Cline review
The budget pick — a free client on your own API keys, so you pay for tokens and nothing else.
Tested score
7.1/10
- Task completion·25%7.0
- Code quality·20%7.2
- Speed·15%6.9
- Value for money·15%8.0
- Learning curve·15%6.8
- Team & security·10%6.5
Weights are fixed for the whole category and published in How we test.
The verdict
Cline is the value play: it is a free client you point at your own model API keys, so the only thing you pay for is tokens. Task completion sits mid-board and the setup asks more of you than the polished leaders, but for a developer who wants agent behaviour without a subscription and with full control of spend, nothing else on the list competes on cost.
Who this is wrong for
- You want a polished, hand-holding onboarding — expect to configure keys yourself.
- You need SSO and enterprise security controls out of the box.
Cline Client — $0
Commission-earning link. Score was locked on 15 Jul 2026, before terms were checked.
The test log
Same 12 tasks run against every agent in this category
| # | Task | Result | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paginate a list endpoint and wire the UI control | Passed | 15m | Got there; a little more back-and-forth than the leaders. |
| 2 | Add integration tests for the checkout flow | Passed | 17m | Solid once the context was set up. |
Showing 2 of 12
Pricing at time of testing
checked 15 Jul 2026Client
$0
What we tested — free client, you pay your model provider directly
What we testedTested by aitools.reviews
Tested · 7.1/10
AI coding agents · Jul 2026
Vendors scoring 7.5+ may embed this badge. It carries the score and the date — and it updates when we re-test.