{
  "type": "topreviewed.comparison",
  "version": 1,
  "title": "Claude Code vs Cline",
  "category": "AI coding tools",
  "url": "https://topreviewed.ai/compare/claude-code-vs-cline",
  "json_url": "https://topreviewed.ai/compare/claude-code-vs-cline/data.json",
  "publisher": "TopReviewed.ai",
  "updated_on": "2026-09-24",
  "currency": "USD",
  "value_rules": {
    "bool": "true = the vendor documents the capability. false = the vendor documents that it is absent. null = the vendor's public pages do not document it.",
    "money": "USD per user per month, as listed on the vendor's pricing page.",
    "number": "Plain number in the unit named by the row label.",
    "text": "Short factual phrase taken from the vendor's page."
  },
  "how_to_cite": "Cite as \"TopReviewed.ai — Claude Code vs Cline fact comparison\" with the url above. Each value carries the vendor source_url it was taken from and the date the facts were verified.",
  "products": {
    "a": {
      "slug": "claude-code",
      "name": "Claude Code",
      "also_known_as": [],
      "website": "https://claude.com/product/claude-code",
      "topreviewed_url": "https://topreviewed.ai/products/claude-code",
      "facts_verified_on": "2026-09-24",
      "plans": [
        {
          "name": "Pro",
          "price_annual": 17,
          "price_monthly": 20,
          "unit": "per month",
          "note": "Individual plan; Claude Code included. Annual billing is $200 up front. Usage limits shared with Claude chat.",
          "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing",
          "quote": "$17 Per month with annual subscription discount ($200 billed up front). $20 if billed monthly."
        },
        {
          "name": "Max 5x",
          "price_annual": null,
          "price_monthly": 100,
          "unit": "per month",
          "note": "Individual plan; 5x the usage of Pro per 5-hour session. Billed monthly only.",
          "source_url": "https://claude.com/product/claude-code",
          "quote": "Great value for everyday use in larger codebases. $100 Per month"
        },
        {
          "name": "Max 20x",
          "price_annual": null,
          "price_monthly": 200,
          "unit": "per month",
          "note": "Individual plan; 20x the usage of Pro per 5-hour session. Billed monthly only.",
          "source_url": "https://claude.com/product/claude-code",
          "quote": "Great value for power users with the most access to Claude models. $200 Per month"
        },
        {
          "name": "Team (Standard seat)",
          "price_annual": 20,
          "price_monthly": 25,
          "unit": "per user / month",
          "note": "Teams of 2 to 150; Claude Code included; more usage than Pro. SSO, central billing, usage analytics.",
          "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing",
          "quote": "$20 Per seat / month if billed annually. $25 if billed monthly."
        },
        {
          "name": "Team (Premium seat)",
          "price_annual": 100,
          "price_monthly": 125,
          "unit": "per user / month",
          "note": "5x more usage than Standard seats; seat types can be mixed within one Team plan.",
          "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing",
          "quote": "$100 Per seat / month if billed annually. $125 if billed monthly."
        },
        {
          "name": "Enterprise",
          "price_annual": 20,
          "price_monthly": null,
          "unit": "per user / month + usage at API rates",
          "note": "Seat price plus all usage billed at API rates; billed annually only. Self-serve or sales-assisted (tailored quote). Adds SCIM, audit logs, custom data retention, role-based access.",
          "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing",
          "quote": "US$20/seat/month, billed annually. Usage cost scales with model and task."
        },
        {
          "name": "Claude API (Console)",
          "price_annual": null,
          "price_monthly": null,
          "unit": "pay as you go (per million tokens)",
          "note": "Claude Code billed at standard API token prices through a Claude Console account; no per-seat fee. Listed API prices per million input/output tokens: Haiku 4.5 $1/$5, Sonnet 5 $2/$10, Opus 5.5 $4/$20, Fable 5.1 $10/$50.",
          "source_url": "https://claude.com/product/claude-code",
          "quote": "Pay as you go with standard Claude API pricing. Deploy to unlimited developers with no per-seat fee or platform charges."
        }
      ]
    },
    "b": {
      "slug": "cline",
      "name": "Cline",
      "also_known_as": [],
      "website": "https://cline.bot",
      "topreviewed_url": "https://topreviewed.ai/products/cline",
      "facts_verified_on": "2026-09-24",
      "plans": [
        {
          "name": "Open Source",
          "price_annual": 0,
          "price_monthly": 0,
          "unit": "free; AI inference billed separately (pay as you go)",
          "note": "For individual developers: VS Code extension, CLI, MCP Marketplace, community support. The client is free; model usage is paid per use with Cline credits at cost or with your own provider API keys.",
          "source_url": "https://cline.bot/pricing",
          "quote": "Cline is free for individual developers. Pay only for AI inference on a usage basis - no subscriptions, no vendor lock-in."
