Cline vs Devin Desktop
Pricing
Cline: Free (open source), you pay for the AI API you choose
Devin Desktop: Free tier, Pro $20/mo, Max $200/mo
Description
Cline: Open-source VS Code extension that acts as an autonomous coding agent. Bring your own AI model
Devin Desktop: AI IDE (formerly Windsurf) with an agent mode (Cascade) and a command center for running local and cloud coding agents across your project
Pros
- Use any AI model (Claude, GPT-4, Gemini, local models): you control the cost
- Can browse the web, run terminal commands, create files, and edit code autonomously
- Free and open source: no subscription, just API costs
- Cascade agent mode handles multi-file changes without hand-holding
- Agent Command Center lets you start, track and review several local and cloud agents from one board
- Free tier with unlimited Tab completions and inline edits, enough to evaluate before paying
Cons
- API costs are on you and can surprise you if you are not watching
- Setup takes more work than commercial alternatives: API keys, model selection, configuration
- Quality depends entirely on which AI model you pick
- Had a messy 2025: acquisition talks with OpenAI fell through, and talent split between Google and Cognition
- Smaller community means fewer tutorials and troubleshooting resources
- Context window can hit limits on larger projects
Details
Cline is a VS Code extension that turns your editor into an AI coding agent. Pick your AI model (Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, local models through Ollama), give it a task, and it will plan, write code, run commands, and iterate. It asks for permission before each action, so you stay in control.
The big advantage over Cursor is flexibility and transparency. You see exactly what you are paying (API costs per request), you can switch models anytime, and there is no subscription. The big disadvantage is that you have to manage all of that yourself. If you want something that just works out of the box, Cursor is easier. If you want to pick your own model and only pay for what you use, Cline is the way.
Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf, the AI IDE that started as Codeium’s editor. It is now made by Cognition, the company behind the Devin coding agent. It still combines regular code completion with Cascade, an agent mode that can plan out multi-step tasks and execute them across your project. Tell it “add user authentication to this app” and it will create files, install packages, and wire things up.
The rename put an Agent Command Center at the front: a board where you run and review local and cloud agents, including Cascade, Codex and Claude Agent, while the full IDE stays available. Pro costs $20/mo and adds higher usage quotas, frontier models and Devin Cloud agents. The company had a turbulent 2025, when a $3B acquisition by OpenAI fell apart and talent ended up split between Google and Cognition, but the product now has a clear owner. If you want a capable AI IDE that can also manage several coding agents at once, it is worth trying.
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