Coding agents
Cline
Open-source VS Code agent that plans, edits files, and runs terminal commands with per-step approval.
- Category
- Coding agents
- Pricing
- Open source
- Runs
- Runs locally
- Interface
- IDE extension
- Source
- Open source
What Cline is
Cline is a VS Code extension that shows its plan and asks before each file edit and terminal command. That per-step approval is the point: you see exactly what the agent intends before it acts. It is model-agnostic, so you can point it at any provider, a gateway, or a local model.
Best for
Working inside VS Code with visible, approvable steps rather than handing over autonomy.
Consider something else if
Approving each step is deliberately slower, and you supply the API key, so tokens are billed to you.
Cline alternatives
The closest options in coding agents, on the axes that actually separate them.
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clineopen source | Working inside VS Code with visible, approvable steps rather than handing over autonomy. | Open source | Runs locally |
| Claude Code | Substantial multi-file work — refactors, features, and debugging — where the agent needs to run tests and iterate rather than produce one diff. | Subscription | Hosted or self-hosted |
| Cursor | Developers who want completion, chat, and agentic editing in one editor with no assembly required. | Subscription | Hosted |
| Aideropen source | Terminal-first developers who want an agent that is model-agnostic and whose every change is a reviewable commit. | Open source | Runs locally |
| OpenHandsopen source | Autonomous runs where you want isolation by construction, and for building on an agent loop you can modify. | Open source | Hosted or self-hosted |
Choosing within coding agents
Where it runs
Terminal, inside an editor, or in a sandbox in the cloud. Terminal and editor agents act with your local credentials and can run anything you can. Sandboxed agents are safer by construction and slower to set up.
How it asks permission
Approve-every-command is safe and tiring; full autonomy is fast until it runs a migration you did not want. The useful question is whether the granularity is configurable per tool or per command, not whether the agent is "safe".
Questions
What is Cline?
Cline is a VS Code extension that shows its plan and asks before each file edit and terminal command. That per-step approval is the point: you see exactly what the agent intends before it acts. It is model-agnostic, so you can point it at any provider, a gateway, or a local model. It is open source and runs locally.
What are the alternatives to Cline?
The closest alternatives are Claude Code, Cursor, Aider, OpenHands. They sit in the same category — coding agents — and differ mainly on hosting model, pricing shape, and how much they abstract away.
Is Cline the right choice?
Working inside VS Code with visible, approvable steps rather than handing over autonomy. The main caveat: Approving each step is deliberately slower, and you supply the API key, so tokens are billed to you.
Whatever you build on, the model is the line item that scales. See what each one costs per million tokens, or price your own workload.