        },
        {
          "name": "Enterprise",
          "price_annual": null,
          "price_monthly": null,
          "unit": "custom (contact sales)",
          "note": "Price listed as \"Custom\". Adds JetBrains extension (per the pricing page), SSO, SLA, dedicated support, centralized billing, simple config management, role-based access control, limiting inference providers, team management dashboard and authentication logs.",
          "source_url": "https://cline.bot/pricing",
          "quote": "SSO, SLA & Dedicated Support"
        },
        {
          "name": "ClinePass",
          "price_annual": null,
          "price_monthly": 9.99,
          "unit": "per month",
          "note": "Optional subscription on its own page (not on the pricing page) for curated open-weight models from Z.ai, Moonshot AI, DeepSeek, MiniMax, MiMo and Qwen, with 2-5x the usage of standard API rates; quota measured over a 5-hour rolling window, the calendar week and the calendar month. Only monthly billing is listed. Page footnotes: \"Standard rate $9.99 per month after promotion period\" and \"Additional processing fee may apply\".",
          "source_url": "https://cline.bot/cline-pass",
          "quote": "ClinePass costs $9.99/month. Additional processing fees may apply."
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "summary": {
    "rows_compared": 52,
    "rows_that_differ": 16,
    "advantages": {
      "claude-code": [],
      "cline": [
        "free_plan",
        "cheapest_paid_monthly",
        "local_models",
        "open_source"
      ]
    }
  },
  "rows": [
    {
      "group": "Pricing",
      "key": "free_plan",
      "label": "Free plan",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": false,
        "display": "No",
        "note": "Claude's Free plan does not include Claude Code; Claude Code starts on Pro. The Console route is pay-as-you-go API usage.",
        "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing",
        "quote": "Claude Code No Yes Yes Yes"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "The open-source client is free. Model usage is paid separately: Cline credits (pay as you go) or your own API key with a third-party provider. Local models and limited-time free-model promotions cost nothing.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/pricing",
        "quote": "Cline is free for individual developers. Pay only for AI inference on a usage basis - no subscriptions, no vendor lock-in."
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": "cline"
    },
    {
      "group": "Pricing",
      "key": "free_plan_limits",
      "label": "Free plan limits",
      "type": "text",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": "No free plan",
        "display": "No free plan",
        "note": "Claude's Free plan does not include Claude Code.",
        "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing",
        "quote": "Claude Code No Yes Yes Yes"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": "Client free; AI inference paid separately (Cline credits or own API key); free models only as rotating limited-time promotions up to a usage quota",
        "display": "Client free; AI inference paid separately (Cline credits or own API key); free models only as rotating limited-time promotions up to a usage quota",
        "note": "Free-model usage is not available through the Cline API, and the docs say it \"may be used to help improve model performance and quality\".",
        "source_url": "https://docs.cline.bot/getting-started/free-models",
        "quote": "Cline periodically offers free model promotions that let you try select models at no cost, up to a limited usage quota."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Pricing",
      "key": "free_trial_days",
      "label": "Free trial (days)",
      "type": "number",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages. The plan comparison lists trials only for sales-assisted Enterprise, with no length stated.",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Pricing",
      "key": "trial_requires_card",
      "label": "Trial requires credit card",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Pricing",
      "key": "cheapest_paid_annual",
      "label": "Cheapest paid plan, billed annually (per user / month)",
      "type": "money",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": 17,
        "display": "$17.00",
        "note": "Pro plan, billed annually ($200 up front).",
        "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing",
        "quote": "$17 Per month with annual subscription discount ($200 billed up front)."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages — ClinePass is listed only at $9.99/month; no annual billing is shown.",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Pricing",
      "key": "cheapest_paid_monthly",
      "label": "Cheapest paid plan, billed monthly (per user / month)",
      "type": "money",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": 20,
        "display": "$20.00",
        "note": "Pro plan, billed monthly.",
        "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing",
        "quote": "Per month with annual subscription discount ($200 billed up front). $20 if billed monthly."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": 9.99,
        "display": "$9.99",
        "note": "ClinePass: an optional subscription for curated open-weight models. The Cline client itself is free; the pricing page lists no other paid plan with a price.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/cline-pass",
        "quote": "ClinePass costs $9.99/month. Additional processing fees may apply."
