Cline vs Roo Code
Compare Cline and Roo Code by workflow, pricing, privacy, model support, and best use cases.
Cline
Choose Cline when you want an open-source, human-approved coding agent inside your existing editor and terminal with strong model flexibility and MCP extensibility. Choose a hosted AI IDE if you want predictable bundled pricing and a polished all-in-one editor, or a CLI agent if you prefer terminal-only Git workflows.
Roo Code
Choose Roo Code when you want a powerful, open-source VS Code agent with modes, MCP, provider flexibility, local-model options, and deep customization. Choose a hosted AI IDE or CLI agent instead if you want simpler billing, a more polished all-in-one editor, or a terminal-only Git workflow.
Key Differences
Workflow
Cline is an open-source, model-flexible AI coding agent for developers who want agentic file editing, command execution, browser use, MCP tools, and human-in-the-loop control inside existing development environments.
Roo Code is a powerful open-source VS Code coding agent for developers who want model choice, deep customization, local control, and multi-step agentic workflows inside their editor.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Cline | Roo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Primary workflow | Cline is an open-source, model-flexible AI coding agent for developers who want agentic file editing, command execution, browser use, MCP tools, and human-in-the-loop control inside existing development environments. | Roo Code is a powerful open-source VS Code coding agent for developers who want model choice, deep customization, local control, and multi-step agentic workflows inside their editor. |
| Type | extension | extension |
| Editor base | VS Code | VS Code |
| Pricing model | open-source | open-source |
| Starting price | $0 | $0 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Local models | Yes | Yes |
| BYOK | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, JetBrains IDEs, CLI, macOS, Windows, Linux, Antigravity, Zed, Neovim via ACP mode, Cline SDK, Kanban | VS Code, VS Code-compatible editors, macOS, Windows, Linux, Local development environments, Roomote cloud agent workflows |
| Models | Cline Provider, Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, AWS Bedrock, GCP Vertex, Groq, Cerebras, Vercel AI Gateway, DeepSeek, Local models, OpenAI-compatible providers | Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Requesty, Google Gemini, Google Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock, MiniMax, Cerebras, Moonshot AI, Chutes AI, Ollama, LM Studio, OpenAI-compatible providers |
| Enterprise features | JetBrains extension, SSO, SLA, Dedicated support, Centralized billing, Simple configuration management, Role-based access control, Limit inference providers, Team management dashboard, Authentication logs, Advanced configuration management, Fine-grained permissioning, OpenTelemetry, Datadog integration, Grafana integration, Splunk integration, API access for enterprise features | Open-source self-managed usage, Custom modes for team roles, .roorules project guidance, Skills for reusable workflows, MCP integrations, Local model option, BYOK provider control, Semantic codebase indexing, Roomote cloud-agent workflow for Slack, GitHub, logs, tickets, and PR handoff |
| Best for | VS Code users who want an open-source coding agent, Developers who want BYOK model control, Teams experimenting with MCP tools, Multi-file refactoring, Test-driven bug fixing, Browser-assisted UI debugging, Terminal-driven development, Local and self-hosted model experiments, Developers who want a human-approved agent instead of fully autonomous changes, Teams building custom workflows on an agent SDK | VS Code users who want an open-source AI coding agent, Developers who want provider choice and BYOK control, Multi-file refactoring, Debugging and test repair, Architecture planning with dedicated modes, Custom workflow automation, MCP-connected development tasks, Local model experiments, Large codebases that benefit from semantic indexing, Teams that want project-specific rules and custom agent personas |
| Not best for | Users who want a simple fixed-price AI IDE subscription, Developers whose main need is inline autocomplete, Non-technical users looking for prompt-to-app web builders, Teams that cannot allow AI tools to run terminal commands, Organizations that need turnkey enterprise controls without custom setup, Users who do not want to manage API keys, inference credits, provider choice, or local models | Users who want a fully managed fixed-price AI IDE, Developers whose main need is inline autocomplete, Non-technical users looking for prompt-to-app builders, Teams that cannot allow agentic tools to run terminal commands, Users who do not want to manage API keys or provider billing, Workflows that require enterprise governance out of the box without custom setup |
Use Case Winners
Both Cline and Roo Code have comparable signals here.
