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Cline vs Devin

Side-by-side comparison · AI Coding & Development

At a glance

DimensionClineDevin
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 pageNo free tier; usage is metered by agent work with team and enterprise plans above that - verify current pricing on the official page
Free planYesPaid
Rating★★★★★★★★★☆
Best foragentic editing, byok workflows, refactoring, automated bug fixingwell-scoped backlog tickets, dependency upgrades, test fixes and delegating routine work
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

Devin - strengths & limits

Strengths

  • Handles well-scoped tickets end to end without supervision
  • Parallel sessions let a small team clear more backlog
  • Progress and reasoning stay visible rather than hidden in a black box

Watch out for

  • Costly relative to a standard assistant subscription
  • Weak on ambiguous tasks that need product judgement
  • Generated changes still need careful human review before merging

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 well-scoped backlog tickets, dependency upgrades, test fixes and delegating routine work, go with Devin. 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 Devin?

It depends on your task. Cline leads on agentic editing, byok workflows, refactoring, automated bug fixing; Devin is better when you need well-scoped backlog tickets, dependency upgrades, test fixes and delegating routine work. Try both free tiers.

Can I use Cline and Devin together?

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