Comparison

Cline vs SWE-agent

On the evidence we track, Cline leads this comparison with a composite score of 66/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
★Cline66
SWE-agent35
Score
vioscaleAI score
Cline66 / 100medium · 56%
SWE-agent35 / 100medium · 57%
Pricing
Free tier
Cline✓
SWE-agent✓
Model
SWE-agentopen_source
Price level
Clinelow
SWE-agentfree
Starting price
Cline$9.99
SWE-agent–
Transparent
Cline✓
SWE-agent✓
Integrations
Count
Cline10
SWE-agent1
Adoption
Dependent repos
Cline811
SWE-agent0
Github stars
Cline70,278
SWE-agent20,555
Activity
Commits last 30d
Cline100
SWE-agent0
Release
Cadence days
Cline–
SWE-agent16
History
SWE-agent10 items
License
Spdx
SWE-agentMIT
Language
Primary
SWE-agentPython
Content
Faq
Cline7 items
SWE-agent4 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for ai coding agents. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capabilities
Architecture model
ClineVs code extension cline
SWE-agentCLI tool aider
Terminal bash execution and self correction loops
Cline✓
SWE-agent✓
Mcp model context protocol integration
Cline-
SWE-agent✗
Bring your own key byok API support
Cline✓
SWE-agent✓
Multi file diff generation and automated apply
Cline✓
SWE-agent✓
Workspace indexing and semantic codebase search
Cline-
SWE-agent✗
Browser automation support for visual qa
Cline✓
SWE-agent✗
Privacy mode zero data retention for enterprise
Cline-
SWE-agent✗
Rag on external documentation urls
Cline-
SWE-agent✗
Local LLM support via ollama or lmstudio
Cline✓
SWE-agent✗
SOC2 type ii
Cline-
SWE-agent✗
Mit or apache permissive oss license
Cline-
SWE-agent-
Pricing model
Clineusage_credits
SWE-agentBring your own key free

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Cline

Leader

A conversational coding agent that integrates into development environments and terminals to automate code generation, file management, and command execution, with all actions requiring explicit user approval

Independently observed

SWE-agent

A research tool that enables language models like GPT-4o or Claude to autonomously identify and fix issues in GitHub repositories or execute custom coding tasks. Built for flexibility and research extensibility by teams at Princeton and Stanford universities.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Cline

Leader
from $9.99/moHybridFree tier

$9.99/month with free model options. Bring Your Own Key alternative available.

  • Cline (usage-billing)$9.99/month
    • 2-5x usage on popular open models vs. standard API rate
    • built-in billing
    • one sign-in
    • free model options
as of verify ↗

SWE-agent

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
macOS
Cline✓
SWE-agent–
Windows
Cline✓
SWE-agent–
Linux
Cline✓
SWE-agent–
CLI
Cline✓
SWE-agent–
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Cline✓
SWE-agent–
Self-hosted
Cline✓
SWE-agent–

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Cline

Leader
11 total
  • Telegram
  • Slack
  • Discord
  • Google Chat
  • WhatsApp
  • Linear
  • GitHub Actions
  • OpenTelemetry
  • Datadog
  • Grafana
  • Splunk
Independently observed

SWE-agent

1 total
  • GitHub
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Cline or SWE-agent: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.