Quick Verdict
Decision Matrix (Feb 2026)
- Choose Cline if: You want zero subscription cost, full model flexibility, MCP tool extensibility, and human-in-the-loop approval for every change
- Choose Cursor if: You want the fastest feedback loop, background agents on cloud VMs, predictive Tab completions, and a polished all-in-one IDE
- Use both if: You want Cursor's speed for daily coding and Cline's controlled autonomy for complex, multi-file automation tasks
Cline and Cursor solve different problems. Cline is an open-source autonomous agent (Apache 2.0) that lives inside your existing VS Code setup. Your keybindings, extensions, and themes stay exactly as they are. Cursor replaces VS Code entirely with a proprietary fork that bundles AI features into the editor itself.
The practical difference shows up in two areas: cost model and agent architecture. Cline charges nothing for the extension and lets you bring your own API keys. Cursor charges $20/month for Pro and bundles a credit-based system where premium model usage depletes your monthly pool. For teams of 10, that's $2,400/year in Cursor subscriptions before you write a single line of code.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Cline | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | VS Code extension | VS Code fork (standalone IDE) |
| License | Apache 2.0 (open source) | Proprietary |
| Model Support | Any provider (OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, local) | OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, xAI, Cursor models |
| Inline Completions | No | Yes (Tab model, predictive) |
| Agent Mode | Plan/Act mode, browser automation | Background agents, parallel cloud VMs |
| MCP Support | Full (built-in marketplace) | Limited |
| File Editing | Full file rewrite with diff view | Inline edits, Composer multi-file |
| Terminal Integration | Direct command execution with approval | Integrated terminal |
| Browser Automation | Yes (Computer Use) | No |
| BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) | Yes (primary model) | Yes (optional, credits default) |
| Codebase Indexing | AST analysis, regex search | Vector-based semantic indexing |
| Background Agents | No | Yes (up to 8 parallel, cloud VMs) |
Pricing Breakdown
Cline: Pay-Per-Token
The extension is free. You pay your model provider directly based on token consumption. Some realistic monthly costs:
- Free tier: Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental at $0/million tokens. Zero cost.
- Budget tier: DeepSeek R1 at $0.65/$2.19 per million input/output tokens. A heavy day of coding runs $1-3.
- Premium tier: Claude Sonnet 4 at $3/$15 per million tokens. Expect $10-30/month with active use.
Cline's Teams plan (launching Q2 2026) adds centralized billing and shared contexts for $20/month, with the first 10 seats free.
Cursor: Subscription + Credits
Cursor switched to credit-based billing in June 2025. Your subscription includes a monthly credit pool that depletes based on model usage:
- Hobby (free): Limited agent requests and Tab completions
- Pro ($20/month): Unlimited Tab completions, $20 monthly credit pool for premium models
- Pro+ ($60/month): 3x usage credits
- Ultra ($200/month): 20x usage, priority features
- Teams ($40/user/month): Pro features + SSO, admin controls
Cost Comparison: Solo Developer
A developer using Claude Sonnet 4 for ~4 hours/day:
- Cline: ~$15-25/month (API costs only)
- Cursor Pro: $20/month + potential overage when credits run out
At the solo level, costs are similar. The difference shows at team scale, where Cline's 10 free seats provide a significant advantage.
Agent Capabilities
Cline: Plan/Act + MCP Tools
Cline operates in two modes. Plan mode turns the agent into an architect: it gathers information, reads files, runs regex searches across your project, and designs a solution without modifying anything. Act mode executes the plan step by step, presenting diffs for each file change and requiring approval before proceeding.
The MCP integration is where Cline pulls ahead of most competitors. You can extend capabilities by asking Cline to "add a tool" and it handles everything: creating a new MCP server, configuring it, and installing it into the extension. Community-built MCP tools cover databases, deployment pipelines, Slack notifications, and more.
Browser automation via Claude's Computer Use lets Cline launch a browser, click elements, type text, and capture screenshots at each step. This enables interactive debugging and end-to-end testing directly from the agent.
Cursor: Background Agents + Parallel Execution
Cursor 2.0 (February 2026) introduced cloud-based background agents. Each agent runs on its own VM with a full development environment, using git worktrees to prevent file conflicts. You can run up to 8 agents in parallel on a single prompt.
Subagents can now run asynchronously. The parent agent continues working while subagents handle subtasks in the background. Subagents can also spawn their own subagents, creating a tree of coordinated work.
Cursor's Composer model (their own ultra-fast coding model) powers an agent-centric interface where agents, plans, and runs are first-class objects. The result: you can describe a feature, watch multiple agents build different parts simultaneously, and review the combined output.
Cline: MCP Extensibility
Add custom tools on the fly. Community marketplace with database connectors, deployment tools, and browser automation. No equivalent in Cursor.
Cursor: Cloud VM Agents
Background agents run on dedicated VMs with full dev environments. Up to 8 parallel agents with git worktree isolation. No equivalent in Cline.
