Cline vs JetBrains AI
Auto-updated comparison · last refreshed September 3, 2026
TL;DR
| Cline | JetBrains AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | vscode-extension | ide-native |
| Vendor | open source | JetBrains |
| Pricing | Free tier (you pay LLM API costs directly) | Free tier · Pro $10/mo (AI Pro on top of IDE license) |
| Autocomplete | No | Yes |
| Agent mode | Yes | Yes |
| MCP support | Yes | No |
| Local models | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | No |
| Codebase indexing | No | Yes |
| Team features | No | Yes |
Where Cline wins
- works inside VS Code you already use
- MCP support
- local models
Where JetBrains AI wins
- deep IDE integration
- excellent for JVM langs and Kotlin
Weaknesses
Cline: you pay API costs directly; no autocomplete
JetBrains AI: requires JetBrains subscription; less flexible than Cursor
Best for
Pick Cline if you are VS Code users who want an agent without switching IDE.
Pick JetBrains AI if you are JVM/Kotlin/Swift devs already on JetBrains.
FAQ
Is Cline more expensive than JetBrains AI?
Free tier (you pay LLM API costs directly) vs Free tier · Pro $10/mo (AI Pro on top of IDE license). Compare the Pro tiers first if you're a solo dev; Business/Enterprise only matters for teams.
Do Cline and JetBrains AI use the same AI models?
Cline supports: any via API. JetBrains AI supports: claude-sonnet-4-6, gpt-4.1, gemini-2.5-pro. Most modern tools default to Claude Sonnet 4.6 in 2026.
Can I use both?
Yes. They don't conflict at the file level. Some devs use one for autocomplete and one for agent work.
Related comparisons
Best Cline and JetBrains AI pairings by language
- Python: Cline for Python · JetBrains AI for Python
- TypeScript: Cline for TypeScript · JetBrains AI for TypeScript
- Rust: Cline for Rust · JetBrains AI for Rust
- Go: Cline for Go · JetBrains AI for Go