head to head · open source
Cline vs Aider
Cline has 71,221 GitHub stars, 7,835 forks, 1,288 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Aider has 49,910 stars, 5,128 forks, 1,860 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. Cline leads on adoption by 43% (71,221 vs 49,910 stars). Cline is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Aider is written in Python under Apache-2.0. Cline has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, Aider 10%. Cline was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Cline | Aider | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 71K | ★ 50K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-05-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.8K | ⑂ 5.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Cline if
- You weight community size — 71K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Aider if
- You want the Aider feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Aider fits your workflow better
About Cline
Cline The open source coding agent in your IDE, terminal, and desktop. Docs Discord r/cline Feature Requests Join us! CLI Run Cline in your terminal. Interactive chat or fully headless for CI/CD and scripting. Learn more Desktop App Cline as a native app for macOS and Windows. Run agent sessions in any folder, schedule routines, and manage models, plugins, and MCP servers. Download for macOS and Windows VS Code Extension AI coding assistant in your editor. Create files, run commands, browse the web, and use tools with human in the loop approval. Install from VS Marketplace JetBrains Plugin The same Cline…
read the full Cline overview →
About Aider
AI Pair Programming in Your Terminal Aider lets you pair program with LLMs to start a new project or build on your existing codebase. Features Cloud and local LLMs Aider works best with Claude 3.7 Sonnet, DeepSeek R1 & Chat V3, OpenAI o1, o3 mini & GPT 4o, but can connect to almost any LLM, including local models. Maps your codebase Aider makes a map of your entire codebase, which helps it work well in larger projects. 100+ code languages Aider works with most popular programming languages: python, javascript, rust, ruby, go, cpp, php, html, css, and dozens more. Git integration Aider automatically commits…
read the full Aider overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Cline or Aider more popular?
Cline has 71,221 GitHub stars and Aider has 49,910. Cline has the larger community by that measure.
Are Cline and Aider free?
Both are open source. Cline is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Aider under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Cline and Aider?
Cline is written in TypeScript and Aider in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Cline or Aider?
Choose Cline if you want the larger community (71,221 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Aider if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.