# Cline vs GitHub Copilot

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Cline

| Attribute | Cline | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 68.2 (56% (medium)) | 55.2 (74% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 811 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 66,899 | - |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Cline is a coding agent that integrates into your development environment—editors and CLI—to automate file reading and writing, execute terminal commands, and browse the web while maintaining human approval over every action. It supports both interactive conversation-based development and headless automation for CI/CD workflows. | An artificial intelligence tool that integrates into developer editors and platforms to suggest code completions, answer questions, review code changes, and help with various coding tasks across multiple IDEs and interfaces. |
| features.capabilities | `{"form":"chat_edit","autonomy":"agentic","languages":"All languages supported by underlying LLM models","model_source":"model_agnostic","runs_commands":true,"self_hostable":true,"editor_support":"VS Code, JetBrains (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand), Cursor, Windsurf, Anti","codebase_context":"repo_wide","multi_file_edits":true,"architecture_model":"vs_code_extension_cline","enterprise_controls":true,"bring_your_own_key_byok_api_support":true,"browser_automation_support_for_visual_qa":true,"multi_file_diff_generation_and_automated_apply":true,"terminal_bash_execution_and_self_correction_loops":true}` | `{"form":"autonomous_agent","autonomy":"autonomous","languages":"Multiple languages (including Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, C++, Go, Rub","oss_client":"closed","model_source":"model_agnostic","soc2_type_ii":true,"pricing_model":"per_seat","runs_commands":true,"self_hostable":false,"editor_support":"VS Code, IDEs, CLI, GitHub, chat apps, custom MCP servers","codebase_context":"repo_wide","multi_file_edits":true,"architecture_model":"vs_code_extension_cline","enterprise_controls":true,"zero_data_retention":false,"rag_on_external_documentation_urls":false,"bring_your_own_key_byok_api_support":false,"mit_or_apache_permissive_oss_license":false,"mcp_model_context_protocol_integration":false,"browser_automation_support_for_visual_qa":false,"local_llm_support_via_ollama_or_lmstudio":false,"multi_file_diff_generation_and_automated_apply":true,"privacy_mode_zero_data_retention_for_enterprise":false,"workspace_indexing_and_semantic_codebase_search":true,"terminal_bash_execution_and_self_correction_loops":false}` |
| integrations.count | 5 | 25 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Telegram"},{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"Discord"},{"name":"Google Chat"},{"name":"WhatsApp"},{"name":"Linear"},{"name":"GitHub Actions"},{"name":"OpenTelemetry"},{"name":"Datadog"},{"name":"Grafana"},{"name":"Splunk"}]` | `[{"name":"Render"},{"name":"Linear Code"},{"name":"CodeRabbit"},{"name":"Codemagic CI/CD"},{"name":"Zenhub"},{"name":"Codacy"},{"name":"Codecov"},{"name":"Qlty Cloud"},{"name":"CircleCI"},{"name":"Azure Pipelines"},{"name":"Imgbot"},{"name":"CodeFactor"},{"name":"Rewind Backups"},{"name":"Percy"},{"name":"Argos Visual Testing"},{"name":"AccessLint"},{"name":"Rollbar"},{"name":"Testspace.com"},{"name":"Zube"},{"name":"Codetree"},{"name":"POEditor"},{"name":"Linear"},{"name":"Rewind Backups for GitHub"},{"name":"PR Scheduler"},{"name":"abaplint"},{"name":"Metabob"},{"name":"LovableBot"},{"name":"OpenCode"}]` |
| language.primary | TypeScript | - |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Cline (usage-billing)","summary":"$9.99/month","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":9.99,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Flat monthly subscription with built-in model access offering 2-5x usage on popular open coding models versus standard API rates","contactSales":false},{"free":true,"name":"Bring Your Own Key","description":"Free option using your own API credentials for cloud providers or local LLM runtimes","contactSales":false}],"summary":"From $9.99/month with built-in model access, or free with your own API keys","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://docs.cline.bot/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T13:46:20.230Z","startingPrice":{"amount":9.99,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"subscription|usage","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"GitHub Copilot Individual","features":["Code suggestions","Chat in editor","GitHub.com integration (limited)"],"commitment":"monthly","description":"For individual developers, freelancers, students, educators, and open source maintainers","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"GitHub Copilot Business","features":["Organizational license management","Policy management","IP indemnity"],"commitment":"monthly","description":"For organizations with additional license management and policy controls","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"GitHub Copilot Enterprise","features":["Native GitHub.com integration","Organization knowledge access in GitHub Mobile","Full developer control"],"commitment":"monthly","description":"Native integration with GitHub.com with full enterprise features","contactSales":true}],"addOns":[{"name":"GitHub Advanced Security - Secret Protection","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"active committer","amount":19,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"GitHub Advanced Security - Code Security","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"active committer","amount":30,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Codespaces storage and compute","components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"core-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.18,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB/month"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.07,"currency":"USD"}]}],"currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://github.