Cline
cline.bot
Open-source AI coding agent for IDE, terminal, and SDK
Alternative to Windsurf
Tabby
LibreChat +4 more
Install: macOS · WindowsPricing page →Docs →Source →Facts checked
On this page: About · Where it fits · Compare · Information · Facts · Alternatives (7) · Related tools (4) · FAQ
About Cline
Cline is an open-source AI coding agent that operates across your IDE, terminal, and SDK, enabling secure coding with Claude in VS Code. It offers Plan and Act modes, MCP integration, and terminal-first workflows, trusted by over 8 million developers. With 65.8k GitHub stars and a 4.1/5 rating from 307 VS Code Marketplace ratings, Cline is built by 250+ contributors under the Apache 2.0 license. It supports macOS, Windows, and Linux, and can be installed via npm for CLI use.
Published 2026-08-08 · Links checked 2026-09-06
Where Cline fits
Cline is tagged #ai-coding, #open-source, #cli, #ide, #mcp. Each tag links to every listed tool that shares it.
- #ai-coding — 8 listed tools share this tag, including Windsurf, Tabby, GitHub Copilot
- #open-source — 106 listed tools share this tag, including Tabby, LibreChat
- #cli — the only listing with this tag so far
- #ide — 2 listed tools share this tag, including Windsurf
- #mcp — 3 listed tools share this tag, including LibreChat
Cline is one of 77 Dev Tools listed on ToolDock. Also in Dev Tools: n8n, Replit, Exa — see the Dev Tools ranking (neutral, stable positions; no paid placement).
Compare Cline with Dev Tools tools
Side-by-side pages use listing facts only: pricing, shared and unique tags, official-site facts where available, and verification dates.
| Tool | Pricing | Shared tags | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freemium | #ai-coding #ide | Cline vs Windsurf → | |
| Freemium | #ai-coding #open-source | Cline vs Tabby → | |
| Freemium | #ai-coding | Cline vs GitHub Copilot → | |
| Freemium | #ai-coding | Cline vs Cursor → | |
| Freemium | #ai-coding | Cline vs Tabnine → | |
| Free | #ai-coding | Cline vs AI for Developers → | |
| Freemium | #ai-coding | Cline vs Replit → | |
| Free | #open-source | Cline vs Astro → | |
| Free | #open-source | Cline vs Bun → | |
| Free | #open-source | Cline vs Vite → |
Cline alternatives & related Dev Tools
Cline alternatives
Tools sharing tags with Cline — each match reason is computed from real listing data.
Agentic AI code editor with deep codebase awareness
Platforms: macOS
shares #ai-coding #ide · also Dev Tools · both Freemium · Windsurf alternatives →
Links checked Sep 2026View →
Open-source, self-hosted AI coding assistant
shares #ai-coding #open-source · also Dev Tools · both Freemium · Tabby alternatives →
✓ Links checked Sep 2026View →
Open-source AI platform for unified conversations
shares #open-source #mcp · LibreChat alternatives →
✓ Links checked Sep 2026View →
GitHub Copilot
github.com
The original AI pair programmer, built into your editor
shares #ai-coding · also Dev Tools · both Freemium · GitHub Copilot alternatives →
✓ Links checked Sep 2026View →
AI-native code editor built for agentic development
Platforms: iOS · macOS · Web app (installable)
shares #ai-coding · also Dev Tools · both Freemium · Cursor alternatives →
✓ Links checked Sep 2026View →
Private, enterprise-grade AI code assistant you can self-host
shares #ai-coding · also Dev Tools · both Freemium · Tabnine alternatives →
✓ Links checked Sep 2026View →
See all 7 Cline alternatives →
More Dev Tools
Other tools listed in the same category.
Open platform for cloud coding agents
✓ Links checked Sep 2026View →
AI Agent Server for the Enterprise
✓ Links checked Sep 2026View →
AgentForge
agentforge.net
Open-source framework for building cognitive AI agent architectures
✓ Links checked Sep 2026View →
Top Dev Tools right now
The highest-ranked tools in this category — see the full Dev Tools ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cline?
Cline is a Dev tool: Open-source AI coding agent for IDE, terminal, and SDK. It is listed on ToolDock with a direct link to its official site.
Is Cline free?
Cline is listed as freemium on ToolDock: it offers a free tier alongside paid plans. Pricing label set at listing time; official pricing page linked where verified — see the official website for current details.
What are the best Cline alternatives?
Alternatives to Cline listed on ToolDock (matched by shared tags and category) include Windsurf, Tabby, LibreChat, GitHub Copilot, Cursor. See the full list of Cline alternatives.