head to head · open source
Cline vs Continue
Cline has 71,221 GitHub stars, 7,835 forks, 1,288 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Continue has 36,400 stars, 5,542 forks, 951 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Cline leads on adoption by 96% (71,221 vs 36,400 stars). Cline is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Continue is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Cline has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, Continue 15%. 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 | Continue | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 71K | ★ 36K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.8K | ⑂ 5.5K |
| 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 Continue if
- You want the Continue feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Continue 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 Continue
Continue Pioneering open source coding agent What is Continue? Note: The continuedev/continue repository is no longer actively maintained and is read only for all users. Continue is a coding agent available as a CLI, VS Code extension, and JetBrains plugin. Documentation To learn how to configure Continue, how it works, and how to customize it, check out the Continue Docs. Final 2.0.0 Release We polished Continue and did a final 2.0.0 release of the VS Code extension, CLI, and JetBrains plugin. This included removing anonymous telemetry, pulling out authentication, squashing bugs, and more. VS Code CLI JetBrains…
read the full Continue overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Cline or Continue more popular?
Cline has 71,221 GitHub stars and Continue has 36,400. Cline has the larger community by that measure.
Are Cline and Continue free?
Both are open source. Cline is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Continue under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Cline and Continue?
Cline is written in TypeScript and Continue in TypeScript. 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 Continue?
Choose Cline if you want the larger community (71,221 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Continue if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.