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T12:41:33.202Z","billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | low |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":9.99,"currency":"USD"}` | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | no |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/v4.1.16","date":"2026-08-26T08:42:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.1.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/sdk/sdk/v0.0.81","date":"2026-08-26T09:38:01Z","type":"stable","version":"sdk/sdk/v0.0.81"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/sdk/sdk/v0.0.80","date":"2026-08-26T08:45:56Z","type":"stable","version":"sdk/sdk/v0.0.80"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/desktop-v0.0.19","date":"2026-08-26T09:31:17Z","type":"stable","version":"desktop-v0.0.19"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/desktop-v0.0.18","date":"2026-08-26T08:16:24Z","type":"stable","version":"desktop-v0.0.18"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/cli-v3.0.60","date":"2026-08-26T09:43:26Z","type":"stable","version":"cli-v3.0.60"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/desktop-v0.0.17","date":"2026-08-25T09:06:31Z","type":"stable","version":"desktop-v0.0.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/sdk/sdk/v0.0.79","date":"2026-08-24T23:01:12Z","type":"stable","version":"sdk/sdk/v0.0.79"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/cli-v3.0.58","date":"2026-08-24T23:07:51Z","type":"stable","version":"cli-v3.0.58"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/v4.1.15","date":"2026-08-23T19:56:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.1.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/v4.1.14","date":"2026-08-23T10:11:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.1.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/v4.1.13","date":"2026-08-22T20:23:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.1.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/sdk/sdk/v0.0.78","date":"2026-08-22T23:58:28Z","type":"stable","version":"sdk/sdk/v0.0.78"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/desktop-v0.0.16","date":"2026-08-22T23:45:18Z","type":"stable","version":"desktop-v0.0.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/cli-v3.0.57","date":"2026-08-23T00:04:14Z","type":"stable","version":"cli-v3.0.57"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/v4.1.12","date":"2026-08-21T22:39:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.1.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/v4.1.11","date":"2026-08-21T05:30:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.1.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/sdk/sdk/v0.0.77","date":"2026-08-21T04:56:35Z","type":"stable","version":"sdk/sdk/v0.0.77"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/sdk/sdk/v0.0.76","date":"2026-08-21T02:39:16Z","type":"stable","version":"sdk/sdk/v0.0.76"},{"url":"https://github.com/cline/cline/releases/tag/desktop-v0.0.15","date":"2026-08-21T05:56:11Z","type":"stable","version":"desktop-v0.0.15"}]` | - |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":2,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=cline&per_page=100","last_12m":2,"max_severity":"CRITICAL"}` | - |

## Capabilities (AI Coding Assistants)

| Capability | Cline | GitHub Copilot |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Form | Chat / edit | Autonomous agent |
| Autonomy level | Agentic | Autonomous |
| **Surface** |  |  |
| Editor / surface support | VS Code, JetBrains (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand), Cursor, Windsurf, Anti | VS Code, IDEs, CLI, GitHub, chat apps, custom MCP servers |
| **AI** |  |  |
| Model source | Model-agnostic (BYO key) | Model-agnostic (BYO key) |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Self-hostable / air-gapped | ✓ | ✗ |
| **Context** |  |  |
| Codebase context | Repo-wide indexing | Repo-wide indexing |
| **Editing** |  |  |
| Multi-file edits | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Agentic** |  |  |
| Runs commands / tools | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Data** |  |  |
| Zero-data-retention option | - | ✗ |
| **Security** |  |  |
| Enterprise controls | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| Language coverage | All languages supported by underlying LLM models | Multiple languages (including Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, C++, Go, Rub |
| **Commercial** |  |  |
| Pricing model | - | Per-seat |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-source client | - | Closed |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T14:45:10.389Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*