Cline vs Gemini CLI

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

Also replaces Claude Code: + OpenCode + OpenAI Codex CLI + Zed + OpenHands + goose + Aider

Clinecline/cline

Gemini CLIgoogle-gemini/gemini-cli

Claude Codepaid product

Cost and coverage

Price

$0 software; you run it

Included with Claude Pro ($20/month, or $17/month billed annually), Max (from $100/month), Team and Enterprise; not on the free plan source ↗

Edit code across a repo from the terminal with an AI agent

Partly

Yes

Run commands and tests

Partly

Yes

Use the agent inside VS Code or JetBrains

Partly

Yes

Connect tools and data through MCP

Partly

Yes

Write commits and pull requests

Partly

Yes

Run the agent headless in scripts or CI (GitHub Actions)

Partly

Yes

Jobs covered

6 of 6 jobs

5 of 6 jobs

All 6

Popularity and activity (from GitHub)

Stars

70,739

107,492Top

—

Gain this week

Unknown

—

Signal

Building history

—

Commits / 4 wk

209Top

—

Latest release

desktop-v0.0.48 · 2026-10-17

v0.65.0 · 2026-10-20Top

—

Commits / 12 wk

840

194

—

People committing / 12 mo

Unknown

82+

—

Issues opened / closed, 30 days

271 / 148

123 / 206

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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

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 use

Allowed under Apache-2.0

—

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

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

—

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+

—

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

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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 (as alternatives to Claude Code)
Figures from RepoQuarry, 22 Oct 2026. Sources: https://repoquarry.dev/compare?ids=cline,gemini-cli&product=claude-code

Claude Code: Included with Claude Pro ($20/month, or $17/month billed annually), Max (from $100/month), Team and Enterprise; not on the free plan
Cline: free software; does 6 of 6 Claude Code jobs
Gemini CLI: free software; does 5 of 6 Claude Code 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

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
- Code licence: Cline Apache-2.0 for the repo; the JetBrains plugin is not open source; Gemini CLI Apache-2.0
- 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
- 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
- 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+
- 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

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

Want share images and a ready video description? Open a project's creator kit.

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 ↗

Cline vs Gemini CLI

Stars over time

Notes for a video or post

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