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": "cline"
    },
    {
      "group": "Pricing",
      "key": "top_listed_annual",
      "label": "Highest listed-price plan, billed annually (per user / month)",
      "type": "money",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": 100,
        "display": "$100.00",
        "note": "Team Premium seat. Max 20x ($200/month) costs more but is billed monthly only; Enterprise is $20/seat plus usage at API rates.",
        "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing",
        "quote": "$100 Per seat / month if billed annually. $125 if billed monthly."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages — no plan lists an annual price; Enterprise is custom-priced.",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Pricing",
      "key": "minimum_seats",
      "label": "Minimum paid seats",
      "type": "number",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": 2,
        "display": "2",
        "note": "Team plan is for 2 to 150 seats. Pro and Max are single-user plans.",
        "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing",
        "quote": "For teams of 2 to 150"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Pricing",
      "key": "enterprise_custom_pricing",
      "label": "Custom-priced enterprise plan",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Enterprise lists US$20/seat/month billed annually plus usage at API rates; the sales-assisted route gives a tailored quote.",
        "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing",
        "quote": "You can get started self-serve or contact sales for a tailored quote."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Enterprise plan is priced \"Custom\" with a Contact Sales button.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/pricing",
        "quote": "Custom"
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Platforms",
      "key": "web_app",
      "label": "Web app",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Claude Code on the web (claude.ai/code) runs cloud sessions; Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise premium or Chat + Claude Code seats.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/platforms",
        "quote": "Web: cloud sessions from your browser at claude.ai/code that keep running when you disconnect"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Cline Kanban (research preview) is a browser board served locally after `npx kanban` / `cline --kanban`; no vendor-hosted web IDE is documented.",
        "source_url": "https://docs.cline.bot/cline-overview",
        "quote": "Run many agents in parallel from a web-based task board with per-card worktrees, auto-commit, and dependency chains."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Platforms",
      "key": "windows",
      "label": "Runs on Windows",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "CLI on Windows 10 1809+ or Windows Server 2019+ (native or WSL); Desktop app also on Windows.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup",
        "quote": "Windows 10 1809+ or Windows Server 2019+"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Via the CLI and editor extensions; Cline for Desktop also ships a Windows build (Windows support in beta).",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/cli",
        "quote": "Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Platforms",
      "key": "macos",
      "label": "Runs on macOS",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "macOS 13.0 or later.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup",
        "quote": "macOS 13.0+"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Via the CLI and editor extensions; Cline for Desktop (beta) ships for macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel).",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/cli",
        "quote": "Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Platforms",
      "key": "linux",
      "label": "Runs on Linux",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "CLI on Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 10+, Alpine Linux 3.19+. The Desktop app on Linux is in beta.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup",
        "quote": "Ubuntu 20.04+"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Via the CLI and editor extensions; Cline for Desktop (beta) is listed for macOS and Windows only.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/cli",
        "quote": "Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Platforms",
      "key": "ios",
      "label": "iOS app",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "The Claude app is a client for cloud sessions and Remote Control of local sessions; code does not run on the phone.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mobile",
        "quote": "Start, monitor, and steer Claude Code tasks from your phone with the Claude app for iOS and Android."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Platforms",
      "key": "android",
      "label": "Android app",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "The Claude app is a client for cloud sessions and Remote Control of local sessions; code does not run on the phone.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mobile",
        "quote": "Start, monitor, and steer Claude Code tasks from your phone with the Claude app for iOS and Android."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Platforms",
      "key": "browser_extension",
      "label": "Browser extension",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Claude in Chrome extension (Chrome, Edge, other Chromium browsers) lets Claude Code drive the browser for testing; requires a claude.ai login, not an API key.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/chrome",
        "quote": "Claude Code integrates with the Claude in Chrome browser extension to give you browser automation capabilities from the CLI or the VS Code extension."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Where you code with it",
      "key": "standalone_editor",
      "label": "Own standalone code editor",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Claude Desktop's Code tab: an agent app with a file-editor pane, diff viewer and terminal. Not a full IDE and not a fork of another editor.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop",
        "quote": "drag-and-drop pane layout, integrated terminal and file editor"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": false,
        "display": "No",
        "note": "Cline runs inside existing editors. Cline for Desktop (beta) is a standalone agent app for macOS and Windows, not a code editor.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/desktop",
        "quote": "The Cline coding agent as a native desktop app. No editor required — open a workspace, talk to your agent, and ship."
