Cline is an open-source AI coding assistant for VS Code that features dual Plan/Act modes, terminal execution capabilities, and the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for custom tool creation. It serves as a fully collaborative AI partner for developers.

How is Cline different from GitHub Copilot?

Cline is open-source and offers unique features like Plan/Act modes for structured development, terminal command execution, browser automation for testing, and the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for creating custom development tools.

What programming languages does Cline support?

Cline supports all major programming languages and frameworks through its AI models and can execute terminal commands, edit files, and automate browser testing across different technology stacks.

The Last AI Coding Agent

It feels like every month there's a new "must-have" AI coding tool. The FOMO is real; but so is the fatigue of constantly switching, learning new workflows, and migrating settings. It’s exhausting, but that's the price for developers who want to be armed with the greatest leverage powered by AI.

The magic of AI coding isn't just in the tool itself; it's in the power of the underlying model. And the "best" model is a moving target. One year ago, GPT-4o led the way. Then Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet dropped and set a new benchmark for many coding tasks. Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro offers an incredible context window, and impressive open-source models like DeepSeek-V3 are closing the gap faster than anyone expected.

This relentless pace of innovation is fantastic. It has also led to a new wave of powerful, vertically-integrated tools like Anthropic's Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex. These tools are incredible and showcase what's possible when an agent is built for a specific model. However, this specialized approach presents a trade-off for developers who want the flexibility to switch models as the landscape evolves.

This isn't a theoretical problem. Look at the data.

https://artificialanalysis.ai/#frontier-language-model-intelligence-over-time

The chart above shows the story of the last few years. While OpenAI had a strong early lead, the top spot has since become a revolving door. Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI have all held the crown at different times. A developer who committed to a single-vendor tool would have been falling behind the state-of-the-art for months at a time, only to see the landscape shift again.

This is why we built Cline on a different philosophy. We believe the best coding agent is a thin, transparent layer that gives you, the developer, unfettered access to any model you want. Our job isn't to pick the winning model for you; it's to provide the best possible chassis so you can drop in whatever engine is best for your task today, and swap it out for a better one tomorrow.

This approach makes Cline the last AI coding agent you'll need to learn. It isn't another self-contained product you have to eventually replace. It's a durable, future-proof approach. It's a single, consistent workflow that gets more powerful as the entire AI industry innovates. You're not just betting on us; you're betting on the entire field of AI research and development.

Stop betting on individual tools. Start investing in an approach that gives you the freedom to always use the best technology available. That's how you cure tool fatigue, and that's how you win in the long run.

-Nick

Ready to try an approach that lasts? Download Cline for your chosen IDE and connect it to your model of choice. Share your experience or ask questions on our Discord or Reddit.