ToolFlock

Cline

Cline is an open-source AI coding agent that runs in an editor, a terminal or a desktop app to plan, review and apply code changes. It connects to cloud or local models with a personal API key instead of a fixed subscription.

#16 in Coding & Development ToolsAI Coding AssistantsFree plan

Who it's for

Best for

  • Developers who want to bring their own API key and pick a model per task
  • Teams that want one open-source agent across VS Code, JetBrains and a CLI

Not for

  • Coders who need heavy daily ClinePass usage without hitting rate limits
  • Developers who need inline tab autocomplete from the same plugin

Features

  • Plan mode before Act

    Plan mode aligns on a strategy before Act mode executes it. Every step can be approved by hand, or auto-approve can be switched on for unattended runs.

  • Any model or provider

    Works with Claude, GPT, Gemini, local Ollama or LM Studio and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, using a personal key or locally hosted weights.

  • Multi-file edits and checkpoints

    Makes coordinated multi-file changes with linter-aware fixes, diffs, checkpoints and one-click undo on every step.

  • Runs terminal commands

    Executes commands in the terminal and reacts to output as it appears, covering long-running dev servers, tests and deploys.

  • Desktop, IDE, CLI and SDK

    The same agent runtime is available as a native desktop app, an editor extension for VS Code, Windsurf, JetBrains and Cursor, a CLI and an embeddable SDK.

What users say

Pros

  • Installs as a plain extension with no account, using a personal OpenRouter key.
  • Switches provider mid-task so a second model can review the first model's output.
  • Each step waits for explicit approval, so bad edits get rejected before they land.
  • Runs tasks effectively against local models hosted in LM Studio or Ollama.

Cons

  • Burns through paid API credits in hours, re-reading project files on every turn.
  • ClinePass quotas run out after a single prompt, sometimes stopping a task midway.
  • Auto-compaction drops the saved plan, so the agent re-searches for steps it already listed.
  • Local models emit tool calls as plain text, leaving the task stalled until prompted again.
  • No inline autocomplete, so a separate tab-completion plugin is still required.

A selection of the review sources we used:

Summarized from public user reviews and community discussions. View details

Global Traffic Rank

Top 500k

Alternatives

ClineClaude CodeOpenAI CodexGitHub Copilot
Rank#16 in category#1 in category#2 in category#3 in category
Free planYesYesYesYes
ProNo signup, mid-task model switching, step approval, local modelsShips live apps, large analyses, fast tools, custom hooksHard bugs solved, full projects built, cheap entry plan, editor fitInline autocomplete, multi-repo agents, repository instructions
Better forAutomating workflow rules via custom hooks and steering agent tasks from Slack or the web
Weaker atRunning tasks on local offline models or switching between external model providers