Cline
Best open-source autonomous coding agent — runs in VS Code, BYO LLMCline is the leading open-source autonomous coding agent, distributed as a VS Code extension that turns your editor into a Devin-style autonomous engineer. Where Devin runs in its own cloud sandbox, Cline runs locally in your VS Code workspace — so you keep complete control over your code, your context, and your LLM choice. The agent can read files, write files, execute terminal commands, browse the web, and use any other tool through MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. Cline supports any LLM via API key (Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, local models via Ollama / LM Studio), so you control cost and privacy directly. Plan & Act mode lets you review and approve every action before execution, while Auto-approve mode unlocks full autonomy for trusted workflows. Browser Use integration adds web browsing for tasks like reading docs, debugging from Stack Overflow, or testing deployed apps. Cline has rapidly become the most-starred autonomous coding agent on GitHub (60K+ stars by mid-2026), beloved by engineers who want Devin-like autonomy with the transparency and BYO-LLM control of an open-source tool. The optional Cline Cloud service adds team workspace features and managed billing. Pricing for the OSS extension is free; LLM API costs flow through your own keys.
AI Models
Key Features
- Open-source VS Code extension (free forever)
- Plan & Act mode (review before execution)
- Auto-approve mode for trusted workflows
- BYO LLM (Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, local)
- MCP (Model Context Protocol) server support
- Browser Use integration for web tasks
- Terminal command execution + file read/write
- 60K+ GitHub stars, most-starred autonomous coding agent
Integrations
Pricing
Open-source MIT license, BYO LLM API keys
Typically \$5-50/mo developer use depending on model + token volume
Team workspaces, managed billing, audit logs
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Most-starred autonomous coding agent on GitHub — strong community + frequent updates
- BYO LLM = full cost + privacy control (no Cline lock-in)
- Plan & Act mode keeps human in the loop on every action
Cons
- LLM API costs flow through user — needs token budget awareness
- OSS + BYO model means setup is more involved than Cursor's polished UX
Who should buy this
Cline
- Engineer wanting Devin-style autonomy with full BYO-LLM cost + privacy control
- Open-source advocate preferring MIT-licensed tools over closed-source SaaS
- Privacy-conscious developer running local models (Ollama / LM Studio) with autonomous agent
- Team using MCP servers for custom tool integrations
- Devs preferring polished, set-and-forget SaaS (Cursor / Copilot fit better)
- Buyers needing managed enterprise contract + dedicated support (Devin / Codex Enterprise)
Extension: free. LLM API costs (BYO): typically $5-50/mo for solo developer use. Heavy users: $100-300/mo on premium models.
Verified 2026-05-06
Capabilities at a glance
| Capability | Cline |
|---|---|
| Open-source VS Code extension | |
| Plan & Act review mode | |
| Auto-approve trusted workflows | |
| BYO LLM (any provider) | |
| MCP server integration | |
| Browser Use for web tasks | |
| On-prem / self-hosted | Runs locally |
Security & compliance
| Standard / control | Cline |
|---|---|
| GDPR | |
| Self-hosted option | |
| Trains on customer data | No |
What users say
Cline
Engineering teams self-hosting agents, Open-source community, Privacy-focused developers