AiRecMark/AI Tools/Coding Agents/Cline (Cline)
RANK #12 IN CODING AGENTS

Cline

verified v2026.9 Tier 2 Contender

Open-source agentic coding extension for VS Code with BYOK

VENDOR: Cline • LICENSE: Open Source / BYOK • SECURITY: Runs locally in VS Code; keys stay with the user; enterprise SSO/RBAC available • LAST BENCHMARK: Verified 2026-09-13
Launch Cline arrow_forward
Empirical Performance Audit

Macro Intelligence Index

83.7 /100 Beta Tier
Relative Velocity
#12 of 55
83.7/100 composite
Archive record
4 recorded features
Source: cline.bot
Output quality
score.dims.quality
source: archive
Output Quality & Reliability (Weighted 25%) 86.0%
correctness and consistency of primary task output. AiRecMark rubric v2
Feature Depth & Integrations (Weighted 20%) 84.0%
breadth of integrations, APIs, and advanced capabilities. AiRecMark rubric v2
Onboarding & Usability (Weighted 15%) 76.0%
onboarding friction, UI clarity, and workflow ergonomics. AiRecMark rubric v2
Runtime Performance & Latency (Weighted 20%) 78.0%
latency, throughput, and stability under load. AiRecMark rubric v2
Price-to-Value Efficiency (Weighted 20%) 92.0%
capability delivered per pricing tier dollar. AiRecMark rubric v2
Low-Level Verification

Quantitative Technical Specification

ISO/IEC 25010 Ref
terminal Runtime & Core Shell
BYOK model access

Use OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or local models via your own keys.

Source: Cline · Verified 2026-09-13
hub Context Indexing Engine
Plan & act approvals

Human-in-the-loop gates for every file edit and command.

Source: Cline · Verified 2026-09-13
device_hub Protocol Specification
MCP support

Extend the agent with Model Context Protocol tools.

Source: Cline · Verified 2026-09-13
smart_toy Model Agility & Routing
Open source

Apache-2.0 licensed; inspect, fork or self-host.

Source: Cline Pricing · Verified 2026-09-13
Market Positioning Matrix

Direct Competitor Radar & Alternatives

Open Full Matrix open_in_new
Tool & Version Score Primary Sweet Spot Entry Pricing Action
C
Cline (Current)
83.7 BYOK model access $0/user Selected
CU
Cursor
94.2 Forked VS Code Agent $20/user/mo Compare vs
WI
Windsurf
91.8 Realtime Collaborative IDE Free / $15 Pro Compare vs
GI
GitHub Copilot
88.1 Enterprise Compliance $10/mo Compare vs
CL
Claude Code
86.1 Terminal & CI/CD Pipelines $17/mo Compare vs
Institutional Synthesis

Analyst Consensus Verdict

“Cline stands out for no token markup — bring your own model keys. Open-source agentic coding extension for VS Code with BYOK anchors its proposition, and AiRecMark's five-dimension audit lands it at 83.7/100 — a pragmatic default for open-Source & Cost-Controlled Teams.”
— AiRecMark Senior Systems Architecture Committee
verified Verified Strategic Strengths
  • ✓ No token markup: — bring your own model keys
  • ✓ Apache-2.0 transparency with: self-host path
  • ✓ Fine-grained human approval: gates (plan/act)
  • ✓ Best Fit: Open-Source & Cost-Controlled Teams
warning Institutional Trade-offs & Headwinds
  • ! Cost and quality: depend on user-supplied models
  • ! No managed free: tier beyond BYOK keys
  • ! :
  • ! Scope: Editorial assessment based on public information; hands-on retest pending.
Total Cost of Ownership

Commercial Tiers

Transparent
Free $0 forever

Entry tier for evaluation and light individual use.

Entry evaluation tier
Most Deployed
Pro $0 user

Free open-source (BYOK) · Enterprise custom (SSO/SLA/RBAC)

Verified 2026-09-13 · cline.bot
Enterprise Custom

Dedicated infrastructure, security review, and compliance support.

SSO / SAML & audit controls
TCO MODEL NOTE: Official pricing: Free open-source (BYOK) · Enterprise custom (SSO/SLA/RBAC). Verified via cline.bot (2026-09-13); overages and enterprise terms bill per the official pricing page.
Archive Record

Recorded Metadata

ARCHIVE SNAPSHOT snapshot 2026-09-13
OFFICIAL SOURCE Source: cline.bot
PRICING CHECKED Snapshot 2026-09-13
SCORING MODEL v2-5dim
RECORDED FEATURES AiRecMark Editorial
Category Standing

Ecosystem Gravity

Category Rank #12 of 55
Best For Best for: Open-Source & Cost-Controlled Teams
Sources: Official docs, cline.bot, community signals N=4 recorded attributes
shield_with_heart AIRECMARK EMPIRICAL PROTOCOL v2.4 • Independent, un-sponsored deterministic evaluation clusters.
All benchmarks executed in sandboxed hypervisors with standardized token latency meters.