Cline vs Claude Code: which is cheaper?

Cline vs Claude Code

Cline lists 1 plan (first listed prices not confirmed); Claude Code lists 6 plans ($20–$200). Units differ, so we don't rank them on usage per dollar.

Last verified 2026-10-16

Cline

Open SourceFree

Resets: Not confirmed
Run out: Not confirmed

Claude Code

Pro (Claude)$20/mo monthlyMax 5x$100/moMax 20x$200/moTeam Standard$25/seat/moTeam Premium$125/seat/moEnterprise$20/seat/mo + API-rate usage

Resets: Rolling 5h · Weekly
Run out: usage-billed

Latest models

ClineMulti-model: you pick models from several labs. See the plan table for what each plan includes.

Claude Code · latest Claude modelsClaude Haiku 5.5 Oct 7, 2026 · Claude Sonnet 5.5 Sep 28, 2026 · Claude Opus 5.5 Sep 22, 2026 · Claude Fable 5.1

What can you build with this plan?

A plain-English reading of the allowance each vendor publishes. We only do arithmetic on their numbers, and never guess what a credit buys.

Estimate based on vendor-published numbers

Cline

Open SourceFree

Not published by vendor

cline.bot/pricing · 2026-10-16

Claude Code

Pro (Claude)$20/mo monthly

Not published by vendor

claude.com/pricing · 2026-10-16

Max 5x$100/mo

Not published by vendor

claude.com/pricing · 2026-10-16

Max 20x$200/mo

Not published by vendor

claude.com/pricing · 2026-10-16

Team Standard$25/seat/mo

Not published by vendor

claude.com/pricing · 2026-10-16

Team Premium$125/seat/mo

Not published by vendor

claude.com/pricing · 2026-10-16

Enterprise$20/seat/mo + API-rate usage

Not published by vendor

claude.com/pricing · 2026-10-16

Full side-by-side table7

Cline vs Claude Code plans
Compare	Tool	Plan	Price	Included	Resets	At the limit	Status	Checked
	Cline	Open Source	Free	VS Code extension, CLI; pay only for inference (BYOK or Cline provider at cost)	Other	Usage-billedPay-as-you-go inference	Verified ⓘ	2026-10-16 ↗
Included VS Code extension, CLI; pay only for inference (BYOK or Cline provider at cost) Resets n/a Overage Pay-as-you-go inference Price Free Status Verified Note Enterprise tier exists; price not published. Checked 2026-10-16 Source https://cline.bot/pricing Cline usage limits Report outdated info
	Claude Code	Pro (Claude)	$20/mo monthly($17/mo annual)	Claude Code included; usage limits, no fixed message count	Rolling 5h Weekly	Usage-billedTurn on usage credits at standard API rates, or…	Verified ⓘ	2026-10-16 ↗
Included Claude Code included; usage limits, no fixed message count Resets Rolling 5-hour session window + weekly limits (weekly size not published) Overage Turn on usage credits at standard API rates, or wait/upgrade Price $20/mo monthly ($17/mo annual) Status Verified Note Help center: five-hour session limit and weekly limit shared across Claude and Claude Code. Pricing page: $17/mo annual = $200 billed up front. Checked 2026-10-16 Source https://claude.com/pricing Also support.claude.com/en/articles/11145838-use-claude-code-with-your-pro-or-max-plan support.claude.com/en/articles/11647753-how-do-usage-and-length-limits-work Claude Code usage limits Report outdated info
	Claude Code	Max 5x5×	$100/mo	5x Pro per-session usage; $100/mo API credits	Weekly	Usage-billedUsage credits at standard API rates, or wait/upgrade	Verified ⓘ	2026-10-16 ↗
Included 5x Pro per-session usage; $100/mo API credits Resets Session limit resets every 5 hours; weekly limit across all models resets at a fixed weekly time assigned to your account Overage Usage credits at standard API rates, or wait/upgrade Price $100/mo Status Verified Note Weekly cap size is not published as a number. Monthly billing only. Help center: five-hour session limit and weekly limit shared across Claude and Claude Code; Max also has a separate weekly limit for Fable. Checked 2026-10-16 Source https://claude.com/pricing Also support.claude.com/en/articles/11049741-what-is-the-max-plan support.claude.com/en/articles/11145838-use-claude-code-with-your-pro-or-max-plan support.claude.com/en/articles/11647753-how-do-usage-and-length-limits-work Claude Code usage limits Report outdated info
	Claude Code	Max 20x20×	$200/mo	20x Pro per-session usage; $200/mo API credits	Weekly	Usage-billedUsage credits at standard API rates, or wait/upgrade	Verified ⓘ	2026-10-16 ↗
Included 20x Pro per-session usage; $200/mo API credits Resets Session limit resets every 5 hours; weekly limit across all models resets at a fixed weekly time assigned to your account Overage Usage credits at standard API rates, or wait/upgrade Price $200/mo Status Verified Note Weekly cap size is not published as a number. Monthly billing only. Help center: five-hour session limit and weekly limit shared across Claude and Claude Code; Max also has a separate weekly limit for Fable. Checked 2026-10-16 Source https://claude.com/pricing Also support.claude.com/en/articles/11049741-what-is-the-max-plan support.claude.com/en/articles/11145838-use-claude-code-with-your-pro-or-max-plan support.claude.com/en/articles/11647753-how-do-usage-and-length-limits-work Claude Code usage limits Report outdated info
	Claude Code	Team Standard	$25/seat/mo($20 annual)	Claude Code included with every seat; shared pool with Claude	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	Verified	2026-10-16 ↗
Included Claude Code included with every seat; shared pool with Claude Resets Not confirmed Overage Not confirmed Price $25/seat/mo ($20 annual) Status Verified Checked 2026-10-16 Source https://claude.com/pricing Also support.claude.com/en/articles/9266767-what-is-the-team-plan Claude Code usage limits Report outdated info
	Claude Code	Team Premium	$125/seat/mo($100 annual)	Claude Code included with every seat; shared pool with Claude	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	Verified	2026-10-16 ↗
Included Claude Code included with every seat; shared pool with Claude Resets Not confirmed Overage Not confirmed Price $125/seat/mo ($100 annual) Status Verified Checked 2026-10-16 Source https://claude.com/pricing Also support.claude.com/en/articles/9266767-what-is-the-team-plan Claude Code usage limits Report outdated info
	Claude Code	Enterprise	$20/seat/mo + API-rate usage	Claude Code included with every seat; shared pool with Claude	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	Verified	2026-10-16 ↗
Included Claude Code included with every seat; shared pool with Claude Resets Not confirmed Overage Not confirmed Price $20/seat/mo + API-rate usage Status Verified Checked 2026-10-16 Source https://claude.com/pricing Also support.claude.com/en/articles/9266767-what-is-the-team-plan Claude Code usage limits Report outdated info