Cline vs Windsurf (formerly Codeium) — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Cline starts at Free. Windsurf (formerly Codeium) starts at $20/mo. Cline is $20/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Windsurf (formerly Codeium).
See price history: Cline · Windsurf (formerly Codeium)
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.
- Windsurf (formerly Codeium) (Per Seat) — Windsurf (formerly Codeium) bills on a fixed plan from $20/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.
AI code completion and chat assistant from the Windsurf company. Free tier is unusually generous — unlimited autocomplete for individuals with no card required. Pricing: Free (unlimited individual), Teams $12/user/mo (adds team admin + more advanced models), Enterprise $35/user/mo (SSO, dedicated support, on-prem option). Positioned as the free-tier alternative to GitHub Copilot; the paid tiers are for teams that need governance.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Cline monthly | Cline annual | Windsurf (formerly Codeium) monthly | Windsurf (formerly Codeium) annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Cline (extension) / Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | — / Pro | — | — | $20 | $20 |
| Pro / power | — / Max | — | — | $200 | $200 |
| Teams | Teams | $20 | $20 | $40 | $40 |
| Enterprise | Enterprise | 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.
Windsurf (formerly Codeium) is worth it if… Codeium is worth it for individual developers who want a fully free AI autocomplete without hitting message caps. Teams ($12/user/mo) is the cheapest true multi-user AI coding tool in market.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — Cline is per usage, Windsurf (formerly Codeium) is per seat.
Choose Cline over Windsurf (formerly Codeium) 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 Windsurf (formerly Codeium) if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $20/mo).
- You match the profile Windsurf (formerly Codeium) is built for: Codeium is worth it for individual developers who want a fully free AI autocomplete without hitting message caps.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Cline | Windsurf (formerly Codeium) | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Entry price | Free | $20/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Per Seat |
| Last verified | September 20, 2026 | September 20, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 20, 2026. Tracked daily.
Frequently asked questions
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Common questions about Cline and Windsurf (formerly Codeium)
- How much does Cline cost in 2026?
- Does Cline have a free plan?
- How often does Cline change prices?
- What are the best Cline alternatives in 2026?
- How much does Windsurf (formerly Codeium) cost in 2026?
- Does Windsurf (formerly Codeium) have a free plan?
- What are the best Windsurf (formerly Codeium) alternatives in 2026?