible editors) | open-vsx.org/extension/saoudrizwan/claude-dev |
| JetBrains Marketplace | plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/28247-cline |
| CLI (via npm) | npm i -g cline β see github.com/cline/cline for current install instructions |
| Official site | cline.bot |
The VS Code Marketplace listing still uses the extension ID saoudrizwan.claude-dev β this is expected and not a sign you have found the wrong extension.
Who Should Use Cline?
Cline fits developers who want an autonomous agent that can carry out multi-step tasks, not just suggest single lines, and who are comfortable managing their own AI API costs.
What Cline Is Not Good For
Cline is not the right choice if you need predictable flat-fee pricing or want to avoid managing your own AI API costs.
- Not for predictable, fixed-cost budgeting β because it is agentic and bring-your-own-API-key, a single complex task can cost several dollars in model API usage, and that cost varies task to task
- Not a standalone code editor β it is an extension/CLI/SDK you add to VS Code, JetBrains, or your own tooling, not a replacement for the editor itself
- Not for users who want zero API key setup β you must configure at least one model provider (cloud or local) before Cline can do anything
- Not ideal for the most cost-sensitive, high-volume autocomplete use case β Cline's agentic loops are built for multi-step tasks, not for minimizing per-keystroke latency and cost the way a dedicated autocomplete-only tool is
- Not a guaranteed-safe autonomous tool without review β Cline shows diffs for approval, but a user who blindly approves every step loses that safety check
Common Mistakes When Evaluating Cline
Most confusion about Cline comes from its rebrand history, its BYOK pricing model, or mixing it up with similarly named or similarly positioned tools.
Competitors and Alternatives
Cline is most often compared to Continue.dev, Aider, Cursor, Windsurf, and GitHub Copilot, each taking a different approach to AI-assisted coding.
Tool | Best known for | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Continue.dev | Open-source autocomplete/chat extension, discontinued (acquired by Cursor, June 2026) | Continue.dev review |
| PearAI | Free, open-source AI-first VS Code fork | PearAI review |
| Aider | Terminal-native, git-centric AI pair programmer | aider.chat |
| Cursor | Commercial, standalone AI-first code editor | cursor.com |
| Windsurf | Commercial AI-first code editor with a multi-file "Cascade" agent | windsurf.com |
| GitHub Copilot | Microsoft/GitHub's mainstream AI autocomplete and chat extension | github.com/features/copilot |
This list reflects tools Cline is commonly compared to, not an independent PromptQuorum ranking β verify each tool's current pricing and feature set before choosing, since this category moves fast.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cline?
Cline (cline.bot) is a free, open-source, autonomous AI coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains, and the terminal, built by Cline Bot Inc. and released under the Apache 2.0 license.
Is Cline free?
The core extension is free and open source. It uses a bring-your-own-API-key model, so you pay your chosen AI model provider directly. Cline Inc. also offers an optional paid Teams plan ($20/user/month after 10 free seats) and custom Enterprise pricing.
Why was Cline previously called Claude Dev?
Cline started in 2024 as a hackathon project named "Claude Dev," built by Saoud Rizwan. It was renamed Cline β short for "CLI aNd Editor" β at version 2.0 in October 2024. The exact reason for the rename was not confirmed from an official Cline statement for this review.
How much funding has Cline raised?
Cline Bot Inc. announced $32M in combined Seed and Series A funding on July 31, 2025, led by Emergence Capital and Pace Capital.
Does Cline support local models?
Yes. Cline connects to local models via Ollama or LM Studio, in addition to cloud providers including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, AWS Bedrock, Azure, GCP Vertex, OpenRouter, Cerebras, Groq, DeepSeek, xAI, and Mistral.
Is Cline the same as Roo Code?
No. Roo Code was a popular fork of Cline with additional features. Roo Code's own GitHub repository was archived on May 15, 2026, with Kilo Code named as the migration path in Kilo's own blog post. Cline itself remained a separate, actively maintained project.
Does Cline support Model Context Protocol (MCP)?
Yes, Cline can connect to MCP servers to add tools, and can even build a new MCP server on request.
How much does Cline cost to run per task?
This varies by task complexity and model choice, since Cline pays your chosen provider directly per API call; sourced third-party accounts describe complex agentic tasks costing several dollars in model usage. There is no fixed per-task price.
What is Cline's VS Code Marketplace listing called?
The extension ID is saoudrizwan.claude-dev, a naming artifact from before the October 2024 rename to Cline β this is expected, not an error.
Has PromptQuorum independently tested Cline's claims?
This review is based on Cline's own site, its GitHub repository, its pricing page, and independent reporting, rather than controlled hands-on benchmarking by PromptQuorum.