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Claude Code vs Cline

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

Claude Code logo

Claude Code

Anthropic's coding agent that edits code and runs commands from terminal, IDE or browser

5.0(1 review)Paid
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Verdict

Claude Code and Cline are both Coding AI tools. Claude Code scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.7 vs 8.2 out of 10). Only Cline has a free plan or trial. Only Claude Code is available on Web and Slack App.

Best overall

Claude Code

  • Software developers
  • Engineering teams
  • DevOps and platform engineers
  • Open-source maintainers

Choose Claude Code if

  • You want a tool built for Multi-file refactors and migrations.
  • Works across terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, desktop app, web and Slack with shared settings.
  • Runs commands and tests and handles git commits and pull requests.

Choose Cline if

  • You want a tool built for developers who want an open-source agent with a choice of model providers, human approval at each step, and extensibility through MCP servers.
  • Open source under Apache 2.0, with a large public community of 250+ contributors.
  • No subscription needed: pay only for inference, or bring your own API key.
Best value
Cline
Best for beginners
Cline
Best for business
Claude Code

Features

19 features compared.

  • Codebase understanding
    Claude Code
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Multi-file editing
    Claude Code
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Command execution
    Claude Code
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Git and pull requests
    Claude Code
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Subagents and parallel sessions
    Claude Code
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • MCP connections
    Claude Code
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • CLAUDE.md, skills and hooks
    Claude Code
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Scheduled and cloud tasks
    Claude Code
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Auto mode
    Claude Code
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Agent SDK
    Claude Code
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Plan and Act Modes
    Claude Code
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • Multi-File Editing with Checkpoints
    Claude Code
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • Terminal and Browser Use
    Claude Code
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • Bring Your Own Model
    Claude Code
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • MCP Servers and Marketplace
    Claude Code
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • Rules Files
    Claude Code
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • Multi-Agent Teams and Scheduling
    Claude Code
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • Headless and Chat Access
    Claude Code
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • SDK
    Claude Code
    Not available
    Cline
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    Claude Code
    Paid
    Cline
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Claude Code
    No
    Cline
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Claude Code
    $20
    Cline
    $0
  • Plans
    Claude Code
    5 plans
    Cline
    3 plans

Claude Code plans

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $20/month

    Individual plan that includes Claude Code; $17 per month when billed annually ($200 up front)

    • Claude Code in terminal
    • IDE
    • desktop and web
    • Projects
    • More models
    • Shared usage limits with chat

  • Max 5x

    $100/month

    5x the usage of Pro, for heavier daily use

    • Everything in Pro
    • 5x Pro usage
    • Higher output limits
    • Priority access at high traffic times
    • API credits included

  • Max 20x

    $200/month

    20x the usage of Pro

    • Everything in Pro
    • 20x Pro usage
    • Higher output limits
    • Priority access at high traffic times
    • API credits included

  • Team

    $25/user/mo

    Standard seat for 2 to 150 users; $20 per seat when billed annually. Premium seat is $125 monthly or $100 annually

    • Claude Code
    • Central billing
    • SSO
    • Admin controls
    • More usage than Pro
    • Premium seats with 5x Standard usage

  • Enterprise

    $20/user/mo

    Billed annually, 20-seat minimum, plus usage at API rates

    • Everything in Team
    • Role-based access
    • SCIM
    • Audit logs
    • Compliance API
    • IP allowlisting
    • Admin spend limits

Cline plans

  • Open Source

    Most popular

    $0

    Free for individual developers; pay only for model inference

    • VS Code extension
    • CLI
    • MCP Marketplace
    • multi-root workspaces
    • bring your own key
    • community support

  • ClinePass

    $9.99/month

    Optional flat subscription for open coding models via the Cline provider

    • Curated open coding models
    • 2-5x usage versus standard API rates
    • 5-hour
    • weekly and monthly limits

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Organizations needing security and administration controls

    • JetBrains extension
    • SSO
    • SLA
    • dedicated support
    • centralized billing
    • role-based access control
    • authentication logs

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.

Claude Code
8.7overall
Cline
8.2overall

Claude Code leads in 0 categories and Cline in 1.

