Cline
by Cline · Open-source coding agent for the editor, terminal and SDK
BenchRank score
Screenshots of Cline
Homepage
Overview
Cline is an Apache 2.0 coding agent that runs as a VS Code extension, a CLI, or an embedded SDK. It makes coordinated multi-file edits with diffs, checkpoints and undo, runs bash commands and reacts to their output, and has a Plan mode for agreeing a strategy before Act mode executes it. It works with Claude, GPT, Gemini, local Ollama or LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible API.
- Best for
- Developers wanting an open-source coding agent they can point at their own model API keys.
- Pricing
- The open-source tier is free with no subscription or seat fees — you pay usage-based for model inference at cost or bring your own API keys — and Enterprise is contact-sales with no figures published.
- Runs on
- WebCLI
Strengths and trade-offs
Strengths
- Apache 2.0 open source, 250+ contributors
- Works with any OpenAI-compatible endpoint or local models
- Plan mode settles an approach before Act mode executes
- One agent across IDE, terminal, SDK and CI pipelines
Trade-offs
- No published prices; model inference is billed separately by usage
- JetBrains extension is listed as an Enterprise-only feature
- Enterprise terms only available by contacting sales
- VS Code Marketplace rating is 4.1/5 from 305 ratings
How Cline markets itself
A structured read of the promise, proof and page design on Cline’s captured homepage.
Homepage capture
“The Open Coding Agent”
- Angle: Open source / ownership
- Hero: Terminal / CLI
Pricing
Published plans and prices from Cline’s own pricing page.
How this score is made up
Each dimension is scored out of 100 and combined into the headline score using fixed weights.
MCP support
Whether an agent can drive the product through the Model Context Protocol, and how much setup that takes.
API quality
Public API surface: machine-readable spec, official SDKs, documented auth, errors, rate limits and versioning.
Documentation
Publicly reachable docs — coverage, freshness, code samples and machine readability.
Agent friendliness
How readable the site is to an automated client: llms.txt, structured data, server-rendered content, crawler access.
Pricing transparency
Whether real prices are published, self-serve signup exists, and usage costs are knowable without a sales call.
Changelog
A public, dated record of what shipped and when — the clearest signal that a product is still alive.
Marketing site structure
Whether the site answers a buyer's questions: clear positioning, the pages that matter, and accessibility.
Page speed
How fast the site loads for real visitors: Chrome UX Report 75th-percentile LCP, INP and CLS, with a Lighthouse mobile run standing in where a site has too little traffic for field data.
Operational trust
Status page and incident history, security disclosure, compliance and data-processing documentation.
Measured, but not part of the score
Useful to know, but not a mark for or against the product — so these do not affect the ranking.
Openness
Source availability, self-hosting, data export and open standards. Scored and shown, but not part of the composite — paid SaaS is not worse for being paid SaaS.
Maintenance
Release cadence and repository activity. Scored and shown, but not part of the composite — it is only measurable for open repositories.
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Where this comes from
The Cline pages BenchRank reads when it scores the product — its documentation, release notes, status and security pages, and its repository where there is one.
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Is this your product?
Claim Cline to manage its profile. Claiming lets you suggest edits to the descriptive fields — it never changes scores or rankings.