Continue vs OpenAI Codex CLI vs Cline

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.

Continuecontinuedev/continue

OpenAI Codex CLIopenai/codex

Clinecline/cline

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

5 of 6 jobs

6 of 6 jobs

All 6

Popularity and activity (from GitHub)

Stars

36,290

130,321Top

70,739

—

Gain this week

Unknown

—

Signal

Building history

—

Commits / 4 wk

892Top

209

—

Latest release

v2.0.0-vscode · 2026-06-19

rust-v0.163.0 · 2026-10-15

desktop-v0.0.48 · 2026-10-17Top

—

Commits / 12 wk

3,490

840

—

People committing / 12 mo

78+

377+

Unknown

—

Issues opened / closed, 30 days

28 / 192

7371 / 1498

271 / 148

—

Facts, with sources on each project page

Runs on my machine?Differs

Yes, runs inside your IDE or terminal on your own machine

Yes, a command-line agent that runs on your computer; cloud models run on OpenAI's servers unless you use --oss

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

Hosted by the vendor

Code licenceDiffers

Apache-2.0

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

—

Model weights licence

No separate model weights

—

Commercial useDiffers

Apache-2.0 allows commercial use

Allowed under Apache-2.0

—

Paid services needed?Differs

Not required with local models via Ollama; cloud model API keys are optional

Not required with local models (--oss with Ollama or LM Studio) or the limited ChatGPT Free plan; paid ChatGPT plans and OpenAI API keys are optional

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

Subscription

HardwareDiffers

No stated needs for the extension or CLI; the Ollama guide asks for 8GB RAM minimum (16GB+ recommended) for local models

Not documented in the README or CLI docs

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

—

Operating systemsDiffers

Windows, macOS and Linux (VS Code and JetBrains); the CLI shell installer is macOS/Linux, npm install elsewhere

macOS, Linux and Windows (native PowerShell with a Windows sandbox, or WSL2)

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

—

Setup effortDiffers

Easy; install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace, then add a model

Easy; one-line install script, npm or Homebrew, then sign in with ChatGPT

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

—

Stars over time

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

Continue
OpenAI Codex CLI
Cline

Focus a point, use arrow keys, or tap for its value.

Tracked daily since 22 Oct 2026. Dashed history: estimated from public records of when people starred the repo. Lines connect observations only; gaps contain no measured points.

Growth % starts at each project's first observed point in the shown range. Zero-star starts are unavailable.

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.

Continue vs OpenAI Codex CLI vs Cline (as alternatives to Claude Code)
Figures from RepoQuarry, 22 Oct 2026. Sources: https://repoquarry.dev/compare?ids=continue,codex-cli,cline&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
Continue: free software; does 5 of 6 Claude Code jobs
OpenAI Codex CLI: free software; does 5 of 6 Claude Code jobs
Cline: free software; does 6 of 6 Claude Code jobs

- Continue: 36,290 GitHub stars, 0 commits in 12 weeks, licence Apache-2.0
- OpenAI Codex CLI: 130,321 GitHub stars, 3,490 commits in 12 weeks, licence Apache-2.0
- Cline: 70,739 GitHub stars, 840 commits in 12 weeks, licence Apache-2.0 for the repo; the JetBrains plugin is not open source

Where they differ:
- Runs on my machine?: Continue Yes, runs inside your IDE or terminal on your own machine; OpenAI Codex CLI Yes, a command-line agent that runs on your computer; cloud models run on OpenAI's servers unless you use --oss; Cline Yes, in your editor, terminal or desktop app; optional Cloud Agents run in Cline's hosted sandbox
- Code licence: Continue Apache-2.0; OpenAI Codex CLI Apache-2.0; Cline Apache-2.0 for the repo; the JetBrains plugin is not open source
- Commercial use: Continue Apache-2.0 allows commercial use; OpenAI Codex CLI Allowed under Apache-2.0; Cline Allowed under Apache-2.0
- Paid services needed?: Continue Not required with local models via Ollama; cloud model API keys are optional; OpenAI Codex CLI Not required with local models (--oss with Ollama or LM Studio) or the limited ChatGPT Free plan; paid ChatGPT plans and OpenAI API keys are optional; Cline Not required with local models (Ollama, LM Studio) or your own keys; Cline Provider, ClinePass and Cloud Agents are optional
- Hardware: Continue No stated needs for the extension or CLI; the Ollama guide asks for 8GB RAM minimum (16GB+ recommended) for local models; OpenAI Codex CLI Not documented in the README or CLI docs; Cline No requirements documented for Cline itself (checked 2026-10-21); local models need much more
- Operating systems: Continue Windows, macOS and Linux (VS Code and JetBrains); the CLI shell installer is macOS/Linux, npm install elsewhere; OpenAI Codex CLI macOS, Linux and Windows (native PowerShell with a Windows sandbox, or WSL2); 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
- Setup effort: Continue Easy; install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace, then add a model; OpenAI Codex CLI Easy; one-line install script, npm or Homebrew, then sign in with ChatGPT; Cline Easy; install from the VS Code or JetBrains marketplace, or npm install -g cline, then add a provider key or local model

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. continuedev/continue ↗openai/codex ↗cline/cline ↗

Continue vs OpenAI Codex CLI vs Cline

Stars over time

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