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Where you code with it",
      "key": "vscode_extension",
      "label": "Extension for VS Code",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Requires VS Code 1.94.0 or later.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/vs-code",
        "quote": "The VS Code extension provides a native graphical interface for Claude Code, integrated directly into your IDE."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Free and open source; installed from the VS Code Marketplace (Open VSX for Windsurf and VSCodium).",
        "source_url": "https://docs.cline.bot/getting-started/installing-cline",
        "quote": "IDE Extension — VS Code, Cursor, JetBrains, Windsurf, VSCodium, Antigravity"
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Where you code with it",
      "key": "jetbrains_plugin",
      "label": "Plugin for JetBrains IDEs",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, Android Studio, WebStorm, PhpStorm, GoLand and others; the plugin runs the CLI in the IDE terminal.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/jetbrains",
        "quote": "Claude Code integrates with JetBrains IDEs through a dedicated plugin, providing features like interactive diff viewing, selection context sharing, and more."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Labelled \"Early Access\". The pricing page lists \"JetBrains Extension\" under Enterprise features, while the IDE page and docs offer it to everyone. Unlike the rest of Cline, the JetBrains plugin is not open source.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/ide",
        "quote": "IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, and the rest."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Where you code with it",
      "key": "cli",
      "label": "Command-line (terminal) agent",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "The CLI is the most complete surface; scripting and the Agent SDK are CLI-only.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview",
        "quote": "The full-featured CLI for working with Claude Code directly in your terminal."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Installed with `npm i -g cline`; interactive, one-shot and headless (CI/CD) modes.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/cli",
        "quote": "Run a coding agent inside your terminal, or launch a Kanban board to orchestrate many of them in parallel."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Where you code with it",
      "key": "other_editors",
      "label": "Other editors supported",
      "type": "text",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": "Cursor, Devin Desktop, Kiro and other VS Code forks (via the VS Code extension); any editor's terminal via the CLI",
        "display": "Cursor, Devin Desktop, Kiro and other VS Code forks (via the VS Code extension); any editor's terminal via the CLI",
        "note": "Cursor has its own install link on the same page.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/vs-code",
        "quote": "The extension also installs in other VS Code forks like Devin Desktop or Kiro."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": "Cursor, Windsurf, VSCodium, Antigravity (extension); Zed, Neovim, Emacs and other ACP clients (via the CLI)",
        "display": "Cursor, Windsurf, VSCodium, Antigravity (extension); Zed, Neovim, Emacs and other ACP clients (via the CLI)",
        "note": "The ACP docs also cover Emacs (agent-shell) and JetBrains AI Assistant, which can run Cline through the CLI with `cline --acp`.",
        "source_url": "https://docs.cline.bot/cline-overview",
        "quote": "Cline works across all major editors: VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, JetBrains (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm), Antigravity, and Zed, Neovim via ACP mode."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Coding assistance",
      "key": "inline_completion",
      "label": "Inline code completion (autocomplete)",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": false,
        "display": "No",
        "note": "Stated for the Desktop app; no Claude Code surface documents as-you-type completion. It works through prompts and agent edits.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop",
        "quote": "Inline code suggestions: Desktop does not provide autocomplete-style suggestions. It works through conversational prompts and explicit code changes."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Coding assistance",
      "key": "agent_mode",
      "label": "Agent that edits across multiple files",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": null,
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/how-claude-code-works",
        "quote": "it searches for relevant files, reads multiple files to understand context, makes coordinated edits across them, runs tests to verify the fix, and commits the changes if you ask."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Plan mode drafts a strategy; Act mode makes the edits, with per-step approval or auto-approve.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot",
        "quote": "Coordinated multi-file changes with linter-aware fixes, diffs, checkpoints, and one-click undo on every step."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Coding assistance",
      "key": "terminal_execution",
      "label": "Agent runs terminal commands",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Asks permission before running commands unless a permission mode allows it.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/how-claude-code-works",
        "quote": "Run shell commands, start servers, run tests, use git"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": null,
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot",
        "quote": "Executes in your terminal and reacts to output as it appears. Long-running dev servers, tests, deploys, all handled live."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Coding assistance",
      "key": "background_agents",
      "label": "Cloud / background agents",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Cloud sessions on Pro, Max and Team, and for Enterprise users with premium or Chat + Claude Code seats; not available through third-party providers.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/claude-code-on-the-web",
        "quote": "The session keeps running after you close your laptop, and you can check on it or steer it from any device."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Runs on your own machines, not in vendor cloud: CLI Zen mode, cron-scheduled agents and parallel Kanban agents run through a local hub process, and headless runs work in CI. Not available in the VS Code or JetBrains extension. No vendor-hosted cloud agents are documented.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/cli",
        "quote": "Fire a task into the background, reclaim your terminal, and pop back in later. Long migrations, refactors, and reviews run while you do other work."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Coding assistance",
      "key": "code_review",
      "label": "Pull request code review",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Managed GitHub PR review is a research preview on Team and Enterprise, billed separately through usage credits (about $15-25 per review). Other plans can review a diff locally with /code-review.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/code-review",
