Skip to content
BetterOpenSource

Cline vs Continue

A side-by-side comparison of two open-source tools to help you choose the right one.

Feature
SummaryAn autonomous coding agent inside VS Code.Open-source autocomplete and chat for your IDE.
GitHub stars47K24.5K
LicenseApache 2.0Apache 2.0
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
PricingFree & Open SourceFree & Open Source
Self-hostable
ReplacesClaude Code, GitHub CopilotGitHub Copilot, Claude Code
Rating4.7 / 54.6 / 5

Cline features

  • Plan Mode reviews changes before they're applied
  • Edits files and runs commands autonomously
  • Model Context Protocol (MCP) tool integration
  • Bring your own keys — no vendor lock-in
  • Works with frontier and local models

Continue features

  • Tab autocomplete with any model
  • Inline edits and chat in your editor
  • Custom context providers (docs, repos, issues)
  • VS Code and JetBrains support
  • Local models via Ollama for full privacy

Clinepros & cons

Pros

  • Transparent, reviewable agent actions
  • Huge, fast-moving community
  • No subscription — you control model spend

Cons

  • Autonomous edits need supervision on big changes
  • Token usage can add up on large tasks

Continuepros & cons

Pros

  • Highly customizable to your codebase
  • Works with local models for privacy
  • Cross-IDE support

Cons

  • Configuration depth has a learning curve
  • Best autocomplete needs a capable model

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...