ChatGPT vs Cline: Side-by-Side Comparison 2026
ChatGPT vs Cline comparison 2026. Side-by-side features, pricing & capabilities.
| Feature | ChatGPT | Cline |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Assistant | Agent |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| Model Family | GPT / o-series | Multi-model (any) |
| Context Window | 32K (Plus) / 196K (Pro) | Depends on model (up to 1M) |
| Code Completion | ✗ | ✗ |
| Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inline Editing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Agentic Mode | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi-File Editing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Terminal Commands | ✗ | ✓ |
| Browser Use | ✓ | ✓ |
| Test Generation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Debugging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Refactoring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Code Review | ✓ | ✗ |
| PR Review | ✗ | ✗ |
| Documentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Image to Code | ✓ | ✗ |
| Voice Input | ✓ | ✗ |
| App Generation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Deployment | ✗ | ✗ |
| Git Integration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Supported IDEs | N/A (standalone) | VS Code |
| Open Source | No | Yes (Apache 2.0) |
Pricing verified 2026-02-05. ChatGPT pricing | Cline pricing
Overview
ChatGPT is ai assistant from OpenAI. Cline is ai agent from Cline (Open Source). Both tools are actively maintained as of 2026.
ChatGPT: What You Get
ChatGPT — Conversational AI from OpenAI. General + Coding.
- AI chat
- Test generation
- Debugging
- Code review
Pricing: Free / $8/mo. 6 plans available.
Models: GPT-5.2, GPT-5.2 Thinking, GPT-4o, o1, o1-mini
Cline: What You Get
Cline — AI Coding Agent from Cline (Open Source). VS Code Agent.
- AI chat
- Agentic mode
- Multi-file editing
- Terminal commands
- Test generation
- Debugging
- Git integration
- App generation
Pricing: Free / $20/mo. 3 plans available.
Models: Claude Sonnet 4.5 (1M), Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4, Gemini, 50+ via OpenRouter, local (Ollama/LM Studio)
Key Differences
- Category: ChatGPT is ai assistant, Cline is ai agent.
- Agentic mode: Cline supports agentic mode; ChatGPT does not.
- Model family: ChatGPT uses GPT / o-series; Cline uses Multi-model (any).
Which Should You Choose?
Choose ChatGPT if you want AI-powered coding assistance. Choose Cline if you want Cline handles multi-step tasks independently. Both tools are strong options — the right choice depends on your workflow and priorities.
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