● Reach
8.0M+
installs · all platforms · 07.2026
Starting at
from $0
the agent itself is free (Apache-2.0); pay the provider for tokens
Surfaces
5+
vscode · cli · jetbrains · sdk · acp-editors
Team pace
73/week
Average commits · github, 52 weeks
Quick start · VS Code
$ code --install-extension saoudrizwan.claude-dev▌benchmarks and competitors - analysis in 3.0 ↓
1.0
Should you get it
Use it if you need
- ✓control over every step: approvals for every edit and command, checkpoints for rollback
- ✓model freedom: your own key, cheap for small tasks and frontier for complex ones
- ✓privacy and offline: local models (Ollama, LM Studio) - code never leaves your machine
- ✓works from Russia: the agent is open, with no country gate
Choose it for control and openness: your own key, any model, readable diff; skip it if you need maximum out-of-the-box quality without configuring models.
Pass by if needed
- ✗maximum out-of-the-box quality without hassle with keys and providers - that is Claude Code or Cursor
- ✗predictable fixed bill: cost varies by model and token volume
- ✗cloud fleet of parallel sessions - Cline is local; that is Devin's category
- ✗a team without its own API keys and no desire to set them up
The agent itself is free (Apache-2.0). Pay for tokens: your provider key (BYOK) or Cline Provider based on usage. Enterprise - custom. Works from Russia: there is no country gate for the agent; you need an accessible model.
Now about Cline
All news- 6 h agoParallel Tasks Get Their Own Branches: Cline Desktop Adds Worktreesvia @cline
- 3 d agoCline gives away Kimi K3 for free on desktop: the same model costs $15 per million output tokens via APIvia @cline
- 5 d agoCline can now handle tasks in Chrome: Jev plugin available in Marketplacevia @cline
- 5 d agoKimi K3 goes free in Cline Desktop for a limited timevia @cline
- 6 d agoKimi K3 is now free in Cline Desktop: new users received tokensvia @cline
- 9 d agoOpen-weight models now available in Cline Desktop: Mac version already outvia @cline
2.0
Installation by surface
VS Code extension→
Main surface: an agent alongside your code, plan/act modes, approvals for every step, checkpoints for rollback. 4.63M installs in Marketplace (ext id saoudrizwan.claude-dev).
$ code --install-extension saoudrizwan.claude-dev→Open Cline, choose a model provider, and enter a key (or Cline Provider)
>_CLI→
Terminal agent: interactive or headless mode. Node.js 20+. The same approvals and checkpoints engine as in the editor.
$ npm install -g cline$ cline>_JetBrains plugin→
Plugin for IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand - publicly available, not enterprise-only. The same agent inside a JetBrains editor.
>_SDK→
Programmatic access to the agent core: your own wrapper around the same engine (Node 18+). Queue tasks from your systems without an editor.
$ npm install @cline/sdk>_Cursor / Windsurf / Zed / Neovim (ACP)→
Via ACP, the same agent works inside Cursor, Windsurf, Zed, and Neovim. A Kanban board for parallel agents - in preview.
What you need before starting
Requires an editor (VS Code or JetBrains) or Node.js 20+ for CLI, plus access to a model: your provider key, Cline Provider, or a local model (Ollama/LM Studio).
● Availability from Russia
The agent itself is open (Apache-2.0): install it from VS Code Marketplace, JetBrains Marketplace, and npm with no country tie. The nuance is the model: Anthropic/OpenAI keys and Cline Provider payment require foreign access and a card; local models (Ollama, LM Studio) and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint work from Russia fully locally.
3.0
Rankings and benchmarks
No Cline+model pair on the leaderboards · card reference points
Reach
8.0M+ installs · 07.2026 · VS Code Marketplace 4.63M + Open VSX and other platforms; 64.6k GitHub stars
vibecoding.tech agent rating
lower tier (beta) · 07.2026 · editorial rating; Cline's ceiling = the connected model's ceiling
Who is measured and how it is calculated - AI agent ranking
● agent ≠ model
A BYOK agent's score is always a "Cline + model" pair, not one number: Cline+Sonnet != Cline+GPT, Cline's ceiling = the connected model's ceiling. There is no official Cline+model pair in AA Index or Terminal-Bench - we do not show someone else's leaderboard; the card's benchmarks are the rows above.
