Gemini CLI 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.

Gemini CLIgoogle-gemini/gemini-cli

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

107,492

130,321Top

70,739

—

Gain this week

Unknown

—

Signal

Building history

—

Commits / 4 wk

892Top

209

—

Latest release

v0.65.0 · 2026-10-20Top

rust-v0.163.0 · 2026-10-15

desktop-v0.0.48 · 2026-10-17

—

Commits / 12 wk

194

3,490

840

—

People committing / 12 mo

82+

377+

Unknown

—

Issues opened / closed, 30 days

123 / 206

7371 / 1498

271 / 148

—

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, 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 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 (--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

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

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

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

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.

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 OpenAI Codex CLI vs Cline (as alternatives to Claude Code)
Figures from RepoQuarry, 22 Oct 2026. Sources: https://repoquarry.dev/compare?ids=gemini-cli,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
Gemini CLI: 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

- Gemini CLI: 107,492 GitHub stars, 194 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?: Gemini CLI Yes, the CLI runs in your terminal; the Gemini models themselves run on Google's servers; 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: Gemini CLI Apache-2.0; OpenAI Codex CLI Apache-2.0; Cline Apache-2.0 for the repo; the JetBrains plugin is not open source
- 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; 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: Gemini CLI 4GB+ RAM for short sessions, 16GB+ for large codebases; needs Node.js 20+ and an internet connection; 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: Gemini CLI Windows 11 24H2+, macOS 15+ and Ubuntu 20.04+; 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: Gemini CLI Easy; run with npx or install with npm, Homebrew or MacPorts, then sign in or set an API key; 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. google-gemini/gemini-cli ↗openai/codex ↗cline/cline ↗

Gemini CLI vs OpenAI Codex CLI vs Cline

Stars over time

Notes for a video or post

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