Cline vs Vellum — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Cline starts at Free. Vellum starts at $30/mo. Cline is $30/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Vellum.
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- Cline (Per Usage) — Cline bills purely on usage. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
- Vellum (Tiered) — Vellum bills on a fixed plan from $30/mo, so the listed price is what you pay regardless of volume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
Open-source autonomous coding agent that runs in VS Code as an extension. Cline itself is free — users bring their own LLM API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Groq, OpenRouter, local models via Ollama). Cost is entirely determined by underlying LLM token usage. Popular with developers who want an agent-first coding experience but prefer to pay direct LLM costs rather than a marked-up subscription.
Personal AI assistant that runs your tasks in a hosted environment. Plans priced by 'computer size' (small/medium/large) and included storage (10/30/60 GB), with each tier bundling usage. Higher tiers add an Assistant email and dedicated subdomain. Custom Plan builds a bespoke fit for heavier workflows. Vellum pivoted to this consumer-friendly assistant product in 2026 after operating as an LLMOps platform earlier.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Cline monthly | Cline annual | Vellum monthly | Vellum annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Cline (extension) / Start Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | — / Mighty | — | — | $30 | $30 |
| Mid tier | — / Super | — | — | $100 | $100 |
| Pro / power | — / Ultra | — | — | $200 | $200 |
| Teams | Teams / — | $20 | $20 | — | — |
| Enterprise | Enterprise / Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Cline is worth it if… developers who already have LLM API access and want an autonomous coding agent without a subscription markup. The BYOK model is the differentiator — typical monthly cost is $5-50 in Claude Sonnet tokens depending on usage, which beats most $20-60/mo subscription tools if you're a light user.
Vellum is worth it if… individuals who want a persistent AI assistant that can execute multi-step tasks, keep files in a hosted workspace, and be reached via a custom email or subdomain. Mighty $30 suits casual daily use; Super $100 adds email/subdomain features for prosumers; Ultra $200 targets power users who lean on the assistant heavily.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — Cline is per usage, Vellum is tiered.
Choose Cline over Vellum if…
Choose Cline if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, a free entry tier).
- You match the profile Cline is built for: developers who already have LLM API access and want an autonomous coding agent without a subscription markup.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Vellum if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (tiered, from $30/mo).
- You match the profile Vellum is built for: individuals who want a persistent AI assistant that can execute multi-step tasks, keep files in a hosted workspace, and be reached via a custom email or subdomain.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Cline | Vellum | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Entry price | Free | $30/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Tiered |
| Last verified | September 20, 2026 | September 20, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 20, 2026. Tracked daily.