Both Cline and Roo Code have comparable signals here.
Cline lists more team or enterprise controls.
Both Cline and Roo Code have comparable signals here.
Roo Code supports more model/provider options or BYOK-style workflows.
Both Cline and Roo Code have comparable signals here.
Pricing Comparison
Cline
- Open Source$0
Free for individual developers. Use the open-source extension, CLI, and supported local workflows; pay only for model inference.
- Cline ProviderUsage-based
Unified billing through Cline with credits and supported hosted models, including free model options where available.
- Bring Your Own KeyUsage-based
Use your own API keys from providers such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, AWS Bedrock, Vertex AI, Groq, Cerebras, Vercel AI Gateway, DeepSeek, and others.
- Local Models$0
Run local or self-hosted models where supported; actual cost depends on local hardware and chosen model.
- EnterpriseCustom
Adds JetBrains support, SSO, SLA, dedicated support, centralized billing, RBAC, team management, provider controls, authentication logs, and advanced configuration options.
Roo Code
- Roo Code Extension$0
Free and open-source VS Code extension. Users pay only for the model provider or infrastructure they choose.
- Bring Your Own API KeyUsage-based
Use external inference providers such as Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Requesty, Google, and others; costs depend on provider token pricing.
- Local Models$0
Use local models through supported setups such as Ollama or LM Studio; actual cost depends on local hardware.
- Codebase IndexingUsage-based
Optional semantic indexing may require embedding API usage and a Qdrant vector database; cost depends on repository size.
- Roomote Cloud Agent$899 / month
Cloud agent product made by the creators of Roo Code; priced per parallel Roomote after a 7-day trial with included token allowance.
Privacy & Security
Cline
Cline runs client-side in the user’s development environment, but prompts, code context, terminal output, browser data, and tool results may be sent to the selected model provider or Cline Provider depending on configuration. Cline’s terms say telemetry data may include non-code metadata and is enabled by default but can be disabled in extension settings. BYOK privacy depends on the selected third-party provider, so users should avoid exposing secrets, customer data, private keys, production credentials, or regulated data through prompts, terminal output, browser sessions, MCP tools, or local files included in context.
Roo Code
Roo Code runs locally inside the developer’s VS Code environment, but prompts, file context, terminal output, MCP tool results, embeddings, and generated edits may be sent to whichever model or embedding provider the user configures. Local-model setups reduce external data exposure, while BYOK setups inherit the privacy and retention terms of the selected provider. Users should avoid exposing secrets, credentials, production data, customer data, private keys, or sensitive terminal output, and should be especially cautious with auto-approval, web browsing, MCP servers, and untrusted repositories.
Choose Cline if...
- VS Code users who want an open-source coding agent
- Developers who want BYOK model control
- Teams experimenting with MCP tools
- Multi-file refactoring
- Test-driven bug fixing
Choose Roo Code if...
- VS Code users who want an open-source AI coding agent
- Developers who want provider choice and BYOK control
- Multi-file refactoring
- Debugging and test repair
- Architecture planning with dedicated modes
Avoid Cline if...
- Users who want a simple fixed-price AI IDE subscription
- Developers whose main need is inline autocomplete
- Non-technical users looking for prompt-to-app web builders
- Teams that cannot allow AI tools to run terminal commands
- Organizations that need turnkey enterprise controls without custom setup
Avoid Roo Code if...
- Users who want a fully managed fixed-price AI IDE
- Developers whose main need is inline autocomplete
- Non-technical users looking for prompt-to-app builders
- Teams that cannot allow agentic tools to run terminal commands
- Users who do not want to manage API keys or provider billing