Verdict
Pick Cline if you want control. It’s open source, free, and works with nearly any model provider, including local models through Ollama or LM Studio, so you’re never tied to one vendor’s prices or policy changes. It runs inside the editor you already use, including Cursor itself, and keeps your code on your machine apart from what it sends to the model you pick.
Pick Cursor if you want a polished, all-in-one product: an AI editor with cloud agents you can start from your phone or Slack, Bugbot reviews on pull requests, and predictable flat pricing, as long as Grok and Composer suit you. Plus at $8 a month is cheap for everyday work.
The cost trade-off is predictability against control. Cursor’s plans cap what you spend but charge API list price for Claude, GPT and Gemini on top. Cline charges nothing itself, but a long agent run on an expensive model is billed straight to your provider account, so set a spending limit there.
Lock-in is the real difference. Cursor changed its plans, ownership and default models in 2026. With Cline, if a provider raises prices you switch models in settings.
Or combine them: install Cline in Cursor and use each where it’s strongest.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Cline inside Cursor?
Yes. Cline installs as an extension in Cursor as well as VS Code, Windsurf and others, so you can use Cline's agent with your own keys inside the Cursor editor.
Is Cline cheaper than Cursor?
It depends on usage. Cline itself is free and you pay your model provider at cost, so light users can spend very little. Heavy users of premium models may pay more than a flat plan; set budgets with your provider.
Which is better for privacy?
Cline keeps code on your machine and sends it only to the model provider you choose, including local models. Cursor offers Privacy Mode with zero data retention, but trains on your data when Privacy Mode is off.