  • Code Quality

    Claude Code
    9.2
    Cline
    Not rated

  • Agentic Autonomy

    Claude Code
    9.3
    Cline
    Not rated

  • IDE & Surface Coverage

    Claude Code
    8.8
    Cline
    Not rated

  • Value for Money

    Cline leads by 0.8
    Claude Code
    7.8
    Cline
    8.6

  • Ease of Setup

    Claude Code
    8.3
    Cline
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    Claude Code
    Not rated
    Cline
    7.8

  • Feature Depth

    Claude Code
    Not rated
    Cline
    8.8

  • Performance & Speed

    Claude Code
    Not rated
    Cline
    8.0

  • Documentation & Support

    Claude Code
    Not rated
    Cline
    8.0

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

Claude Code

Pros

  • Works across terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, desktop app, web and Slack with shared settings
  • Runs commands and tests and handles git commits and pull requests
  • Included with Pro at $20 per month, with no separate purchase
  • Extensible through MCP, skills, hooks, subagents and an Agent SDK
  • Composable in scripts and CI through a non-interactive mode

Cons

  • Not available on the Free plan; paid access starts at $20 per month
  • Usage limits are shared with chat, and heavy users may need Max at $100 to $200 per month or per-token API billing
  • JetBrains plugin requires the CLI to be installed separately
  • Terminal-first workflow suits users comfortable with the command line

Cline

Pros

  • Open source under Apache 2.0, with a large public community of 250+ contributors.
  • No subscription needed: pay only for inference, or bring your own API key.
  • Works with many model providers, including local models through Ollama and LM Studio.
  • Approval at every step, plus checkpoints and undo, keeps changes reviewable.
  • Available in VS Code, a desktop app, CLI, SDK and CI, so it fits several workflows.

Cons

  • Costs depend on token usage and are not capped on the free plan, so heavy agentic sessions can be hard to predict.
  • JetBrains support is listed as early access and as an Enterprise feature.
  • Documentation does not state specific ClinePass token or request allowances.

Platforms

  • Web
    Claude Code
    Supported
    Cline
    Not supported
  • Windows
    Claude Code
    Supported
    Cline
    Supported
  • macOS
    Claude Code
    Supported
    Cline
    Supported
  • iOS
    Claude Code
    Not supported
    Cline
    Not supported
  • Android
    Claude Code
    Not supported
    Cline
    Not supported
  • API
    Claude Code
    Supported
    Cline
    Supported
  • Browser Extension
    Claude Code
    Not supported
    Cline
    Not supported
  • CLI
    Claude Code
    Supported
    Cline
    Supported
  • Linux
    Claude Code
    Supported
    Cline
    Supported
  • VS Code Extension
    Claude Code
    Supported
    Cline
    Supported
  • JetBrains Plugin
    Claude Code
    Supported
    Cline
    Supported
  • Slack App
    Claude Code
    Supported
    Cline
    Not supported

Integrations

Claude Code

10 integrations
  • Git
  • GitHub
  • GitLab
  • GitHub Actions
  • GitLab CI/CD
  • Slack
  • VS Code
  • Cursor
  • JetBrains IDEs
  • MCP servers

Cline

17 integrations
  • VS Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cursor
  • Windsurf
  • Slack
  • Discord
  • Telegram
  • Linear
  • GitHub Actions
  • GitLab
  • Ollama
  • LM Studio
  • OpenRouter
  • AWS Bedrock
  • Anthropic
  • OpenAI
  • Google Gemini

Company

  • Company
    Claude Code
    Not listed
    Cline
    Cline Bot Inc.
  • Founded
    Claude Code
    Not listed
    Cline
    2024
  • Listing
    Claude Code
    Not claimed
    Cline
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Claude Code better than Cline?

It depends on your workflow. Claude Code is built for Multi-file refactors and migrations. Cline is built for developers who want an open-source agent with a choice of model providers, human approval at each step, and extensibility through MCP servers.

What are the key feature differences between Claude Code and Cline?

Claude Code: Anthropic's coding agent that edits code and runs commands from terminal, IDE or browser. Cline: Open-source autonomous coding agent for your editor, terminal, and CI pipelines. Claude Code is rated 5.0/5 from 1 user review.

Does Claude Code or Cline have a free plan?

Cline has a free plan or trial; Claude Code is paid only.

Which is cheaper, Claude Code or Cline?

Claude Code starts at $20 and Cline starts at $0. See the pricing table above for what each tier includes.