Cline
What is Cline?
Cline is an AI coding assistant for developers that reads and writes across multiple files, runs commands, and adapts inside the editor. Its Deep Context Understanding, Multi-File Edits, and Plan & Act Modes help it handle refactors and tests with permission-based control. It integrates with VS Code and supports Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, xAI, Amazon Bedrock, GCP Vertex, and Azure OpenAI. Plans are Open Source free and Enterprise custom.
Last verifiedHow we evaluate
At a glance
- Cline is best for developers who want permission-based AI coding across multiple files and tasks.
- Open Source Free; Enterprise Custom
What does Cline do?
Cline handles AI-assisted coding by reading and writing across multiple files, running commands, and adapting to the workflow inside the editor. Its Deep Context Understanding helps it work from the broader codebase instead of isolated snippets, while Multi-File Edits and Agentic Capabilities let it tackle refactors, tests, browser actions, and other deeper tasks with permission-based control. The experience is built around Plan & Act Modes, so developers can shape a solution before Cline starts implementing it. At scale, Cline reports 5.0M+ installs across all platforms and 61.9k GitHub stars, with over 250 contributors behind the project. It is open source and supports bringing your own API keys or using the Cline provider, and the FAQ says you can switch providers or self-host anytime. Teams at Samsung, Salesforce, Oracle, Amazon, LG, Globant, Microsoft, eBay, Visa, and IBM are listed as trusted users, and the product also extends into a Kanban-style orchestration view for chaining agent tasks in one UI.
Why use Cline?
- Open source and self-hostable, so teams can keep control over deployment and provider choice.
- Permission-based execution reduces surprise changes by requiring approval before file edits or commands run.
- Bring-your-own inference and provider flexibility help teams avoid being locked into one model vendor.
- Kanban-style orchestration lets teams coordinate chained agent tasks in one board instead of scattered terminals.
- Enterprise controls like SSO, centralized billing, and role-based access control support team rollout.
Who is Cline for?
- Individual developers who want a free coding assistant inside VS Code.
- Engineering teams who need controlled multi-file edits and command execution.
- Platform teams who want self-hosting and provider flexibility.
- Enterprise admins who need centralized billing, SSO, and role-based access control.
- Developers managing large refactors who need codebase-wide context.
What are Cline's key features?
Install VSCode Extension
Add Cline as a Visual Studio Code extension or from the Visual Studio Marketplace, so developers can work inside their existing editor.
Install CLI
Run Cline from the command line with the Cline CLI, which helps teams automate coding tasks without leaving terminal-based workflows.
Install SDK
Use the SDK to embed Cline into custom workflows and internal tools, giving teams a way to standardize agent behavior across systems.
Bring your own inference
Connect your own model providers, including Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, xAI, Amazon Bedrock, GCP Vertex, or Azure OpenAI, to control model choice and spend.
Deploy on your infrastructure
Self-host Cline on your own infrastructure, keeping code and agent activity under your control for teams with stricter security requirements.
Deep Context Understanding
Let Cline read large codebases and multi-root workspaces, so it can understand project structure before making changes across files.
Multi-File Edits
Make coordinated edits across multiple files from one task, reducing manual copy-paste work when refactoring or implementing related changes.
Plan & Act Modes
Switch between planning and execution with permission-based controls, so Cline can propose steps before acting on code changes.
What does Cline integrate with?
- Claude
- Visual Studio Marketplace
- Visual Studio Code
- JetBrains
- Anthropic
- OpenAI
- Gemini
- xAI
- Amazon Bedrock
- GCP Vertex
- Azure OpenAI
- AWS Terraform
- WolframAlpha
- Railway
- Shopify
- Tavily
- Substack Writer
- Workflowy
- Supermemory
- PostHog
- ElevenLabs
- Slack
- Supabase
- Kagi Search
- Puppeteer
- WatsonX Flows
- Azure DevOps
- Amazon MQ
- Amazon Q Search
- Proxmox Manager
What are Cline's use cases?
Solo devs coding in VS Code
Individual developers who want a free coding assistant inside VS Code use Cline to draft features, inspect changes, and keep momentum without leaving the editor. They rely on Install VSCode Extension and Deep Context Understanding to get codebase-aware help that fits everyday coding, not just one-off prompts.
Controlled refactors for teams
Engineering teams who need controlled multi-file edits and command execution use Cline to plan a change, review the diff, and apply updates across files with Multi-File Edits. Plan & Act Modes helps them keep risky refactors structured while still moving quickly.
Self-hosted workflows for platform teams
Platform teams who want self-hosting and provider flexibility use Cline to run coding workflows on their own infrastructure, using Deploy on your infrastructure and Bring your own inference to match internal security and model preferences. That makes it easier to standardize tooling without locking into one provider.
Large refactors with codebase context
Developers managing large refactors who need codebase-wide context use Cline to understand dependencies, chain edits, and keep the whole change coherent. Understand your codebase and Refactor large codebases help them make sweeping updates with fewer broken references and less manual cleanup.
How does Cline work?
- Install the VSCode Extension to start inside your editor, then open a codebase and let Cline read the project structure so it can work with real context from the first task.
- Choose Plan & Act Modes to outline the change before execution, then let Cline break the work into steps you can review before anything is written.
- Use Multi-File Edits and Real time diff to inspect proposed changes across files, approve what looks right, and catch mistakes before they spread.
- Connect your preferred model with Bring your own inference, or Deploy on your infrastructure when your team needs tighter control over data and runtime.
- Orchestrate ongoing work in One UI, where you can Create, manage, and chain agent tasks, Watch the board, not the terminals, and unblock agents quickly.
How much does Cline cost?
Open Source
Free- For individual developers
- N/a
- Install Cline >
- Features
- VS Code Extension
- CLI
- Purchase and Model Inference at Cost or BYOK
- MCP Marketplace
- Multi-Root Workspaces
- Community Support
Enterprise
Custom- SSO, SLA & Dedicated Support
- All Open Source Features +
- JetBrains Extension
- SSO
- SLA
- Dedicated Support
- Centralized Billing
- Config Mgmt
- Role Based Access Control
- Limit Inference Providers
- Team Management System & Dashboard
- Authentication Logs
- Config Mgmt
- (Coming Soon)
- Fine-Grained Permissioning
- (Coming Soon)
Frequently asked questions
What is Cline?
Cline is an AI coding assistant for developers that reads and writes across multiple files, runs commands, and adapts inside the editor. Its Deep Context Understanding, Multi-File Edits, and Plan & Act Modes help it handle refactors and tests with permission-based control. It integrates with VS Code and supports Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, xAI, Amazon Bedrock, GCP Vertex, and Azure OpenAI. Plans are Open Source free and Enterprise custom.
How much does Cline cost? Is it free?
Cline has a free plan, with paid tiers including Enterprise at Custom.
What is Cline used for? Who is it for?
Cline is used for Install VSCode Extension, Install CLI, and Install SDK. It's built for Individual developers, Engineering teams, and Platform teams.
Does Cline have an API and what does it integrate with?
Cline doesn't publish a public API. It integrates with Claude, Visual Studio Marketplace, Visual Studio Code, JetBrains, Anthropic, and 25 more.
Editor's read
Check whether your workflow needs Enterprise controls such as SSO, centralized billing, and role-based access control. Those are listed only on the Enterprise tier, along with dedicated support and SLA coverage.
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