Comparison · under IB-CODE-2026.2
Claude Code vs Cline
| Claude Code | Cline | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Anthropic | Cline (OSS, Apache 2.0) |
| Pricing | Claude Pro $20/mo; Max $100/mo (5x) or $200/mo (20x); API at $3 / $15 per Mtok (Sonnet 4.6 in/out) | Free extension + API tokens; Teams $20/user/mo for central billing; v3.2 auto-routing reduces typical API spend to $8-12/mo |
| Default model | claude-sonnet-4-6 (Opus 4.6 on flagship tasks) | Model-agnostic with v3.2 auto-routing (picks cheapest capable model per task) |
| CLI surface | ✓ | — |
| Eval status | published · read | queued |
One side evaluated, one side pending
Claude Code has been evaluated under IB-CODE-2026.2: read the Claude Code evaluation →
The other side (Cline) is currently queued . When that eval lands, this page will update to a full head-to-head comparison.
About each tool
Claude Code
Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, GA as of early 2026. Ranked #1 most-loved in the Pragmatic Engineer dev survey (Feb 2026, 15K respondents). Default model is Sonnet 4.6 with Opus 4.6 routing on flagship tasks. The eval anchor for Indie Bench because it's the tool being operated to run …
Cline
Cline is the high-adoption VS Code extension for agentic coding. Large user base, Apache 2.0, model-agnostic. v3.2 (March 2026) auto-routing cuts typical monthly API cost by selecting the cheapest capable model per task. Architectural note: Cline has no standalone CLI binary — evaluations under IB-C…