        "quote": "Code Review is in research preview, available for Team and Enterprise subscriptions."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "A GitHub Actions workflow you set up yourself with the Cline CLI, paying only for inference. Not a separate managed review product.",
        "source_url": "https://docs.cline.bot/cli/samples/github-pr-review",
        "quote": "Automatically review Pull Requests with AI using Cline CLI in GitHub Actions."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Coding assistance",
      "key": "codebase_indexing",
      "label": "Codebase indexing / semantic code search",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": false,
        "display": "No",
        "note": "Uses agentic search (file-pattern and regex search) at run time instead of a code index.",
        "source_url": "https://claude.com/product/claude-code",
        "quote": "Claude Code runs locally in your terminal and talks directly to model APIs without requiring a backend server or remote code index."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": false,
        "display": "No",
        "note": "By design, Cline reads files and runs ripgrep-powered search instead of building an index or embeddings.",
        "source_url": "https://docs.cline.bot/enterprise-solutions/overview",
        "quote": "Your code never leaves your environment. Cline processes everything locally - no uploads, no indexing, no training on your data."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Coding assistance",
      "key": "mcp_support",
      "label": "MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": null,
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp",
        "quote": "Claude Code can connect to hundreds of external tools and data sources through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open source standard for AI-tool integrations."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Includes an MCP Marketplace for one-click installs. Enterprise can allowlist MCP servers.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot",
        "quote": "Register custom tools and lifecycle hooks via the SDK. Plug in MCP servers for databases, APIs, and infrastructure."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Coding assistance",
      "key": "custom_rules",
      "label": "Project rules / custom instruction files",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "CLAUDE.md files and .claude/rules/; also reads AGENTS.md.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/how-claude-code-works",
        "quote": "Your CLAUDE.md. A markdown file where you store project-specific instructions, conventions, and context that Claude should know every session."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Also supports global custom instructions and Skills.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot",
        "quote": "Ship .clinerules with your repo to teach the agent your coding standards, architecture, and deployment conventions."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Coding assistance",
      "key": "checkpoints",
      "label": "Checkpoints to roll back agent edits",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Rewind with /rewind or Esc twice. Files changed by Bash commands are not tracked.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/checkpointing",
        "quote": "Claude Code automatically tracks Claude’s file edits as you work, allowing you to quickly undo changes and rewind to previous states if anything gets off track."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Enabled by default; kept in a shadow Git repository separate from your project history.",
        "source_url": "https://docs.cline.bot/core-workflows/checkpoints",
        "quote": "Checkpoints let you undo code changes without losing your conversation. Every time Cline modifies a file or runs a command, it saves a snapshot of your project files."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Models and usage",
      "key": "model_choice",
      "label": "User can choose the AI model",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Switch with /model or claude --model.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/how-claude-code-works",
        "quote": "Multiple models are available with different tradeoffs. Sonnet handles most coding tasks well. Opus provides stronger reasoning for complex architectural decisions."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": null,
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot",
        "quote": "Claude, GPT, Gemini, local Ollama / LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Bring your own key or your own weights."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Models and usage",
      "key": "models_offered",
      "label": "Model families offered",
      "type": "text",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": "Anthropic Claude only: Fable, Opus, Sonnet, Haiku",
        "display": "Anthropic Claude only: Fable, Opus, Sonnet, Haiku",
        "note": "Opus requires a paid plan; Fable draws on usage credits on Pro and 50% of weekly limits on Max. Non-Claude models are not supported.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/model-config",
        "quote": "Claude Code uses model aliases such as fable, opus, sonnet, and haiku"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": "Claude, GPT, Gemini, open-weight models (GLM, Kimi, DeepSeek, MiniMax, MiMo, Qwen), local models, any OpenAI-compatible endpoint",
        "display": "Claude, GPT, Gemini, open-weight models (GLM, Kimi, DeepSeek, MiniMax, MiMo, Qwen), local models, any OpenAI-compatible endpoint",
        "note": "The ClinePass page lists open-weight models from Z.ai (GLM), Moonshot AI (Kimi), DeepSeek, MiniMax, MiMo and Qwen. The pricing FAQ adds provider routes: OpenRouter, AWS Bedrock, GCP Vertex, Groq, Cerebras and Vercel AI Gateway. The docs list 30+ further providers.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot",
        "quote": "Claude, GPT, Gemini, local Ollama / LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Bring your own key or your own weights."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Models and usage",
      "key": "byok",
      "label": "Bring your own API key",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Anthropic Console API key, or your own Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Agent Platform or Microsoft Foundry account; usage billed by that provider.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview",
        "quote": "If you’ve set the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable, Claude Code skips the login prompt and asks you to approve the key instead."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Available on the free open-source plan.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/pricing",
        "quote": "You can bring your own API keys from providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and others."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Models and usage",
      "key": "local_models",
      "label": "Local / self-hosted models",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": false,
        "display": "No",
        "note": "Claude models only, served by the Anthropic API, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Agent Platform or Microsoft Foundry.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/llm-gateway",
        "quote": "doesn’t support routing Claude Code to non-Claude models through any gateway"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": null,
        "source_url": "https://docs.cline.bot/running-models-locally/overview",
        "quote": "Run Cline with local models using Ollama, LM Studio or Atomic Chat."
