head to head · open source
Cline vs prettier
Cline has 71,221 GitHub stars, 7,835 forks, 1,288 open issues and last shipped yesterday. prettier has 52,405 stars, 5,023 forks, 1,462 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Cline leads on adoption by 36% (71,221 vs 52,405 stars). Cline is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; prettier is written in JavaScript under MIT. Cline has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, prettier 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 | prettier | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 71K | ★ 52K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.8K | ⑂ 5.0K |
| 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 prettier if
- You want the prettier feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and prettier 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 prettier
Opinionated Code Formatter JavaScript · TypeScript · Flow · JSX · JSON CSS · SCSS · Less HTML · Vue · Angular GraphQL · Markdown · YAML Your favorite language? Intro Prettier is an opinionated code formatter. It enforces a consistent style by parsing your code and re printing it with its own rules that take the maximum line length into account, wrapping code when necessary. Input Output Prettier can be run in your editor on save, in a pre commit hook, or in CI environments to ensure your codebase has a consistent style without devs ever having to post a nit picky comment on a code review ever again!…
read the full prettier overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Cline or prettier more popular?
Cline has 71,221 GitHub stars and prettier has 52,405. Cline has the larger community by that measure.
Are Cline and prettier free?
Both are open source. Cline is licensed under Apache-2.0 and prettier under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Cline and prettier?
Cline is written in TypeScript and prettier in JavaScript. 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 prettier?
Choose Cline if you want the larger community (71,221 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose prettier if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.