Gemini CLI vs Cline vs OpenAI Codex 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.

Gemini CLIgoogle-gemini/gemini-cli

Clinecline/cline

OpenAI Codex CLIopenai/codex

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

5 of 6 jobs

All 6

Popularity and activity (from GitHub)

Stars

107,492

70,739

130,321Top

—

Gain this week

Unknown

—

Signal

Building history

—

Commits / 4 wk

209

892Top

—

Latest release

v0.65.0 · 2026-10-20Top

desktop-v0.0.48 · 2026-10-17

rust-v0.163.0 · 2026-10-15

—

Commits / 12 wk

194

840

3,490

—

People committing / 12 mo

82+

Unknown

377+

—

Issues opened / closed, 30 days

123 / 206

271 / 148

7371 / 1498

—

Facts, with sources on each project page

Runs on my machine?Differs

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

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

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

Hosted by the vendor

Code licenceDiffers

Apache-2.0

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

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) or your own keys; Cline Provider, ClinePass and Cloud Agents 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

Subscription

HardwareDiffers

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

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

Not documented in the README or CLI docs

—

Operating systemsDiffers

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

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

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

—

Setup effortDiffers

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

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

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

—

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.

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

- Gemini CLI: 107,492 GitHub stars, 194 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
- OpenAI Codex CLI: 130,321 GitHub stars, 3,490 commits in 12 weeks, licence Apache-2.0

Where they differ:
- Runs on my machine?: Gemini CLI Yes, the CLI runs in your terminal; the Gemini models themselves run on Google's servers; Cline Yes, in your editor, terminal or desktop app; optional Cloud Agents run in Cline's hosted sandbox; OpenAI Codex CLI Yes, a command-line agent that runs on your computer; cloud models run on OpenAI's servers unless you use --oss
- Code licence: Gemini CLI Apache-2.0; Cline Apache-2.0 for the repo; the JetBrains plugin is not open source; OpenAI Codex CLI Apache-2.0
- Paid services needed?: Gemini CLI A paid service is required since June 18, 2026; the free Google-account tier moved to Antigravity CLI. No local model support; Cline Not required with local models (Ollama, LM Studio) or your own keys; Cline Provider, ClinePass and Cloud Agents 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
- Hardware: Gemini CLI 4GB+ RAM for short sessions, 16GB+ for large codebases; needs Node.js 20+ and an internet connection; Cline No requirements documented for Cline itself (checked 2026-10-21); local models need much more; OpenAI Codex CLI Not documented in the README or CLI docs
- Operating systems: Gemini CLI Windows 11 24H2+, macOS 15+ and Ubuntu 20.04+; 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; OpenAI Codex CLI macOS, Linux and Windows (native PowerShell with a Windows sandbox, or WSL2)
- Setup effort: Gemini CLI Easy; run with npx or install with npm, Homebrew or MacPorts, then sign in or set an API key; Cline Easy; install from the VS Code or JetBrains marketplace, or npm install -g cline, then add a provider key or local model; OpenAI Codex CLI Easy; one-line install script, npm or Homebrew, then sign in with ChatGPT

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. google-gemini/gemini-cli ↗cline/cline ↗openai/codex ↗

Gemini CLI vs Cline vs OpenAI Codex CLI

Stars over time

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