Cline
Cline (formerly Claude Dev) is an open-source, model-agnostic autonomous coding agent that runs as a VS Code/JetBrains extension, a terminal CLI, an SDK, and a web-based Kanban board. It uses a bring-your-own-key model and a Plan/Act approval workflow, letting it read and edit files, run terminal commands, automate browsers, and recover from errors while keeping the developer in control. With 8M+ developers and ~64k GitHub stars by mid-2026, it is one of the most widely adopted agentic coding tools and is positioned as the open alternative to closed tools like Cursor and GitHub Copilot.
- Built by
- open-source
- Category
- Autonomous coding agent (IDE extension + CLI + SDK)
- Open source
- Yes
- Models
- Model-agnostic / bring-your-own-key. Supports Anthropic Claude (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku), OpenAI GPT/o-series, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, xAI Grok, Mistral, AWS Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, GCP Vertex, Cerebras, Groq, OpenRouter (200+ models), Vercel AI Gateway, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint including local models via Ollama, LM Studio, and vLLM. Claude Sonnet is the most popular daily-driver pairing.
Available on
Pricing
Open Source tier is free (download the extension/CLI and bring your own API keys, paying providers directly). An optional hosted path offers pay-as-you-go inference credits billed through Cline with no subscription. Teams tier reported at $20/month per user (first 10 seats free) with zero-markup pass-through billing; Enterprise is custom pricing adding SSO, SLA, and dedicated support.
Key capabilities
- ▸Plan/Act mode toggle: explore and plan first, then execute, with every file edit and terminal command requiring explicit approval (or auto-approve/autopilot)
- ▸Model-agnostic BYOK: route any task to Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, xAI Grok, Mistral, or local models via Ollama/LM Studio
- ▸Terminal execution with real-time output monitoring and iterative error recovery (reads build/test failures and fixes the code)
- ▸Project rules via .clinerules files plus full Model Context Protocol (MCP) server/tool extensibility
- ▸Cline Kanban: standalone multi-agent orchestration app (launched March 2026) where each card runs in its own git worktree, with diff review, comments, and dependency chains
- ▸Cron scheduling and messaging integrations (Slack, Discord, Telegram, Linear) for recurring/remote agent automation
Strengths
- +Fully open source (Apache 2.0) with no vendor lock-in, runs inside existing VS Code/JetBrains rather than replacing the editor
- +Transparent token counts and exact per-task dollar cost on every loop, unlike flat-rate competitors
- +Maximum model flexibility, including free/cheap routes (Gemini, DeepSeek) and fully local/private models via Ollama for zero API cost
- +Strong human-in-the-loop control with Plan/Act and per-action approval, reducing destructive edits
Limitations
- −BYOK API costs are unpredictable; agentic multi-call workflows can make a complex session cost several dollars in premium-model tokens
- −No inline tab-completion suggestions (chat/agent only), so developers wanting autocomplete need a separate tool
- −For moderate users not on local models, flat-rate subscriptions like Cursor or Copilot can be cheaper than pay-per-token
Best for
Developers and teams who want an open-source agent with full transparency, per-action control, and freedom to choose or self-host any LLM without vendor lock-in.
What's new
Cline launched Cline Kanban on March 26, 2026 — a standalone, CLI-agnostic multi-agent orchestration app (compatible with Cline CLI, Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode) where each task runs in its own ephemeral git worktree with diff review, line comments, and linkable dependency chains for autonomous parallel work. Installed via `npm i -g cline`; launched with `cline --kanban`. The company has raised ~$37M from investors including 1984 Ventures, CX2 (Cox Exponential), and Emergence.
Signal Radar
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Mentions × Lab Attention
Weekly mentions (solid) and average article relevance (dotted)
Timeline
1- Product LaunchJun 27, 2026
Released v4.0.0 with plugin marketplace, queued prompts, SDK rewrite
View source- version:
- 4.0.0
Relationships
2Uses
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Sentiment History
| Week | Avg Sentiment | Mentions |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-W26 | 0.70 | 1 |