Context Windows
Both tools inherit context windows from their underlying models. Cline with Claude Sonnet 4 gets a 1M token context window. Cursor's default model also supports large contexts, and Cursor adds vector-based codebase indexing on top.
Cline manages context differently. It tracks window usage internally and knows when it's approaching limits where performance degrades (typically past ~50% usage). When approaching the limit, Cline can automatically spawn new tasks using its internal new_task tool, carrying forward relevant context while freeing memory.
Cursor relies on its semantic codebase index. When you ask a question, Cursor searches its vector index for relevant files and includes them in context automatically. This means you rarely need to manually specify which files to include, but you also have less visibility into what the model is seeing.
| Context Feature | Cline | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| Max Context (Claude Sonnet 4) | 1M tokens | 1M tokens |
| Codebase Indexing | AST + regex search | Vector-based semantic index |
| Context Tracking | Visual progress bar, auto-spawn new tasks | Auto-compression at 95% usage |
| File Discovery | Manual + agent-driven exploration | Automatic via semantic search |
| Memory Across Sessions | Hierarchical markdown files (.clinerules) | Notepad + project-level rules |
When Cline Wins
Cost-Sensitive Teams
Zero subscription fee. 10 free team seats. Pay only for API tokens. A team of 10 saves $4,800/year vs Cursor Teams ($40/user/month).
Model Flexibility
Supports more providers than any competitor: OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, AWS Bedrock, Azure, GCP Vertex, Cerebras, Groq, and local models via Ollama.
Audit-Critical Workflows
Every file change and command requires explicit approval. Plan mode lets you review the full strategy before any execution. Essential for regulated industries.
Custom Tooling via MCP
Built-in marketplace for MCP tools. Ask Cline to add a tool and it creates, configures, and installs the MCP server automatically. Browser automation included.
When Cursor Wins
Raw Speed
45 seconds vs 90 seconds on equivalent React component tasks. Predictive Tab completions feel instant. Background agents eliminate wait time entirely.
Parallel Background Agents
Up to 8 agents running on cloud VMs simultaneously. Git worktree isolation prevents conflicts. Subagents spawn their own subagents for complex trees of work.
All-in-One IDE
No configuration required. Models, indexing, completions, and agents all bundled. Onboarding a new team member takes minutes, not hours.
Inline Completions
Cursor's Tab model provides predictive, multi-line inline suggestions as you type. Cline has no equivalent. This alone makes Cursor faster for everyday coding.
Decision Framework
| Priority | Best Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest cost | Cline | Free extension, BYOK, 10 free team seats |
| Fastest feedback | Cursor | Tab completions, 2x faster task completion, background agents |
| Maximum model choice | Cline | 15+ providers including local models |
| Enterprise compliance | Cline | Open source, full audit trail, approval-gated changes |
| Team onboarding speed | Cursor | Zero config, bundled models, familiar IDE feel |
| Custom tool integration | Cline | MCP marketplace, browser automation, auto-install |
| Parallel workloads | Cursor | 8 cloud VM agents, async subagents, git worktree isolation |
| VS Code ecosystem | Cline | Keeps your existing VS Code setup, extensions, keybindings |
The optimal setup for many teams is running both. Install Cline inside Cursor (it works as a standard VS Code extension in the fork) to get Cursor's inline completions and background agents alongside Cline's MCP tools and approval workflows.
Whichever tool you pick, the underlying model quality matters most for complex edits. Morph Compact Attention improves long-context accuracy for both tools, and WarpGrep provides fast semantic codebase search that complements either agent's file discovery capabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cline or Cursor better for coding in 2026?
Cursor is faster (45s vs 90s on equivalent tasks) and ships background agents on cloud VMs. Cline is free, open source, and gives you full control over model selection and API costs. Cursor excels at speed and polish. Cline excels at autonomy, auditability, and multi-file project intelligence. Many developers run both.
Is Cline really free?
The extension is 100% free under Apache 2.0. You pay only for AI inference through your own API keys. Free models like Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental cost nothing. Premium models like Claude Sonnet 4 cost $3/$15 per million input/output tokens. There is no subscription fee for the extension itself.
Can I use Cline inside Cursor?
Yes. Since Cursor is a VS Code fork, Cline installs as a standard extension. Some developers use Cursor's native completions for inline suggestions and Cline for autonomous agent tasks within the same editor.
What models does Cline support?
Cline supports 15+ providers: OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, AWS Bedrock, Azure, GCP Vertex, Cerebras, Groq, and local models via LM Studio or Ollama. You can switch between models at any time.
Does Cursor have background agents?
Yes. Cursor 2.0 (February 2026) ships background agents running on cloud VMs with full development environments. Up to 8 agents work in parallel using git worktree isolation. Subagents run asynchronously and can spawn their own subagents.
How does Cline handle file approvals?
Cline uses human-in-the-loop design. Every file change and terminal command requires explicit approval. Plan mode lets the agent analyze without modifying anything. Auto-approve settings let you selectively bypass for routine actions. YOLO mode auto-approves everything.
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