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Cline vs Continue

Side-by-side comparison · AI Coding & Development

At a glance

DimensionClineContinue
PricingThe extension is free and open source; you pay your model provider for tokens, or nothing extra with a local model - verify current pricing on the official pageFree and open source extension; optional paid team and enterprise plans add hosted model access and admin controls - verify current pricing on the official page
Free planYesYes
Rating★★★★★★★★★☆
Best foragentic editing, byok workflows, refactoring, automated bug fixingself-hosted ai assistants, local model setups, data residency rules and custom code assistants
CategoryAI Coding & DevelopmentAI Coding & Development

Cline - strengths & limits

Strengths

  • Free and open source with fully auditable behaviour
  • You control model choice and therefore cost per task
  • Checkpoints make risky edits easy to undo

Watch out for

  • Requires an API key, so there is a running model cost
  • Long autonomous runs can consume tokens quickly
  • Agent quality tracks whatever model you connect to it

Continue - strengths & limits

Strengths

  • Free and open source, with no vendor lock-in on models
  • Local model support suits strict data-residency requirements
  • Config lives in the repository, so a team can review it in pull requests

Watch out for

  • Setup is more involved than a one-click commercial assistant
  • Answer quality depends heavily on the model you connect
  • JetBrains support tends to lag behind the VS Code extension

Which should you choose?

If your priority is agentic editing, byok workflows, refactoring, automated bug fixing, Cline is the stronger pick. If instead you care more about self-hosted ai assistants, local model setups, data residency rules and custom code assistants, go with Continue. For most people, trying both on a free tier is the fastest way to decide - they serve the same AI Coding & Development space but differ in workflow and output style.

FAQ

Which is better, Cline or Continue?

It depends on your task. Cline leads on agentic editing, byok workflows, refactoring, automated bug fixing; Continue is better when you need self-hosted ai assistants, local model setups, data residency rules and custom code assistants. Try both free tiers.

Can I use Cline and Continue together?

Yes - many users keep one as the daily driver and the other for specific tasks where it is stronger.