Coding Agent

Cline

Name: Cline Review — Agent Shortlist
Item: Cline
Rating: 4.5
Author: Agent Shortlist

The open coding agent — 61k GitHub stars, 5M installs

4.5 / 5DeveloperOpen-source · Free and open-source

Our verdict

The most popular open-source coding agent by install count. 61k GitHub stars, 5M installs. BYOK means no subscription — pay your API provider directly.

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.

Not for

Non-developers wanting a point-and-click interface. Anyone who prefers an all-in-one managed subscription to direct API billing.

Overview

Cline is an open-source AI coding agent with 61k GitHub stars and over 5 million installs across VS Code, JetBrains, and CLI. It's BYOK — you connect your own Anthropic, OpenAI, or other API key and pay providers directly. Cline handles the full agentic loop: reads your codebase, plans changes, edits across files, runs commands, and iterates. Backed by enterprise adoption at Samsung, Microsoft, and Amazon.

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

What operators use it for

Full Codebase Refactors Without a Subscription Tax

Cline's BYOK model means a large refactor costs you Claude API tokens — not a pro seat plus token overages. Developers doing heavy, sustained agentic work often find the direct API billing significantly cheaper than Cursor Pro for the same output.

Multi-IDE Teams Where Cursor Doesn't Fit

Cursor is VS Code only. If your team splits between VS Code and JetBrains, Cline is the only open-source option that covers both. Same agent behaviour, same API keys, different IDE — no context switching.

Multi-File Feature Implementation

Describe a feature in plain English. Cline reads the relevant files, plans the implementation, edits across multiple files in sequence, runs your test suite, and iterates on failures. The full loop runs without you driving each step.

Model Switching for Different Task Types

Use Claude Sonnet for complex multi-file reasoning, drop to Gemini Flash for fast iteration cycles, use a local Ollama model for sensitive codebases where data can't leave your machine. Cline's model-agnostic architecture makes this the most flexible tool on this list.

Pricing

Free and open-source. BYOK — you pay API costs directly to Anthropic, OpenAI, or any provider. No Cline subscription required. Enterprise plans available.

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