Cline Review 2026
Open-source autonomous AI coding agent for VS Code that can create and edit files, execute commands, and browse the web.
Pros
- +Fully autonomous agent capabilities
- +Complete transparency of actions
- +Free and open source
- +Browser use capability
Cons
- -Requires LLM API keys
- -Can be expensive with heavy LLM use
- -Newer tool, still evolving
Why Consider Cline?
Cline is an open-source AI coding agent for VS Code that can autonomously create files, run terminal commands, and browse the web — all with your explicit approval at each step. It is the most transparent agentic coding tool available.
Standout Features
What makes Cline special is the human-in-the-loop design. Before every file edit, terminal command, or browser action, Cline shows you exactly what it plans to do and waits for approval. This gives you the power of autonomous coding without the risk of unexpected changes. Support for multiple LLM providers means you can use whichever model works best.
Alternatives Worth Exploring
For a more integrated IDE experience, Cursor provides agentic features within a polished editor. For terminal-based agentic coding, Claude Code offers Anthropic's frontier model. For basic completions without the agentic overhead, GitHub Copilot is simpler to use.
Pricing Overview
Completely free and open-source. You bring your own API keys for the LLM provider of your choice. Using with free local models via Ollama makes the entire setup free.