Compare / Amp vs Cline
Head-to-head
Amp vs Cline.
Side-by-side on ratings, pricing, pros, cons, and the honest take on which to pick. Both are in our coding agent category — direct competitors.
| Amp | Cline | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.0 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Category | Coding Agent | Coding Agent |
| Tech level | developer | developer |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Pricing | Free tier with usage limits. Paid tiers via Sourcegraph subscription. Bundled with Sourcegraph Code Search for teams already on the platform. | Free and open-source. BYOK — you pay API costs directly to Anthropic, OpenAI, or any provider. No Cline subscription required. Enterprise plans available. |
| Best for | Engineering teams already paying for Sourcegraph Code Search who want to add an AI agent that reuses the existing codebase index. Free tier is generous enough for individual evaluation. | Developers who want full control and transparency — open source, model-agnostic, works across VS Code, JetBrains, and CLI. The default pick for builders who don't want a SaaS subscription on top of their API costs. |
| Not for | Teams not on Sourcegraph — the standalone story is less differentiated than Claude Code or Augment. Builders who want a simpler CLI experience. | Non-developers wanting a point-and-click interface. Anyone who prefers an all-in-one managed subscription to direct API billing. |
Our verdict on Amp
Sourcegraph's agentic coding tool built on years of code-search investment. Strong for teams already on Sourcegraph; less compelling as a standalone.
Full Amp review →Our verdict on Cline
The most popular open-source coding agent by install count. 61k GitHub stars, 5M installs. BYOK means no subscription — pay your API provider directly.
Full Cline review →Amp
What works
- Built on Sourcegraph's mature code-search and indexing infrastructure
- Free tier with meaningful usage allowance
- Strong codebase-context story without separate indexing setup
- Native integration with Sourcegraph Code Search
- Sourcegraph's enterprise compliance story (SOC 2, on-prem options) carries over
What doesn't
- Standalone value less compelling than Claude Code or Augment for non-Sourcegraph teams
- Newer to agentic coding than competitors with longer track records
- Smaller community vs Cursor or Copilot
- Locked into Sourcegraph as the indexing/context layer
- Best fit narrows to teams already paying for Sourcegraph
Cline
What works
- BYOK — no Cline subscription, just your API costs. Often cheaper than Cursor Pro for heavy users
- 61k GitHub stars — the largest open-source coding agent community
- Works in VS Code, JetBrains, and CLI — not locked to one IDE
- Fully model-agnostic: Claude, GPT, Gemini, local models via Ollama
- Full agentic loop — reads, plans, edits, runs commands, and iterates
- Open source and auditable — you can see exactly what it's doing
What doesn't
- BYOK setup adds friction vs Cursor or GitHub Copilot's one-subscription model
- No built-in usage dashboard — tracking costs across sessions requires external tooling
- Less polished UI than Cursor — it's a power-user tool, not a beginner IDE
- Enterprise support is newer and less mature than Cursor's
Which to pick
We'd default to Cline (4.5/5 vs 4.0/5) for most builders. Pick Amp if you fit its best-for case specifically: engineering teams already paying for sourcegraph code search who want to add an ai agent that reuses the existing codebase index. free tier is generous enough for individual evaluation.
Honest middle: most serious operators end up using more than one tool. If you're early in your AI agent journey, our five-question picker recommends a starting platform from your specific situation.
Common questions
Amp vs Cline — which should I pick?
We rate Cline 4.5/5 vs 4.0/5 for Amp. Cline wins for developers who want full control and transparency — open source, model-agnostic, works across vs code, jetbrains, and cli. the default pick for builders who don't want a saas subscription on top of their api costs. — but pick Amp if you fit its specific best-for case (Engineering teams already paying for Sourcegraph Code Search who want to add an AI agent that reuses the existing codebase index. Free tier is generous enough for individual evaluation.). See the head-to-head table above for the full breakdown.
Is Amp or Cline cheaper?
Amp's pricing: Free tier with usage limits. Paid tiers via Sourcegraph subscription. Bundled with Sourcegraph Code Search for teams already on the platform. Cline's pricing: Free and open-source. BYOK — you pay API costs directly to Anthropic, OpenAI, or any provider. No Cline subscription required. Enterprise plans available. The right "cheaper" pick depends on usage volume and what's included — see the pricing row in the table above.
What's Amp best for?
Engineering teams already paying for Sourcegraph Code Search who want to add an AI agent that reuses the existing codebase index. Free tier is generous enough for individual evaluation.
What's Cline best for?
Developers who want full control and transparency — open source, model-agnostic, works across VS Code, JetBrains, and CLI. The default pick for builders who don't want a SaaS subscription on top of their API costs.
Are Amp and Cline direct competitors?
Yes — both are coding agent options. They target similar builders, which is why the head-to-head matters.
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