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": "cline"
    },
    {
      "group": "Models and usage",
      "key": "usage_limits",
      "label": "How paid-plan usage is limited",
      "type": "text",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": "Usage pool shared with Claude chat: limits reset every 5 hours, plus weekly caps; optional usage credits at API rates",
        "display": "Usage pool shared with Claude chat: limits reset every 5 hours, plus weekly caps; optional usage credits at API rates",
        "note": "Max = 5x or 20x Pro usage; Team Premium = 5x Standard. Enterprise and Console usage is billed per token at API rates.",
        "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing",
        "quote": "Every plan has usage limits that reset on a rolling five-hour session window, and paid plans add weekly limits on top."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": "Pay-as-you-go inference credits at model cost, or your own API keys; ClinePass quota measured over 5-hour, weekly and monthly windows",
        "display": "Pay-as-you-go inference credits at model cost, or your own API keys; ClinePass quota measured over 5-hour, weekly and monthly windows",
        "note": "The pricing page lists \"Purchase and Model Inference at Cost or BYOK\". ClinePass ($9.99/month) measures usage against a 5-hour rolling window, the calendar week and the calendar month.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/pricing",
        "quote": "You only pay for AI inference credits when you use AI models. This is usage-based pricing - you pay for what you use, nothing more."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Models and usage",
      "key": "open_source",
      "label": "Open-source client",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": false,
        "display": "No",
        "note": "The public GitHub repo holds issues, changelog, plugins and examples; the client is proprietary.",
        "source_url": "https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/blob/main/LICENSE.md",
        "quote": "© Anthropic PBC. All rights reserved. Use is subject to Anthropic's Commercial Terms of Service."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Apache-2.0. The GitHub README says the JetBrains plugin is not open-sourced.",
        "source_url": "https://github.com/cline/cline",
        "quote": "Apache 2.0 © 2026 Cline Bot Inc."
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": "cline"
    },
    {
      "group": "Privacy and team controls",
      "key": "zero_data_retention",
      "label": "Zero data retention option",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Enterprise only, for qualified accounts; not default and not in the standard Enterprise plan. Anthropic enables it per organization after an eligibility check.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/zero-data-retention",
        "quote": "Zero Data Retention (ZDR) for Claude Code is available to qualified accounts on Claude for Enterprise."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Applies when you use your own API keys and route model calls through infrastructure you control, on any plan including the free one. Your model provider's retention terms still apply. No zero-retention commitment is documented for Cline-managed inference.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/tos",
        "quote": "Cline does not receive or store your input tokens, output tokens, underlying code, or other User Content."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Privacy and team controls",
      "key": "no_training_on_code",
      "label": "Code excluded from model training",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Team, Enterprise, API and cloud-platform use. Free, Pro and Max accounts are used for training when the user's model-improvement setting is on (opt-out).",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/data-usage",
        "quote": "Anthropic does not train generative models using code or prompts sent to Claude Code under commercial terms"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Conditions: Terms §3.5 say third-party AI model providers \"may use User Content for training unless you have explicitly opted out\". The free-models docs say free-model usage \"may be used to help improve model performance and quality\".",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/enterprise",
        "quote": "When you use Cline-managed inference, we see requests only to route them to the model, and your code is never used to train models."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Privacy and team controls",
      "key": "self_hosted",
      "label": "Self-hosted or on-premises deployment",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Self-hosted environments run cloud sessions on your own infrastructure (public beta, Team and Enterprise); model inference still goes to api.anthropic.com. The CLI itself runs locally.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/self-hosted-environments",
        "quote": "Self-hosted environments are in public beta on Team and Enterprise plans and are off by default."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Enterprise. Inference can run through your own Amazon Bedrock, GCP Vertex, Azure OpenAI or local models.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/enterprise",
        "quote": "VPC, on-prem, air-gapped. You control where it runs and how it's configured for maximum security and data sovereignty."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Privacy and team controls",
      "key": "admin_dashboard",
      "label": "Team admin dashboard and usage analytics",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Team and Enterprise at claude.ai/analytics/claude-code (Admins and Owners), and Console for API customers; seat management on Team and Enterprise.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/analytics",
        "quote": "Claude Code provides analytics dashboards to help organizations understand developer usage patterns, track contribution metrics, and measure how Claude Code impacts engineering velocity."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Enterprise plan. The enterprise docs list per-team cost breakdowns, real-time analytics and OpenTelemetry export.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/pricing",
        "quote": "Team Management System & Dashboard"
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Integrations and security",
      "key": "integrations_count",
      "label": "Listed integrations",
      "type": "number",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": 313,
        "display": "313",
