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Cline vs Gemini CLI
Gemini CLI is a Google-backed terminal agent; Cline adds IDE extensions, multi-file planning and enterprise features.
ClineOpen-source autonomous coding agent for your IDE
Gemini CLIGoogle's open-source AI agent for the terminalWhich to pick
Pick Cline if you want…
- Self-hosted AI coding agent for IDEs and terminals
- Integrations with VS Code, JetBrains or CLI (on Cline's list, not Gemini CLI's)
Pick Gemini CLI if you want…
- Terminal-first AI agent
- Google Gemini terminal agent
- Integrations with Homebrew, MacPorts or Anaconda (on Gemini CLI's list, not Cline's)
Side by side
- What it is
- Cline:Open-source autonomous coding agent that works in IDEs, terminals and can be embedded in products.
- Gemini CLI:Gemini CLI is an open-source AI agent that lets you run Google Gemini models directly from the terminal.
- Best for
- Cline:Self-hosted AI coding agent for IDEs and terminals
- Gemini CLI:Terminal-first AI agent
- Who it’s for
- Cline:Individual developers and engineering teams needing AI-assisted coding without vendor lock-in.
- Gemini CLI:Developers who work primarily in the command line and need AI assistance.
- Pricing
- Cline:Freemium
- Gemini CLI:Freemium
- Plans
- Cline:Individual (Open Source) Free
- Gemini CLI:—
- Open source
- Cline:Yes, 69,660 GitHub stars
- Gemini CLI:Yes, 107,216 GitHub stars
- Works with
- Cline:VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, Slack, Discord, Telegram, Linear, GitHub Actions
- Gemini CLI:Homebrew, MacPorts, Anaconda
Cline features
- Plan-and-Act workflow. Toggle between planning steps and executing them, with optional auto-approve.
- Multi-file edits. Coordinated changes across a project with linter-aware fixes, diffs and one-click undo.
- Terminal integration. Runs bash commands, reacts to live output and can be used in CI pipelines.
- Custom rules & skills. Define .clinerules to enforce coding standards and deployment conventions.
- Model agnostic. Supports Claude, GPT, Gemini, Ollama, LM Studio and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
- Extensible via MCP & plugins. Register custom tools, lifecycle hooks and integrate databases or APIs.
- Team & automation features. Multi-agent teams, scheduled cron jobs and integrations with Slack, Linear and CI systems.
- Desktop app. Native desktop client for Mac, Windows and Linux, no editor required.
Gemini CLI features
- Free tier. 60 requests per minute and 1,000 requests per day with a personal Google account.
- Gemini 3 models. Access to Gemini 3 with improved reasoning and up to 1 M token context.
- Built-in tools. Google Search grounding, file operations, shell commands, and web fetching.
- MCP support. Model Context Protocol enables custom integrations and extensions.
- Multiple install methods. Install via npx, npm, Homebrew, MacPorts, or Anaconda.
- Open source. Released under the Apache 2.0 license.
Cline vs Gemini CLI FAQ
Is Cline or Gemini CLI free?+
Cline has a free plan (Individual (Open Source)) and paid plans. Gemini CLI has a free plan and paid plans.
Is Cline or Gemini CLI open source?+
Yes, both are open source: Cline (cline/cline on GitHub, Apache-2.0 license) and Gemini CLI (google-gemini/gemini-cli on GitHub, Apache-2.0 license).
Do Cline and Gemini CLI integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: Cline lists VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, Slack and 10 more; Gemini CLI lists Homebrew, MacPorts and Anaconda.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.