Aider vs Cline

In short

• Both: Chat about your code, Agent that edits files, Knows the whole codebase, Runs commands, Command line, Choice of models, Self-hosted
• Only Aider states: Reviews pull requests, API
• Only Cline states: VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Official SDKs, Runs models for you, Builds agents and workflows

Aider

Aider is an open-source terminal tool for pair programming with language models and editing code in local repositories.

Plans

Not read from the maker’s page yet.

Prices checked 2026-09-25 on the maker’s page.

Capabilities

• Chat about your code — “Chat modes — Using the code, architect, ask and help chat modes.” source
• Agent that edits files — “Usage — How to use aider to pair program with AI and edit code in your local git repo.” source
• Knows the whole codebase — “Aider makes a map of your entire codebase, which helps it work well in larger projects.” source
• Runs commands — “Automatically lint and test your code every time aider makes changes.” source
• Reviews pull requests — “You can also use aider to review PR branches:” source
• Command line — “Aider is AI pair programming in your terminal.” source
• Choice of models — “In-chat commands — Control aider with in-chat commands like /add, /model, etc.” source
• Self-hosted — “To run the project locally, follow these steps:” source
• API — “Yes. You can script aider via the command line or python.” source

Cline

Open-source coding agent that reads and edits projects, runs commands, and works across editors, terminals, desktop, and SDK integrations.

Plans

Open Source

Free

• VS Code Extension
• CLI
• Secure Client-Side Architecture
• Purchase and Model Inference at Cost or BYOK
• MCP Marketplace
• Multi-Root Workspaces

Enterprise

Price on request

• All Open Source Features
• JetBrains Extension
• SSO
• SLA
• Dedicated Support
• Centralized Billing

Prices checked 2026-09-25 on the maker’s page.

Capabilities

• Chat about your code — “See how a codebase is structured and ask Cline questions about files, dependencies, and behavior.” source
• Agent that edits files — “Coordinated multi-file changes with linter-aware fixes, diffs, checkpoints, and one-click undo on every step.” source
• Knows the whole codebase — “See how a codebase is structured and ask Cline questions about files, dependencies, and behavior.” source
• Runs commands — “Executes in your terminal and reacts to output as it appears.” source
• VS Code — “VS Code 4.5M+ installs The most installed AI agent on the Marketplace.” source
• JetBrains IDEs — “IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, and the rest.” source
• Command line — “Use Cline CLI in scripts, cron jobs, and CI pipelines to run recurring checks, updates, and custom workflows.” source
• Choice of models — “Claude, GPT, Gemini, local Ollama / LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.” source
• Self-hosted — “Switch providers or self-host anytime.” source
• Official SDKs — “Register custom tools and lifecycle hooks via the SDK.” source
• Runs models for you — “You can bring your own API keys or use the Cline provider.” source
• Builds agents and workflows — “Coordinator agents delegate to specialists with their own tools and context. Run them on cron for recurring automations.” source

Latest updates

• 2026-09-24 v4.1.21 (v4.1.21)
• 2026-09-24 SDK v0.0.86 (v0.0.86)

  Text-only turns truncated at the output-token limit now get one compact-and-retry attempt per run before the existing recovery.

• 2026-09-24 Desktop v0.0.35 (v0.0.35)

  Cline Desktop now runs on Linux, and plugin slash commands execute their handlers in the desktop app.