Cline
Decision note
Cline is the original open-source VS Code extension that gives Claude (or any LLM you configure) autonomous access to the terminal, filesystem, and browser to complete complex coding tasks. Cline is the upstream of Roo Code and Kilo Code, free, bring-your-own-key, and one of the most popular VS Code agents in the ecosystem. Released January 2024 and actively maintained.
Overview
Open-source VS Code extension that gives Claude or other LLMs autonomous access to the terminal, filesystem, and browser to complete complex coding tasks.
Best LLMs for this agent
Cline is bring-your-own-key, and Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the default and most common model users run for autonomous VS Code agent work.
Claude Opus 4.6 is the Cline pairing for harder reasoning tasks when the agent needs more careful planning.
GPT-5 is a supported alternative when teams prefer OpenAI routing for Cline's terminal, filesystem, and browser workflows.
DeepSeek V4 Pro is the cost-sensitive open-weights option for Cline users who still want strong coding performance.
Gemini 3 is available through Cline's model-agnostic configuration for teams already standardized on Google's model stack.
Pricing and Provider Comparison
Agent access tiers
| Tier | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Open source, use your own API keys |
Provider routes for recommended models
| Model | Provider | Input / 1M | Output / 1M | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Anthropic | $3.00 | $15.00 | Batch pricing listed; Cache reads listed |
| Claude Opus 4.6 | Anthropic | $5.00 | $25.00 | Batch pricing listed; Cache reads listed |
| GPT-5 | OpenAI API | $1.25 | $10.00 | Batch pricing listed; Cache reads listed |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro | DeepSeek Platform | $0.435 | $0.87 | Cache reads listed |
| Gemini 3 Pro | GCP Vertex AI | $1.25 | $5.00 | Published token price |
Featured Model Specs
| Model | Lab | Released | Context | Reasoning | Openness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Anthropic | 2026-02-17 | 1m | Yes | Proprietary |
| Claude Opus 4.6 | Anthropic | 2026-02-05 | 1m | Yes | Proprietary |
Model Compatibility Matrix
| Model | Lab | Default | Access tier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Anthropic | Yes | Pro | — |
| Claude Opus 4.6 | Anthropic | No | Pro | — |
Underlying Models
Capabilities
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| Chat | Yes |
| Agent mode | No |
| Multi-file edit | Yes |
| Autocomplete | No |
| Terminal | Yes |
| Code review | No |
| Git integration | No |
| Deploy integration | No |
| Local models | No |
| Bring your own key | No |
| MCP support | No |
| Offline mode | No |
| IP indemnity | No |
| SSO | No |
| On-prem | No |