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Claude vs Cline

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

Claude logo

Claude

Anthropic's AI assistant for writing, analysis, coding and working with files

4.5(2 reviews)Freemium
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Verdict

Claude is listed under AI Assistants and Cline under Coding AI. Claude scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (9.1 vs 8.2 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only Claude is available on Web, iOS and Android. Only Cline is available on VS Code Extension, JetBrains Plugin and CLI.

Best overall

Claude

  • Software developers
  • Writers and editors
  • Researchers and analysts
  • Knowledge workers

Choose Claude if

  • You want a tool built for coding and code review.
  • Free plan includes web search, file creation, code execution and memory.
  • Artifacts show generated code and pages beside the chat.

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 for beginners
Claude
Best for business
Claude

Features

18 features compared.

  • Artifacts
    Claude
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Projects
    Claude
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Claude Code
    Claude
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • File creation and code execution
    Claude
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Web search and Research
    Claude
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Memory
    Claude
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Connectors
    Claude
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Vision and document reading
    Claude
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Claude in Chrome
    Claude
    Available
    Cline
    Not available
  • Plan and Act Modes
    Claude
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • Multi-File Editing with Checkpoints
    Claude
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • Terminal and Browser Use
    Claude
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • Bring Your Own Model
    Claude
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • MCP Servers and Marketplace
    Claude
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • Rules Files
    Claude
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • Multi-Agent Teams and Scheduling
    Claude
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • Headless and Chat Access
    Claude
    Not available
    Cline
    Available
  • SDK
    Claude
    Not available
    Cline
    Available

Pricing

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

  • Pricing model
    Claude
    Freemium
    Cline
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Claude
    Yes
    Cline
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Claude
    $0
    Cline
    $0
  • Plans
    Claude
    6 plans
    Cline
    3 plans

Claude plans

  • Free

    $0

    Free for everyone, with the lowest usage limits

    • Chat on web
    • desktop and mobile
    • Web search
    • File creation and code execution
    • Memory across conversations
    • Artifacts
    • Connectors with remote MCP

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $20/month

    For everyday use; $17 per month when billed annually ($200 up front)

    • Everything in Free
    • Claude Code
    • Projects
    • More models
    • Claude in Chrome
    • Microsoft 365 integration
    • Opus access
    • Fable available with paid usage credits

  • Max

    $100/month

    5x Pro usage every five hours and every week

    • Everything in Pro
    • 5x Pro usage
    • Fable included up to half the weekly limit
    • $100 per month in Claude Platform API credits
    • Early access to advanced features
    • Priority access at high traffic times

  • Ultra

    $200/month

    For the longest tasks; no five-hour limit for verified accounts

    • Everything in Max
    • No 5-hour limit for verified accounts
    • 10x Pro usage every week
    • $200 per month in Claude Platform API credits (up from $100 on Max)
    • Priority access at high traffic times

  • Team

    $25/user/mo

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

    • Claude Code and Cowork
    • Central billing and administration
    • SSO
    • Admin controls for connectors
    • More usage than Pro on Standard seats
    • Premium seats with 5x Standard usage
    • Up to $500 per month in pooled API credits

  • Enterprise

    $20/user/mo

    Seat price billed annually, 20-seat minimum, plus usage at API rates

    • Everything in Team
    • Admin-set user and org spend limits
    • Role-based access
    • SCIM
    • Audit logs
    • Compliance API
    • Custom data retention controls
    • Network-level access control
    • IP allowlisting
    • HIPAA-ready offering available
    • Claude Security (beta)

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 November 2026.

Claude
9.1overall
Cline
8.2overall

  • Coding & Syntax

    Claude
    9.3
    Cline
    Not rated

  • Reasoning & Logic

    Claude
    9.2
    Cline
    Not rated

  • Long Context

    Claude
    9.0
    Cline
    Not rated

  • Prose & Writing Quality

    Claude
    9.2
    Cline
    Not rated

  • Safety & Alignment

    Claude
    8.8
    Cline
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    Claude
    Not rated
    Cline
    7.8

  • Feature Depth

    Claude
    Not rated
    Cline
    8.8

  • Value for Money

    Claude
    Not rated
    Cline
    8.6

  • Performance & Speed

    Claude
    Not rated
    Cline
    8.0

  • Documentation & Support

    Claude
    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

Pros

  • Free plan includes web search, file creation, code execution and memory
  • Artifacts show generated code and pages beside the chat
  • Claude Code is included with Pro, Max, Ultra and Team
  • Connectors use MCP to reach Slack, Google Workspace and other tools
  • Available on web, desktop, iOS and as a Chrome extension, plus an API and major cloud platforms

Cons

  • Usage limits on every plan, with weekly caps (and five-hour caps below Ultra) and no published message counts
  • Does not generate images
  • The higher individual tiers are costly: Max is $100 per month and Ultra is $200 per month
  • Linux desktop app is still in beta

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

Integrations

Claude

7 integrations
  • Slack
  • Google Workspace
  • Microsoft 365
  • MCP connectors
  • Amazon Bedrock
  • Google Cloud
  • Microsoft Foundry

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
    Anthropic
    Cline
    Cline Bot Inc.
  • Founded
    Claude
    2021
    Cline
    2024
  • Headquarters
    Claude
    San Francisco, CA
    Cline
    Not listed
  • Listing
    Claude
    Claimed
    Cline
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Claude better than Cline?

It depends on your workflow. Claude is built for coding and code review. 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 and Cline?

Claude: Anthropic's AI assistant for writing, analysis, coding and working with files. Cline: Open-source autonomous coding agent for your editor, terminal, and CI pipelines. Claude is rated 4.5/5 from 2 user reviews.

Does Claude or Cline have a free plan?

Yes, both do. Claude is freemium and Cline is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, Claude or Cline?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.