Quick Answer
Last verified:

Cline pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $20 per month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: Yes
  • Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
  • Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training

Cline offers 3 pricing tiers: Open Source (Free), Teams, Enterprise. Standard paid plans include Open Source (Free) at $0/undefined, Teams at $20/undefined.

Compared to other ai coding assistants software, Cline is positioned at the budget-friendly price point.

Last verified: February 2026 | Sources: 1 pricing pages and reviews

Cline (formerly Claude Dev) is an autonomous AI coding assistant designed as a VS Code and JetBrains extension that enables developers to collaborate with artificial intelligence on coding tasks. With over 4 million installations and 57,400+ GitHub stars, Cline has become a popular open-source alternative to proprietary AI coding tools.

Unlike subscription-based competitors, Cline uses transparent usage-based pricing where developers pay only for AI inference costs. The extension itself is free - you bring your own API keys from providers like Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT), Google (Gemini), or others. This approach eliminates vendor lock-in and provides complete cost transparency.

Cline features Plan/Act modes for structured development, terminal integration for command execution, automated file editing, and the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for custom tool creation. The platform works across major programming languages and includes browser automation for testing capabilities.

All Cline Plans & Pricing

Plan Monthly Annual Best For
Open Source (Free) 0: U1: n Free Custom 0 —
Teams 0: F1: r $20 / $240 / —
Enterprise 0: C1: u Contact Contact —
View all features by plan

Open Source (Free)

  • VS Code Extension
  • CLI access
  • Secure client-side architecture
  • Bring your own API keys (BYOK)
  • MCP Marketplace integration
  • Multi-root workspaces
  • Community support
  • Plan/Act modes
  • Terminal execution
  • File editing capabilities
  • Browser automation

Teams

  • All Open Source features
  • JetBrains extension
  • Centralized billing
  • Simple config management
  • Role-based access control
  • Limit inference providers
  • Team management system & dashboard
  • Priority support
  • First 10 seats free

Enterprise

  • All Teams features
  • Single Sign-On (SSO)
  • Service Level Agreement (SLA)
  • Dedicated support
  • Authentication logs
  • Advanced config management (coming soon)
  • Fine-grained permissioning (coming soon)
  • OIDC, SCIM provisioning
  • VPC deployments
  • OpenTelemetry integration
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Hidden Costs to Budget For

Watch for 6 hidden costs
  • API costs for AI models (Claude, OpenAI, Google, etc.) - can range from $5-50+/month for individual developers depending on usage
  • Claude Sonnet 4.5 costs $3 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens
  • Long context premium (inputs over 200K tokens): $6 input / $22.50 output per million tokens
  • Heavy users report API costs of $20-100+ monthly for extensive coding sessions
  • Some users report burning through $20 in a single evening of intensive use
  • Professional developers with long daily sessions may incur $50+/day in API costs
Tip

Ask your Cline sales rep about these costs upfront. Getting them in writing before signing can save you from surprise charges later.

Full hidden costs breakdown →

Frequently Asked Questions

01 Is Cline free?

Yes, Cline's Open Source tier is completely free for individual developers. You download the VS Code or JetBrains extension at no cost and bring your own API keys from providers like Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google. However, you'll pay API costs directly to your chosen AI provider based on usage. Teams pricing is free through Q1 2026, then $20/month per user with the first 10 seats always free.

02 How much does Cline cost?

Cline uses usage-based pricing rather than subscriptions. The extension itself is free, but you pay for AI inference based on actual usage. Typical costs range from $5-50/month for individual developers, with light users paying less and heavy users potentially spending $100+ monthly. Teams pay $20/month per user (after Q1 2026) with 10 free seats, while Enterprise pricing is custom. Your actual cost depends on which AI models you use and how intensively you code with Cline.

03 What is Cline (formerly Claude Dev)?

Cline is an autonomous AI coding assistant that works as a VS Code and JetBrains extension. It helps developers write code, edit files, execute terminal commands, and automate browser testing. With over 4 million installations and 57,400+ GitHub stars, Cline uses Plan/Act modes to let you review AI decisions before execution. It integrates with multiple AI providers through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and maintains a secure client-side architecture. The project was formerly known as Claude Dev but rebranded to Cline.

04 How does Cline compare to Cursor?

Cline offers transparent API-level pricing where you pay only for what you use, while Cursor charges $20/month with a $20 usage credit that switches to usage-based pricing after depletion. Cline is open-source and works in VS Code/JetBrains, whereas Cursor is a proprietary fork of VS Code. Cost-wise, light users may prefer Cursor's predictable $20/month, while heavy users appreciate Cline's flexibility and lack of vendor lock-in. Both can become expensive with heavy use - some Cline users report $50+/day for intensive sessions, while Cursor users face usage-based pricing after their monthly credit.