Cline
An agent that lives in the editor you already use; the model bill is still yours.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-14
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Open Source)
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Hosting Model
- Local (on your machine)
- Platforms
- desktopcliextensionone-click install
- Installation
- VS Code or JetBrains extension, or npm-installed CLI
- Operational Setup
- Sign in for Cline inference or bring your own key
- Where Your Data Lives
- Code stays in the repo and task history is stored locally; prompts and context go to the chosen provider
- The Catch / Trade-off
- No worker-agent delegation and no browser verification step, so long multi-stage tasks stay a manual relay.
Replaces 12 paid apps
up to $169/mo ($2,028/yr) in subscriptions
Cline FAQ
Common questions
Is Cline free and open source?+
Cline is an open-source tool licensed under Apache-2.0 that runs on local. An agent that lives in the editor you already use; the model bill is still yours.
What paid software does Cline replace?+
Cline serves as a free replacement for 12 paid SaaS applications: AdaL, Aldena, Augment Code, Bito, Blackbox AI, Cursor, Devin, Factory, GitHub Copilot, Sourcegraph Cody, Windsurf, Zencoder, saving up to $169/month ($2,028/year) in subscription bills.
How do you install and set up Cline?+
Installation: VS Code or JetBrains extension, or npm-installed CLI. Setup notes: Sign in for Cline inference or bring your own key
What is the catch or trade-off with Cline?+
No worker-agent delegation and no browser verification step, so long multi-stage tasks stay a manual relay.