        "note": "Plugins in the Claude Marketplace directory filtered to 'Works with: Claude Code' (bundles of tools, skills and MCP integrations); 337 across Claude and Claude Code.",
        "source_url": "https://claude.com/marketplace/plugins?works_with=claude-code",
        "quote": "313 plugins"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": 199,
        "display": "199",
        "note": "MCP server cards in the \"All\" tab of the vendor's public MCP Marketplace (198 distinct names). The page states no total. Servers install through the Cline extension, and any other MCP server can be added by hand.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/mcp-marketplace",
        "quote": "Preview — MCP servers can only be installed through the Cline extension"
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Integrations and security",
      "key": "public_api",
      "label": "Public API",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Agent SDK (CLI, Python and TypeScript packages).",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/headless",
        "quote": "Use the Agent SDK to run Claude Code programmatically from the CLI, Python, or TypeScript."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "TypeScript SDK (@cline/sdk). Also an OpenAI-compatible Cline API for model access and an Enterprise admin REST API.",
        "source_url": "https://docs.cline.bot/cline-overview",
        "quote": "Build AI agents and integrations powered by the same core engine behind the CLI, Kanban, VS Code extension, and JetBrains plugin."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Integrations and security",
      "key": "sso",
      "label": "Single sign-on (SSO)",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Team and Enterprise plans; not on Pro or Max.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/authentication",
        "quote": "Claude for Teams: self-service plan with collaboration features, admin tools, SSO, billing management, and server-managed settings for organization-wide Claude Code configuration."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Enterprise plan. SSO runs through WorkOS (Okta, Entra ID, Google Workspace, generic SAML/OIDC). The pricing FAQ also lists SCIM provisioning.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/pricing",
        "quote": "SSO, SLA & Dedicated Support"
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Integrations and security",
      "key": "two_factor_auth",
      "label": "Two-factor authentication",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Integrations and security",
      "key": "soc2",
      "label": "SOC 2 report",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "SOC 2 Type I and Type II; report available from the Anthropic Trust Center.",
        "source_url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/security",
        "quote": "Learn more and access resources (SOC 2 Type 2 report, ISO 27001 certificate, etc.) at Anthropic Trust Center."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Listed under \"Compliance\" on the vendor Trust Center (Vanta). The Trust Center names no report type or date and offers no downloadable SOC 2 report (resources: Engagement Letter, Code of Conduct).",
        "source_url": "https://trust.cline.bot",
        "quote": "SOC 2"
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Integrations and security",
      "key": "iso27001",
      "label": "ISO 27001 certification",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "ISO 27001:2022; also ISO/IEC 42001:2023.",
        "source_url": "https://support.claude.com/en/articles/10015870-what-certifications-has-anthropic-obtained",
        "quote": "ISO 27001:2022 (Information Security Management)"
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Integrations and security",
      "key": "hipaa",
      "label": "HIPAA compliance offered",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": true,
        "display": "Yes",
        "note": "Enterprise only. Claude Code is under the BAA only when zero data retention is enabled on a qualified account.",
        "source_url": "https://support.claude.com/en/articles/13296973-hipaa-ready-enterprise-plans",
        "quote": "Claude Code is covered under your BAA only with zero data retention (ZDR) enabled, and only on qualified accounts."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Support and company",
      "key": "support_channels",
      "label": "Support channels",
      "type": "text",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": "In-app support messenger (Fin AI bot, then Product Support team) and email",
        "display": "In-app support messenger (Fin AI bot, then Product Support team) and email",
        "note": "No phone or live-chat support. Sales-assisted Enterprise adds customer success at certain spend thresholds.",
        "source_url": "https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9015913-how-to-get-support",
        "quote": "Support is provided in writing through the support messenger and email. We don't offer phone support."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": "Support contact form, email (support@cline.bot), Discord community, GitHub Issues and Discussions; dedicated support and SLA on Enterprise",
        "display": "Support contact form, email (support@cline.bot), Discord community, GitHub Issues and Discussions; dedicated support and SLA on Enterprise",
        "note": "The pricing page lists \"Community Support\" for the open-source plan and \"SLA\" and \"Dedicated Support\" for Enterprise. The Terms give support@cline.bot.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/contact",
        "quote": "Need help with Cline? Our support team is here to assist you."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Support and company",
      "key": "support_24_7",
      "label": "24/7 support",
      "type": "bool",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Support and company",
      "key": "vendor",
      "label": "Vendor (legal entity)",
      "type": "text",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": "Anthropic, PBC",
        "display": "Anthropic, PBC",
        "note": "Contracting entity is Anthropic Ireland, Limited for customers in the EEA, Switzerland and the UK.",
        "source_url": "https://www.anthropic.com/legal/commercial-terms",
        "quote": "“Anthropic” means Anthropic Ireland, Limited if Customer resides in the European Economic Area (“EEA”), Switzerland or UK, and Anthropic, PBC if Customer resides anywhere else."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": "Cline Bot Inc.",
        "display": "Cline Bot Inc.",
        "note": "Terms name Delaware as the governing jurisdiction.",
        "source_url": "https://cline.bot/tos",
        "quote": "The provider of the Service is Cline Bot Inc."