4.0
What it can do: autonomy, techniques, character
Autonomy axis
Cline's autonomy axis is shifted toward control, not the cloud: the agent lives locally, with every step requiring approval by default. Autonomy is increased with the auto-approve toggle, not a fleet in someone else's cloud.
Cline· levels 01-03
01Approvals
every edit and command is confirmed manually; plan mode agrees on the strategy first
02Auto-approve
autopilot toggle: the agent edits and runs commands itself within set boundaries
03Parallelism (Kanban)
web Kanban board runs several agents in parallel; preview status
04Cloud fleet
launching a batch of sessions in someone else's cloud - Cline is local and does not do this
Asks at every stepWorks while your laptop is closed
Gray levels - Cline cannot do this
Team pace · ● live · api.github.com
In a year 3,790 commitsPeak 179/wkCurrent week 41
Weekly commits, 52 weeks - is the project alive at a glance
Project character · releases up, incidents down
2026-06-28
release
v4.0.6: 4.58M installs in VS Code Marketplace - 8.0M+ across all platforms with Open VSX, 64.4k GitHub stars.
5.0
Pricing, limits, and access from Russia
Plans
Open Source $0 · Cline Provider pay-as-you-go · Enterprise custom
The agent itself is free: no subscription, no seat fee. Pay only for inference - your provider key (BYOK) or Cline Provider pay-as-you-go. Enterprise (Contact Sales): SSO/OIDC, RBAC, audit logs, SLA, centralized billing. No fixed per-seat plan on the primary page.
Cline pricing
2026-07-07
Free access
Yes: the entire agent is free (Apache-2.0)
It is not a trial that is free, but the tool itself - the extension, CLI, and SDK. The only cost is model tokens: your own key, a local model (Ollama/LM Studio), or models labeled FREE in Cline Provider.
Cline pricing
2026-07-07
Limits
No hard limits; cost = model tokens
The agent has no quotas - usage is determined by the connected model. BYOK: pay the provider at its rate. Cline Provider: pay-as-you-go credits, one balance. There is no official "message = $X" formula: pricing varies by model and volume.
Cline pricing
2026-07-07
● limits expire
All vendors in 2026 rebuilt billing around token credits; limit figures change every week. Each line above has a verification date - do not trust figures without a date, including ours.
6.0
Risks: privacy and control
Code privacy
Local First; opt-in telemetry
Code and files stay on your machine. Telemetry is off by default (opt-in), anonymous; it never includes code, paths, command arguments, conversation contents, or keys. BYOK caveat: during use, prompts and code go to the connected model provider - your choice and contract; with a local model, they do not go anywhere.
Cline docs: telemetry
2026-07-07
Availability from Russia
Works: no country gate for the agent
There is no direct country-based ToS ban (Apache-2.0): the extension, plugin, and CLI can be installed from VS Code Marketplace, Open VSX, JetBrains Marketplace, and npm without country restrictions. The caveat - the model: Anthropic/OpenAI keys and Cline Provider payments require foreign access and a card; local models (Ollama, LM Studio) and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint work from Russia offline. Less restrictive than Devin's direct Russia ban.
GitHub cline/cline (Apache-2.0)
2026-07-07
Open source
Yes: Apache-2.0, 64.6k stars
The github.com/cline/cline repository is open under Apache-2.0; 250+ contributors. The agent core, CLI, and SDK are readable and forkable - unlike proprietary Claude Code, Cursor, and Devin.
GitHub cline/cline
2026-07-12
Maintainer
Cline Bot Inc.; open project, 250+ contributors
Original author - Saoud Rizwan (ext id saoudrizwan.claude-dev); developed as an open project under Apache-2.0. Primary sources do not confirm funding-round or revenue data - not included in the card.
