Cline

Cline is an open-source AI coding agent that, according to its maker Cline Bot Inc., helps developers ship code securely and transparently right inside their existing editor. Unlike many proprietary coding assistants, Cline publishes its entire source code under the Apache 2.0 license and isn't tied to any single AI model: you can bring your own API key from any provider, or use Cline's own usage-based inference instead. Per the provider, the project has more than 250 contributors and over 11 million installations, and it runs as an extension for Visual Studio Code, an early-access plugin for JetBrains IDEs, inside Cursor and Windsurf, as a standalone desktop app for macOS and Windows, and as a command-line tool and embeddable SDK for custom applications.

Open Source

The core of Cline stays free to use permanently: the IDE extension, the CLI, a security-focused client-side architecture, and the MCP marketplace for wiring up additional tools. You only pay for the AI inference you actually consume, either at cost or through your own model provider's API key — there's no mandatory subscription required to use Cline fully.

ClinePass

Anyone who'd rather skip setting up their own API key can optionally subscribe to ClinePass, a low-cost monthly subscription that unlocks noticeably larger usage quotas on a curated set of open-weight models from several providers, including models from Z.ai, Moonshot AI, DeepSeek, MiniMax, MiMo, and Qwen. Per the provider, ClinePass delivers two to five times the usage compared to each model's standard API rate and routes requests through Cline's own infrastructure for reliable access, without the need to manage several separate provider accounts. The current exact price is listed on the official ClinePass page.

Enterprise

For organizations, Cline offers a custom-negotiated Enterprise plan that adds the JetBrains extension, single sign-on, service-level agreements, dedicated support, centralized billing, a team management dashboard, and authentication logs on top of the open-source feature set; specifics are worked out directly with the provider.

How Cline works day to day

Per the provider, Cline follows a "Plan, then Act" workflow: before making larger changes, the agent first drafts a plan you can review and adjust before it executes anything. In execution mode, Cline reads and writes files across multiple directories, applies linter-aware fixes, shows diffs, and creates checkpoints you can roll back to with one click at any time. It runs terminal commands on its own and reacts to their live output, and per the provider every action requires explicit approval, keeping the developer in control throughout. Project-specific behavior can be configured through .clinerules files, and for recurring workflows Cline supports scheduled automation with multiple cooperating agents.

Model choice and MCP extensibility

Because Cline isn't locked to one model, you can switch providers depending on the task at hand, for example trading off a particularly capable model against a particularly cheap one. Through the Model Context Protocol, Cline connects additional tools and data sources, so its feature set can be extended deliberately via the MCP marketplace instead of being limited to a single vendor's fixed plugin ecosystem.

Who Cline fits

Individual developers who want full control over model choice and cost, or who already have API access with a model provider, will find the free open-source core of Cline entirely sufficient. Anyone who'd rather not set up their own model access but still wants an affordable option with generous quotas will find ClinePass a straightforward addition. Teams and organizations that need centralized administration, SSO, or auditability are better served by the Enterprise plan. Because the entire source code is open for inspection, Cline also suits anyone who values transparency and independence from a single vendor over the tightest possible integration into one proprietary ecosystem.