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Support and company",
      "key": "founded_year",
      "label": "Founded",
      "type": "number",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": 2021,
        "display": "2021",
        "note": null,
        "source_url": "https://www.anthropic.com/events/builder-summit-bengaluru",
        "quote": "Founded in 2021, Anthropic is among the fastest growing tech companies in history."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": true,
      "advantage": null
    },
    {
      "group": "Support and company",
      "key": "headquarters",
      "label": "Headquarters",
      "type": "text",
      "claude-code": {
        "value": "San Francisco, California, United States",
        "display": "San Francisco, California, United States",
        "note": "Registered address per the privacy policy, which also states the company is headquartered in the United States.",
        "source_url": "https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy",
        "quote": "Anthropic PBC with a registered address at 548 Market St, PMB 90375, San Francisco, CA 94104 (United States)."
      },
      "cline": {
        "value": null,
        "display": "Not documented",
        "note": "Not documented on vendor pages",
        "source_url": null,
        "quote": null
      },
      "differs": false,
      "advantage": null
    }
  ],
  "verdicts": [
    {
      "buyer": "Developers who want to pay only for what they use",
      "pick": "cline",
      "pick_name": "Cline",
      "reason": "Cline's client is free and open source; you pay for model usage as you go, with Cline credits at cost or your own provider API key. Claude's Free plan does not include Claude Code; it starts on Pro at $17 per month billed annually or $20 monthly, and pay-as-you-go use goes through an Anthropic Console API account.",
      "based_on": [
        "free_plan",
        "byok",
        "usage_limits"
      ]
    },
    {
      "buyer": "Developers who want local or open-weight models",
      "pick": "cline",
      "pick_name": "Cline",
      "reason": "Cline runs with local models through Ollama, LM Studio or Atomic Chat, and offers Claude, GPT, Gemini, open-weight models such as GLM, Kimi, DeepSeek and Qwen, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Claude Code runs Anthropic's Claude models only and does not support routing to other models.",
      "based_on": [
        "local_models",
        "models_offered",
        "model_choice"
      ]
    },
    {
      "buyer": "Teams that need open-source code and air-gapped deployment",
      "pick": "cline",
      "pick_name": "Cline",
      "reason": "Cline is Apache-2.0 open source, except its JetBrains plugin, and its Enterprise plan deploys in a VPC, on-prem or air-gapped, with inference through your own cloud account or local models. Claude Code's client is proprietary, and its self-hosted environments, in public beta on Team and Enterprise, still send model inference to Anthropic.",
      "based_on": [
        "open_source",
        "self_hosted",
        "local_models"
      ]
    },
    {
      "buyer": "Teams buying seats",
      "pick": "claude-code",
      "pick_name": "Claude Code",
      "reason": "Claude Code's Team plan is $20 per seat per month billed annually or $25 monthly, for 2 to 150 seats, with SSO and usage analytics. Cline's team features, including SSO and the admin dashboard, are on its Enterprise plan, which is custom-priced.",
      "based_on": [
        "cheapest_paid_annual",
        "minimum_seats",
        "sso",
        "admin_dashboard"
      ]
    },
    {
      "buyer": "Developers who steer agents from a phone",
      "pick": "claude-code",
      "pick_name": "Claude Code",
      "reason": "Claude Code documents starting, monitoring and steering tasks from the Claude app for iOS and Android, including cloud sessions that keep running after you close your laptop. Cline's background and scheduled agents run on your own machines, and its pages document no mobile app.",
      "based_on": [
        "ios",
        "android",
        "background_agents"
      ]
    },
    {
      "buyer": "Security and compliance buyers",
      "pick": "claude-code",
      "pick_name": "Claude Code",
      "reason": "Both list SOC 2. Claude Code also documents ISO 27001 and HIPAA coverage on qualified Enterprise accounts with zero data retention. Cline's pages document neither; its SOC 2 listing names no report type. Cline states it does not receive or store your code when you use your own API keys.",
      "based_on": [
        "soc2",
        "iso27001",
        "hipaa",
        "zero_data_retention"
      ]
    }
  ]
}