{"name":"Cline","tagline":"Open-source autonomous coding agent for VS Code and CLI — BYOK, you pay the model bill.","url":"https://cline.bot","category":"coding","pricing":"freemium","price_note":"extension/CLI free for individuals (BYOK or Cline inference at cost); optional ClinePass $9.99/mo for open-weight models; Enterprise custom (SSO, JetBrains, SLA)","free_tier":true,"open_source":true,"api":true,"self_host":true,"model_routing":"byok","verdict":"situational","verdict_text":"The honest Cursor alternative if you already have API keys: Apache-licensed agent in the editor, MCP marketplace, no seat fee for solo use. The bill is the model, and agent loops on Sonnet/Opus burn tokens fast. Enterprise is a different product (JetBrains, SSO, provider allowlists). Not field-tested here.","limitations":["Inference is usage-based; a long agent session can exceed a $20 IDE sub.","You operate the keys, spend caps, and model routing yourself.","JetBrains, SSO, RBAC, and SLA are Enterprise-only on the public pricing page.","ClinePass is an optional paid subscription for curated open-weight models; the open-source editor/CLI remains free.","Client-side agent still needs you to review diffs; autonomy is not a guarantee."],"strengths":["Apache-licensed agent in the editor: no seat fee for solo use if you bring keys.","Honest Cursor alternative when the bill should be the model, not the IDE.","MCP marketplace without a second closed runtime."],"use_for":["VS Code / CLI agents on BYOK, with you watching the diff.","Solo use where ClinePass and Enterprise are optional, not the product."],"skip_when":["A long agent loop on Sonnet/Opus would exceed a $20 IDE sub.","You do not want to operate keys, spend caps, and routing yourself.","You need JetBrains, SSO, RBAC, or an SLA — that is Enterprise, not the OSS client."],"receipts":["https://cline.bot/pricing","https://cline.bot/cline-pass","https://github.com/cline/cline"],"affiliate":"none","evidence_tier":"source-verified","momentum":"blueshift","featured":false,"data_sensitivity":{"trains_on_inputs":"unknown","local_processing":true},"last_verified":"2026-08-24","observed_by":"whysanesanders","slug":"cline","canonical_url":"https://noemium.com/tools/cline/","attribution":"Noemium catalog data is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). See https://noemium.com/method/ for how entries are verified."}