Is Cline really free?

The sheet lists the pricing model as free and the starting price as Free. It also notes there is no managed pricing tier and you must bring your own API key, which can escalate without per-task budgets.

How much does Conan cost?

Conan's pricing model and starting price are not recorded in the sheet.

Can Conan run on Windows or Linux?

The sheet does not list Conan's supported platforms. Its only stated limitation is that availability is limited to macOS users because it is a native Mac application.

Do both tools support multiple AI models?

Cline's sheet does not specify which models it supports beyond requiring you to bring your own API key. Conan only supports Claude models because it is built specifically on top of Claude Code.

Does Cline have a JetBrains build?

Yes. Cline's listed platforms are vscode-ext, jetbrains-plugin, and cli.

Does Conan have a public repo or docs?

No. The sheet lists 'none listed' for both Conan's public repo and docs.

Cline vs Conan: How They Actually Differ

Pick Cline for a free, open-source agent you can inspect inside VS Code and run on your own API key. Pick Conan if you're on macOS, already use Claude Code's CLI, and want a native graphical cockpit around it.

Compiled 2026-09-04 from our catalogue entries for Cline and Conan.

The short answer

Pick Cline if: You want a free, Apache 2.0 agent that lives inside VS Code (or JetBrains, or your terminal), you don't mind supplying your own API key, and you want plan/act modes with approval-gated terminal execution you can read.
Pick Conan if: You're on macOS, you already use Anthropic's Claude Code CLI, and you'd rather have a native Mac graphical cockpit than interact with that CLI in a terminal.
Cheapest way in: Cline lists Free with no managed tier. You still pay your own API key costs, which the sheet warns can escalate without per-task budgets. Conan's pricing is not recorded.
What we could not compare: Conan's pricing, platforms, public repo, docs, and verified plans are not on file. Anything about Conan's licensing, supported platforms, or plan structure cannot be compared from this sheet.

Cline and Conan are both AI coding agents, but they are built around different jobs. Cline is an open-source autonomous coding agent that runs inside VS Code as an extension, with JetBrains and CLI variants also listed. Conan is a native macOS application that acts as a graphical cockpit over Anthropic's Claude Code CLI.

Because they solve different problems, the choice mostly comes down to your editor, your platform, and whether you want to bring your own API key or wrap a graphical interface around the Claude Code CLI.

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.

	Cline	Conan
Pricing model	Free	Not recorded
Starts at	Free	Not recorded
Runs on	vscode-ext, jetbrains-plugin, cli	Not recorded
Public source code	Yes — public repo	No public repo listed
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 Cline is the better fit

Free, open source under Apache 2.0, with a public repo on GitHub.
Runs as a VS Code extension with no separate app, and also ships as a JetBrains plugin and CLI.
Transparent agent loop you can inspect, plus plan/act modes and approval-gated terminal execution.

Full Cline entry

Where Conan is the better fit

Native macOS application rather than a cross-platform Electron or web wrapper.
Graphical cockpit interface that gives Anthropic's Claude Code CLI a visual front end.
Designed specifically for Claude Code, so the workflow is shaped around that one agent.

Full Conan entry

Which one should you pick?

A solo founder or small team already in VS Code who wants a free, inspectable agent and is fine supplying their own API key.

Cline

It's free, open source under Apache 2.0, runs in VS Code without a separate app, and exposes a transparent agent loop with approval-gated terminal execution.

A macOS developer who already uses Anthropic's Claude Code CLI and prefers a native graphical interface over typing commands.

Conan

It's a native macOS cockpit purpose-built around Claude Code, giving that CLI a graphical front end instead of a terminal session.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cline really free?: The sheet lists the pricing model as free and the starting price as Free. It also notes there is no managed pricing tier and you must bring your own API key, which can escalate without per-task budgets.
How much does Conan cost?: Conan's pricing model and starting price are not recorded in the sheet.
Can Conan run on Windows or Linux?: The sheet does not list Conan's supported platforms. Its only stated limitation is that availability is limited to macOS users because it is a native Mac application.
Do both tools support multiple AI models?: Cline's sheet does not specify which models it supports beyond requiring you to bring your own API key. Conan only supports Claude models because it is built specifically on top of Claude Code.
Does Cline have a JetBrains build?: Yes. Cline's listed platforms are vscode-ext, jetbrains-plugin, and cli.
Does Conan have a public repo or docs?: No. The sheet lists 'none listed' for both Conan's public repo and docs.

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/cline — checked 2026-05-25 · official site
/tools/conan — checked 2026-06-16 · official site

Show the source text

## 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.

## Conan (/tools/conan)
Tagline: A native Mac cockpit for Claude Code
Category: AI Coding Agents
Pricing model: not recorded
Starts at: Not recorded
Platforms: not recorded
Public repo: none listed
Docs: none listed
Verified plans: none on file
Strengths on file: It is a native macOS application rather than a cross-platform Electron or web wrapper.; It functions as a graphical cockpit interface for Anthropic's Claude Code CLI.; It is purpose-built around Claude Code, the agentic coding assistant from Anthropic.
Limits on file: Availability is limited to macOS users because it is a native Mac application.; It only supports Claude models since it is built specifically on top of Claude Code.
Conan is a native macOS application that acts as a graphical cockpit for Anthropic's Claude Code CLI.
It's a native Mac app rather than a cross-platform Electron or web wrapper, and it's purpose-built around Claude Code, the agentic coding assistant from Anthropic — giving that CLI a graphical interface.
It fits Mac users who work with Claude Code and want a native GUI over the command line. It's not for you if you're outside that setup: availability is limited to macOS, and it only supports Claude models since it's built specifically on top of Claude Code. Pricing details are not publicly documented in the available product information.
Among AI coding agents, Conan isn't a standalone agent but a Mac-native front end wrapped around one specific tool, Claude Code.

Change log

2026-09-04 — First published, compiled from the catalogue entries for Cline and Conan.