Compare / Cline vs Windsurf
Head-to-head
Cline vs Windsurf.
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.
| Cline | Windsurf | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Category | Coding Agent | Coding Agent |
| Tech level | developer | developer |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Pricing | Free and open-source. BYOK — you pay API costs directly to Anthropic, OpenAI, or any provider. No Cline subscription required. Enterprise plans available. | Free tier (limited). Pro ~$15/month. Teams ~$30/user/month. |
| 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. | Developers who want the fastest IDE-native coding agent — strong on autocomplete speed, large codebase understanding, and autonomous multi-file refactors without leaving the editor. |
| Not for | Non-developers wanting a point-and-click interface. Anyone who prefers an all-in-one managed subscription to direct API billing. | Teams wanting terminal-first or headless agent workflows. Windsurf is IDE-bound — Claude Code or Aider are better for CLI-driven automation. |
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 →Our verdict on Windsurf
Codeium's AI IDE. Cascade handles multi-file edits autonomously. Fast autocomplete edges Cursor on speed; Flows runs complex tasks without you in the loop.
Full Windsurf review →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
Windsurf
What works
- Fastest autocomplete in the category — Supercomplete predicts before you finish
- Cascade agent completes multi-file tasks autonomously end-to-end
- Flows layer handles complex goals with full autonomy
- Strong large-codebase understanding — indexes your full repo
- Active development post-OpenAI acquisition
- Free tier is genuinely usable — low friction to evaluate
What doesn't
- IDE-bound — no CLI or headless mode for server-side automation
- Less customisable than Claude Code for complex multi-step workflows
- VS Code extension ecosystem support slightly behind pure VS Code
- OpenAI acquisition raises questions about long-term model flexibility
Which to pick
These two are closely matched. Don't pick on overall rating — pick on use case. Cline 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. Windsurf for developers who want the fastest ide-native coding agent — strong on autocomplete speed, large codebase understanding, and autonomous multi-file refactors without leaving the editor.
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
Cline vs Windsurf — which should I pick?
Cline and Windsurf are closely matched (we rate them 4.5/5 and 4.5/5). Pick by use case rather than overall score: Cline 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.; Windsurf for developers who want the fastest ide-native coding agent — strong on autocomplete speed, large codebase understanding, and autonomous multi-file refactors without leaving the editor..
Is Cline or Windsurf cheaper?
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. Windsurf's pricing: Free tier (limited). Pro ~$15/month. Teams ~$30/user/month. The right "cheaper" pick depends on usage volume and what's included — see the pricing row in the table above.
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.
What's Windsurf best for?
Developers who want the fastest IDE-native coding agent — strong on autocomplete speed, large codebase understanding, and autonomous multi-file refactors without leaving the editor.
Are Cline and Windsurf direct competitors?
Yes — both are coding agent options. They target similar builders, which is why the head-to-head matters.
Compare Cline against other options