What it is
Cline is an open-source coding agent that started as a VS Code extension and now also ships as a JetBrains plugin, a terminal CLI (`npm i -g cline`), a desktop app for macOS and Windows, and a Node SDK (@cline/sdk). It plans a task, edits files, runs terminal commands and can drive a browser, asking for approval at each step unless you switch on auto-approve.
You bring your own keys for Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, Bedrock, Vertex and others, run local models through Ollama or LM Studio, buy inference from Cline at cost, or subscribe to ClinePass ($9.99/month) for open-weight models. The JetBrains plugin is not open source. Enterprise features such as SSO, role-based access and audit logs are sold on a custom quote.
Our review
Cline is the open-source agent extension still standing in VS Code. Roo Code's repository was archived in May 2026, and Continue, whose site says it was acquired by Cursor, now marks its repository as no longer maintained after a final 2.0.0 release. That leaves Cline, with about 70,800 GitHub stars, and its fork Kilo Code as the main live options. Releases are frequent across the monorepo: extension v4.1.25 on 16 October 2026, CLI 3.0.73 and desktop 0.0.48 the next day.
Its appeal is still the approval model. Plan mode explores and proposes; Act mode carries out the plan, with each edit shown as a diff and each command waiting for a yes, and checkpoints let you roll back. The 2026 additions push it well beyond the editor: a headless CLI for CI (`git diff origin/main | cline "Review these changes"`), multi-agent teams, cron-scheduled agents, and connectors that let Slack, Telegram or Linear threads drive a session.
That breadth has cost. GitHub lists three advisories this year: a compromised npm publish of cline@2.3.0 in February whose postinstall script installed OpenClaw, a critical cross-origin WebSocket hijack in the Kanban server in May, and a high-severity one in the Hub dashboard in June. Telemetry is on by default in every client and opt-out; it excludes code and prompts except for ClinePass requests, where prompts and replies are included.
Cost control is the everyday complaint. With your own keys you pay the provider directly, and agent loops that resend a lot of context make frontier models expensive. ClinePass caps spend at $9.99 a month for 14 open-weight models from six labs, but Cline does not publish its quotas beyond "2-5x" standard rate limits. The pricing page lists SSO, RBAC and centralised billing under Enterprise and mentions VPC deployments, but no SOC 2 report.
Against Codex or Claude Code on a flat subscription, Cline's case is choice of model and visibility of every step; against Kilo Code, which shares its lineage, the difference is now mostly governance and who maintains the fork.
Where it earns its place
A backend developer at a firm that forbids sending code to US cloud APIs
Use an agent with a local model only
Point Cline at Ollama or LM Studio and turn telemetry off under Settings > General. Every command still needs approval, which keeps a weaker local model from running away; the cost is the workstation GPU, and quality depends heavily on the model.
A platform team maintaining a monorepo
Add an automated first-pass review to every pull request
Pipe the diff into the headless CLI in CI and parse `--json` output for comments. No seat fees; each run costs the model tokens for the diff plus context, which is worth capping per job.
An engineering director standardising one agent across several teams
Give developers an agent while keeping control of models and spend
Cline Enterprise adds SSO, role-based access, provider allow-lists, centralised billing and audit logs on a custom quote. The admin telemetry setting reaches only the VS Code and JetBrains clients, and no SOC 2 report is cited on the pricing page, so security review needs a direct request.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Install from the VS Code or JetBrains marketplace, or `npm i -g cline` for the terminal; add an API key or sign in to Cline's provider, and the first task runs within minutes.
- Integrations
- Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, Vercel AI Gateway, Bedrock, Azure, Vertex, Cerebras, Groq, Ollama, LM Studio and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint; MCP servers via `cline mcp`; Slack, Telegram, Discord, Google Chat, WhatsApp and Linear connectors; .clinerules and skills for project rules.
- Data and privacy
- Prompts go to whichever provider you choose. Cline's telemetry is on by default and opt-out, records feature use, tokens, models and errors, and excludes code and prompts except on ClinePass. 2026 advisories: GHSA-9ppg-jx86-fqw7, GHSA-5c57-rqjx-35g2 (critical), GHSA-3cj3-hqcr-g934.
- Cost at scale
- The software is free; spend is model tokens, which add up quickly with frontier models. ClinePass is $9.99/month per personal account with unpublished quotas. Enterprise pricing is not published.
- Limits
- About 1,690 open issues and pull requests. ClinePass hits hard limits rather than degrading; the JetBrains plugin's source is not public; the Enterprise page marks advanced config and fine-grained permissions as coming soon.
What's good
- Diff-and-approve on every edit and command, with checkpoints
- Any model, including local via Ollama or LM Studio
- Headless CLI and SDK for CI and custom agents
- Apache 2.0 core with frequent releases
What's not
- Context-heavy, so API bills climb on top models
- Three security advisories in 2026, one critical
- Telemetry on by default
- JetBrains plugin closed source; SSO and RBAC are Enterprise only
Best for
VS Code users who want an open-source agent and control over which model they pay for.
Alternatives
Cline: common questions
- Is Cline worth it?
- Cline is now the default open-source agent for VS Code, more because its rivals stopped than because it changed, and its 2026 security record says to treat it as software with real attack surface. We rate it 4.4 out of 5.
- How much does Cline cost?
- Free and open source (Apache 2.0); you pay model providers or Cline at cost. ClinePass for open-weight models $9.99/month. Enterprise custom.
- What are the downsides of Cline?
- Context-heavy, so API bills climb on top models; three security advisories in 2026, one critical; telemetry on by default; jetBrains plugin closed source; SSO and RBAC are Enterprise only.
- Who is Cline best for?
- VS Code users who want an open-source agent and control over which model they pay for.
- How much does Cline cost for a team or in production?
- The software is free; spend is model tokens, which add up quickly with frontier models. ClinePass is $9.99/month per personal account with unpublished quotas. Enterprise pricing is not published.
- Is Cline safe for company data?
- Prompts go to whichever provider you choose. Cline's telemetry is on by default and opt-out, records feature use, tokens, models and errors, and excludes code and prompts except on ClinePass. 2026 advisories: GHSA-9ppg-jx86-fqw7, GHSA-5c57-rqjx-35g2 (critical), GHSA-3cj3-hqcr-g934.
- What are the best Cline alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Kilo Code, OpenCode and OpenHands.
Answers checked Oct 23, 2026.
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