Can Claude Code use GPT or Gemini?

The sheet says it is locked to Anthropic models — no GPT or Gemini support out of the box.

Does Cline ship with a managed paid plan?

No verified plans are on file for Cline. The sheet notes it requires bringing your own API key with no managed pricing tier.

Where can each one be installed?

Claude Code is listed for web, mac, win, linux, cli, vscode-ext, and jetbrains-plugin. Cline is listed for vscode-ext, jetbrains-plugin, and cli.

Claude Code vs Cline: How They Actually Differ

Claude Code fits a terminal-first developer who wants Anthropic's managed Pro and Max tiers, native MCP, and workflow primitives. Cline fits a VS Code user who wants an open-source, inspectable agent and is happy to bring their own API key.

Compiled 2026-08-27 from our catalogue entries for Claude Code and Cline.

The short answer

Pick Claude Code if: You want a terminal-based agent with managed Anthropic pricing — Free $0, Pro from $17/month, Max from $100/month — and native MCP support as both client and server.
Pick Cline if: You work primarily in VS Code or JetBrains, want an Apache 2.0 open-source agent with a loop you can inspect, and will supply your own API key.
Cheapest way in: Claude Code has a documented Free $0 tier. Cline is free to install, but the sheet notes no managed pricing tier — running cost depends on the API key you supply.
What we could not compare: Verified plans and docs are not on file for Cline, and docs are not listed for Claude Code either, so deeper feature detail beyond the sheet cannot be verified.

Both Claude Code and Cline are AI coding agents aimed at developers, but they sit at opposite ends of the managed-service-versus-open-tool trade-off. Claude Code is Anthropic's official terminal agent with published paid tiers; Cline is a free, open-source VS Code extension that runs on top of an API key you supply.

The choice comes down to where you work, how you want to pay, and whether model lock-in matters. Claude Code is paid and locked to Anthropic models. Cline is free to install, but its running cost depends on the API provider you connect, and the sheet warns that cost can escalate quickly without per-task budgets.

Side by side

Every cell is a field on our catalogue entry for that tool, copied as recorded. Rows where the two differ come first; blank fields say so rather than being filled in.

	Claude Code	Cline
Pricing model	Paid	Free
Starts at	Free — $0	Free
Runs on	web, mac, win, linux, cli, vscode-ext, jetbrains-plugin	vscode-ext, jetbrains-plugin, cli
Public source code	No public repo listed	Yes — public repo
Category	AI Coding Agents	AI Coding Agents
Public docs	Not listed	Not listed

Public source code: From the repository link on each catalogue entry, not a licence audit.

Where Claude Code is the better fit

First-class support for Anthropic Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku.
MCP server protocol is natively supported as both client and server.
Skills, hooks, and slash commands let teams encode workflow primitives.

Full Claude Code entry · Claude Code pricing, verified

Where Cline is the better fit

Runs inside VS Code as an extension, with no separate app to install.
Open source under Apache 2.0 with a transparent agent loop you can inspect.
Supports plan/act modes and approval-gated terminal execution.

Full Cline entry

Which one should you pick?

Solo developer comfortable in the terminal with a small budget

Claude Code

A Free $0 tier is listed, and Pro and Max give first-class Anthropic model support with native MCP and workflow primitives.

Small team that lives in VS Code and already has an API key

Cline

Free Apache 2.0 extension with plan/act modes and approval-gated terminal execution, no separate app to install.

Builder who wants to read the agent's source code

Cline

Public repo under Apache 2.0 means the agent loop is open and inspectable.

Frequently asked questions

Can Claude Code use GPT or Gemini?: The sheet says it is locked to Anthropic models — no GPT or Gemini support out of the box.
Does Cline ship with a managed paid plan?: No verified plans are on file for Cline. The sheet notes it requires bringing your own API key with no managed pricing tier.
Where can each one be installed?: Claude Code is listed for web, mac, win, linux, cli, vscode-ext, and jetbrains-plugin. Cline is listed for vscode-ext, jetbrains-plugin, and cli.

What we compared

This page states nothing that is not in the two catalogue entries below. The exact text used to write it is reproduced here so you can check our reading, and both tools link through to their own pages and to the vendor.

/tools/claude-code — checked 2026-05-25 · official site
/tools/cline — checked 2026-05-25 · official site

Show the source text

## Claude Code (/tools/claude-code)
Tagline: Anthropic's official CLI agent for Claude — runs in the terminal, edits files, executes commands, and ships PRs.
Category: AI Coding Agents
Pricing model: paid
Starts at: Free — $0
Platforms: web, mac, win, linux, cli, vscode-ext, jetbrains-plugin
Public repo: none listed
Docs: none listed
Verified plans (read 2026-08-24): Free $0 | Pro $17 / month with annual subscription discount, or $20 if billed monthly | Max (5x or 20x) From $100 / month
Strengths on file: First-class support for Anthropic Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku.; MCP server protocol is natively supported as both client and server.; Skills, hooks, and slash commands let teams encode workflow primitives.
Limits on file: Locked to Anthropic models — no GPT or Gemini support out of the box.; Terminal-first UX has a learning curve for developers expecting an IDE.
Claude Code is Anthropic's official command-line agent for Claude — it runs in the terminal, edits files, executes commands, and ships pull requests.
Its strength is depth on Claude and extensibility: first-class support for Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku, native MCP as both client and server, and skills, hooks, and slash commands that let teams encode their own workflow primitives.
It's for developers comfortable in the terminal who want an agent that acts, not just autocompletes. Two trade-offs: it's locked to Anthropic models — no GPT or Gemini out of the box — and the terminal-first UX has a learning curve if you're expecting an IDE.
In the stack it's the terminal-first agent next to IDE-native Cursor and the open, model-agnostic Aider.

## Cline (/tools/cline)
Tagline: Open-source autonomous coding agent for VS Code, formerly known as Claude Dev.
Category: AI Coding Agents
Pricing model: free
Starts at: Free
Platforms: vscode-ext, jetbrains-plugin, cli
Public repo: https://github.com/cline/cline
Docs: none listed
Verified plans: none on file
Strengths on file: Runs inside VS Code as an extension, no separate app to install.; Open source under Apache 2.0; transparent agent loop you can inspect.; Supports plan/act modes and approval-gated terminal execution.
Limits on file: Requires bringing your own API key — no managed pricing tier.; Cost can escalate quickly without per-task budgets.
Cline is an open-source autonomous coding agent that runs inside VS Code — formerly known as Claude Dev.
Its draw is transparency in a familiar editor: it's a VS Code extension with no separate app, open source under Apache 2.0 with an agent loop you can inspect, and it supports plan/act modes with approval-gated terminal execution.
It's for VS Code users who want an inspectable agent with a human in the loop. Two caveats: it needs your own API key — there's no managed pricing tier — and cost can escalate quickly without per-task budgets.
It's the in-VS-Code, open option next to terminal agents like Aider and Claude Code.

Change log

2026-08-27 — First published, compiled from the catalogue entries for Claude Code and Cline.