GitHub cline/cline
2026-07-07
7.0
Cline or Claude Code - openness versus out-of-the-box quality
Cline - an open BYOK agent: your own key, any model, local inference. Claude Code - a closed terminal-first agent on Claude models with maximum quality without configuration. The choice is "control and model freedom" versus "out-of-the-box quality ceiling."
Cline
Claude CodeCardopenness and BYOK: any provider, any model, local inference; approvals + checkpoints
Strength
depth and out-of-the-box quality on Claude models, terminal-first
not measured as a Cline+model pair in AA Index / Terminal-Bench; score = selected model
Benchmarks
Terminal-Bench 78.9% with Opus 4.8 (06.2026)
agent itself $0 (Apache-2.0); pay for provider tokens or Cline Provider based on usage
Economics
from $17/mo; limits in 5-hour windows + weekly
VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, SDK; plus Cursor/Windsurf/Zed/Neovim via ACP
Surfaces
14: CLI, IDE, desktop, web, iOS, CI, Slack, SDK
any: Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, Bedrock, local Ollama/LM Studio
Models
Claude only (API/Bedrock/Vertex/Foundry)
Apache-2.0, 64.6k stars, 250+ contributors
Openness
no, proprietary CLI
- →Choose Cline for control and model freedom (your own key, local inference, readable diff); Claude Code for the out-of-the-box quality ceiling on Claude models without setup.
Other paths
Cline or Cursorproprietary editor with an agent - if you do not need BYOK or open source
Cline or Codexcloud tasks and terminal already included with ChatGPT
Cline or Continueanother open agent in the editor, if Cline did not click
Frequently asked questions
Cline or Claude Code - which should you choose?
A different trade-off. Choose Cline for control and openness: your own key, any model, local inference, readable diffs, and approvals at every step - but quality depends on the model you connect. Claude Code gives you the most out of the box with Claude models and no provider setup, but it is a closed tool and supports only Claude models. Need model freedom and open source - Cline; need the highest quality ceiling without the hassle - Claude Code.
How much does Cline cost and what is its price?
The agent itself is free (Apache-2.0): no subscription, no seat fee. Pay only for model tokens - your provider key (BYOK) or Cline Provider pay-as-you-go. Enterprise - custom (SSO, RBAC, audit logs). There is no fixed "message = $X" formula: usage varies by model and volume (verified 07.07.2026).
Does Cline work in Russia?
Yes. There is no direct country-based ban for the open agent: the extension, plugin, and CLI can be installed from VS Code Marketplace, JetBrains Marketplace, and npm without country restrictions. The caveat - Anthropic/OpenAI keys and Cline Provider payments require foreign access and a card, while local models (Ollama, LM Studio) and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint work entirely locally from Russia. This is less restrictive than Devin's direct Russia ban.
Is Cline free?
Yes, the agent itself is free and open (Apache-2.0): extension, CLI, and SDK. The money goes not to Cline, but to the provider for inference. Want no bill at all - connect a local model (Ollama, LM Studio) or models labeled FREE in Cline Provider.
What is BYOK in Cline?
BYOK (bring your own key) - you connect your own model-provider key, and tokens are paid directly to that provider at its rate, not through a Cline subscription. Plus: model and pricing freedom (a cheap one for small tasks, frontier for complex ones). Minus: you set up keys yourself and track spending. The keyless alternative - Cline Provider with credits.
Which is correct: Cline or klayn?
The canonical name - Cline (a Cline Bot Inc. product). In Russian, it is written "klayn" - the card is found under both variants. The VS Code Marketplace extension is historically named Cline (Claude Dev), ext id saoudrizwan.claude-dev.
Watch and read on the topic
Entity · cline
Facts · 13, each with a source and date
Card editorial review · 2026-07-12
Facts verified · 2026-07-07
Where to go next
Rating updates
New cards, price and limit changes, ranking shifts - by email, no spam.