head to head · open source
Cline vs Grok Build
Cline has 71,221 GitHub stars, 7,835 forks, 1,288 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Grok Build has 27,659 stars, 5,229 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. Cline leads on adoption by 157% (71,221 vs 27,659 stars). Cline is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Grok Build is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. Cline has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, Grok Build 19%. 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 | Grok Build | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 71K | ★ 28K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.8K | ⑂ 5.2K |
| 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 Grok Build if
- You want the Grok Build feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Grok Build 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 Grok Build
Grok Build ( grok ) Grok Build is SpaceXAI's terminal based AI coding agent. It runs as a full screen TUI that understands your codebase, edits files, executes shell commands, searches the web, and manages long running tasks — interactively, headlessly for scripting/CI, or embedded in editors via the Agent Client Protocol (ACP). Installing the released binary · Building from source · Documentation · Repository layout · Development · Contributing · License Learn more about Grok Build at x.ai/cli This repository contains the Rust source for the grok CLI/TUI and its agent runtime. It is synced periodically from the…
read the full Grok Build overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Cline or Grok Build more popular?
Cline has 71,221 GitHub stars and Grok Build has 27,659. Cline has the larger community by that measure.
Are Cline and Grok Build free?
Both are open source. Cline is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Grok Build under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Cline and Grok Build?
Cline is written in TypeScript and Grok Build in Rust. 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 Grok Build?
Choose Cline if you want the larger community (71,221 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Grok Build if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.