Cline vs Bolt.new
A detailed side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right AI coding agent for your needs.
Cline
Cline 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, C...
- 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
- 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
- LLM API costs flow through user — needs token budget awareness
- OSS + BYO model means setup is more involved than Cursor's polished UX
Bolt.new
Bolt.new is an AI-powered app builder by StackBlitz that lets users create, run, and deploy full-stack web applications directly in the browser from natural language prompts. The platform uses WebCont...
- Full-stack app generation from natural language in browser
- WebContainers technology for instant Node.js environment
- Token-based system with monthly rollover on paid plans
- Built-in deployment with custom domain support
- Support for React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, and more
- Fastest path from idea to deployed app with WebContainers
- Token rollover prevents waste on paid plans
- No local setup needed — everything runs in browser
- Free tier includes Bolt branding on deployed sites
- Token-based pricing can be unpredictable for complex projects
Verdict: Cline vs Bolt.new
Pick Cline if you need open-source autonomous coding agent — runs in vs code, byo llm. Pick Bolt.new if you need instant full-stack app prototyping.
Bolt.new supports 3 models.
Cline integrates with 7 platforms.
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
Bolt.new
- Solo founder iterating on multiple MVPs in parallel
- Designer wanting to ship interactive prototypes without dev handoff
- Hackathon team needing zero-setup full-stack app generation
- Buyers needing predictable per-month cost (token-based pricing varies)
- Enterprises requiring strict on-prem deployment (cloud-only)
Solo prototyper: Free or $25/mo Pro (10M tokens, often enough for ~3-5 mid-complexity apps). Team: $30/seat/mo. Enterprise: custom (with SSO + audit).
Verified 2026-05-02
Capabilities at a glance
| Capability | Cline | Bolt.new |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Browser-based WebContainer runtime | — | Full Node.js in browser |
| Full-stack app generation | — | React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte |
| Built-in deployment + custom domains | — | Pro+ |
| Token rollover | — | Up to 2 months on paid |
| SSO + audit logs | — | Enterprise tier only |
Security & compliance
| Standard / control | Cline | Bolt.new |
|---|---|---|
| GDPR | — | |
| Self-hosted option | — | |
| SSO / SAML | — | |
| Audit logs | — | |
| Trains on customer data | No | — |
What users say
Cline
Engineering teams self-hosting agents, Open-source community, Privacy-focused developers
Bolt.new
Frequently asked questions
What AI models do Cline and Bolt.new use?+
Cline runs on Any LLM via OpenAI / Anthropic / Google / Ollama, MCP server integrations. Bolt.new runs on Claude Sonnet 4, GPT-4o, Gemini 2.5 Pro.
What is the main difference between Cline and Bolt.new?+
Cline is positioned as best open-source autonomous coding agent — runs in vs code, byo llm, while Bolt.new is positioned as best for instant full-stack app prototyping. Pick the one whose strength aligns with your primary use case.
Which has better integrations, Cline or Bolt.new?+
Cline integrates with VS Code, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Vertex and 3 more. Bolt.new integrates with GitHub, Netlify, Vercel, Custom domains and 1 more.
What are the main weaknesses of Cline and Bolt.new?+
Cline's main drawback: llm api costs flow through user — needs token budget awareness. Bolt.new's main drawback: free tier includes bolt branding on deployed sites.
Are Cline and Bolt.new worth it in 2026?+
Both remain competitive coding options in 2026. Cline stands out for most-starred autonomous coding agent on github — strong community + frequent updates. Bolt.new stands out for fastest path from idea to deployed app with webcontainers. Choose based on which trade-offs fit your workflow and budget.