Cline vs Gemini CLI vs goose

Side by side, as alternatives to Cursor. Rows that differ are highlighted; the strongest value in a row is marked. Unknown means no source yet.

Clinecline/cline

Gemini CLIgoogle-gemini/gemini-cli

gooseaaif-goose/goose

Cursorpaid product

Cost and coverage

Price

$0 software; you run it

Free plan with limited AI use; Plus $8/month, Premium $30/month, Super $100/month, Ultra $200/month; third-party models billed separately by usage source ↗

Code in an AI-first editor

Yes

Multi-line tab completion and next-edit prediction

Yes

Let an agent plan and edit across many files

Partly

Yes

Run terminal commands and tests from the agent

Partly

Yes

Ask questions about your whole codebase

Partly

Yes

Connect tools and data through MCP

Partly

Yes

Run agents in the cloud in the background

Partly

Yes

Jobs covered

4 of 7 jobs

3 of 7 jobs

All 7

Popularity and activity (from GitHub)

Stars

70,739

107,492Top

55,514

—

Gain this week

Unknown

—

Signal

Building history

—

Commits / 4 wk

209Top

139

—

Latest release

desktop-v0.0.48 · 2026-10-17

v0.65.0 · 2026-10-20Top

v1.55.0 · 2026-10-16

—

Commits / 12 wk

840

194

657

—

People committing / 12 mo

Unknown

82+

77+

—

Issues opened / closed, 30 days

271 / 148

123 / 206

314 / 237

—

Facts, with sources on each project page

Runs on my machine?Differs

Yes, in your editor, terminal or desktop app; optional Cloud Agents run in Cline's hosted sandbox

Yes, the CLI runs in your terminal; the Gemini models themselves run on Google's servers

Yes, desktop app and CLI run on your computer

Hosted by the vendor

Code licenceDiffers

Apache-2.0 for the repo; the JetBrains plugin is not open source

Apache-2.0

—

Model weights licence

No separate model weights

—

Commercial useDiffers

Allowed under Apache-2.0

Yes, Apache-2.0 allows commercial use

—

Paid services needed?Differs

Not required with local models (Ollama, LM Studio) or your own keys; Cline Provider, ClinePass and Cloud Agents are optional

A paid service is required since June 18, 2026; the free Google-account tier moved to Antigravity CLI. No local model support

Not required with local models (Ollama, LM Studio, Docker Model Runner, Ramalama) or free tiers such as Groq; paid APIs are optional

Subscription

HardwareDiffers

No requirements documented for Cline itself (checked 2026-10-21); local models need much more

4GB+ RAM for short sessions, 16GB+ for large codebases; needs Node.js 20+ and an internet connection

No hardware requirements documented in the README or install docs (checked 2026-10-21)

—

Operating systemsDiffers

Desktop app for macOS and Windows (Windows in beta); the extension runs in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VSCodium and JetBrains IDEs, and the CLI needs Node.js 20+; Linux is not named in the install docs

Windows 11 24H2+, macOS 15+ and Ubuntu 20.04+

Desktop app and CLI for macOS, Linux and Windows; the Windows CLI runs natively in Git Bash, MSYS2 or PowerShell, or in WSL

—

Setup effortDiffers

Easy; install from the VS Code or JetBrains marketplace, or npm install -g cline, then add a provider key or local model

Easy; run with npx or install with npm, Homebrew or MacPorts, then sign in or set an API key

Easy; download the desktop app, or install the CLI with a one-line script or Homebrew, then pick a provider

—

Stars over time

Switch to Growth % to compare projects of different sizes fairly.

The chart appears after a few nightly checks.

Notes for a video or post

A plain summary with today's date and a link to the sources. Check each project page before you publish.

Cline vs Gemini CLI vs goose (as alternatives to Cursor)
Figures from RepoQuarry, 22 Oct 2026. Sources: https://repoquarry.dev/compare?ids=cline,gemini-cli,goose&product=cursor

Cursor: Free plan with limited AI use; Plus $8/month, Premium $30/month, Super $100/month, Ultra $200/month; third-party models billed separately by usage
Cline: free software; does 4 of 7 Cursor jobs
Gemini CLI: free software; does 4 of 7 Cursor jobs
goose: free software; does 3 of 7 Cursor jobs

- Cline: 70,739 GitHub stars, 840 commits in 12 weeks, licence Apache-2.0 for the repo; the JetBrains plugin is not open source
- Gemini CLI: 107,492 GitHub stars, 194 commits in 12 weeks, licence Apache-2.0
- goose: 55,514 GitHub stars, 657 commits in 12 weeks, licence Apache-2.0

Where they differ:
- Runs on my machine?: Cline Yes, in your editor, terminal or desktop app; optional Cloud Agents run in Cline's hosted sandbox; Gemini CLI Yes, the CLI runs in your terminal; the Gemini models themselves run on Google's servers; goose Yes, desktop app and CLI run on your computer
- Code licence: Cline Apache-2.0 for the repo; the JetBrains plugin is not open source; Gemini CLI Apache-2.0; goose Apache-2.0
- Commercial use: Cline Allowed under Apache-2.0; Gemini CLI Allowed under Apache-2.0; goose Yes, Apache-2.0 allows commercial use
- Paid services needed?: Cline Not required with local models (Ollama, LM Studio) or your own keys; Cline Provider, ClinePass and Cloud Agents are optional; Gemini CLI A paid service is required since June 18, 2026; the free Google-account tier moved to Antigravity CLI. No local model support; goose Not required with local models (Ollama, LM Studio, Docker Model Runner, Ramalama) or free tiers such as Groq; paid APIs are optional
- Hardware: Cline No requirements documented for Cline itself (checked 2026-10-21); local models need much more; Gemini CLI 4GB+ RAM for short sessions, 16GB+ for large codebases; needs Node.js 20+ and an internet connection; goose No hardware requirements documented in the README or install docs (checked 2026-10-21)
- Operating systems: Cline Desktop app for macOS and Windows (Windows in beta); the extension runs in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VSCodium and JetBrains IDEs, and the CLI needs Node.js 20+; Linux is not named in the install docs; Gemini CLI Windows 11 24H2+, macOS 15+ and Ubuntu 20.04+; goose Desktop app and CLI for macOS, Linux and Windows; the Windows CLI runs natively in Git Bash, MSYS2 or PowerShell, or in WSL
- Setup effort: Cline Easy; install from the VS Code or JetBrains marketplace, or npm install -g cline, then add a provider key or local model; Gemini CLI Easy; run with npx or install with npm, Homebrew or MacPorts, then sign in or set an API key; goose Easy; download the desktop app, or install the CLI with a one-line script or Homebrew, then pick a provider

Stars show popularity, not quality. Check each project page before publishing.

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Numbers: GitHub, fetched nightly. Facts: read from each project's own documentation, with the source on its page. How we check. cline/cline ↗google-gemini/gemini-cli ↗aaif-goose/goose ↗

Cline vs Gemini CLI vs goose

Stars over time

Notes for a video or post

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