kitio.aiCline vs Trigger.dev
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Cline has the lower starting price: about $10 a month, against $10 for Trigger.dev.
At a glance
Best for
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Plan and Act modes
- Bring your own key
- MCP support
- Cline CLI
- Per-task cost display
- Durable long-running tasks
- Queues and concurrency control
- Scheduled tasks
- Realtime streaming to frontends
- Tracing and observability
- Self-hosting
| Feature | Cline | Trigger.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Open-source coding agent for VS Code and the terminal | Open-source TypeScript platform for durable AI agents and jobs |
| Category | Coding | Coding |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $9.99/mo | $10/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Cline Bot Inc. | Trigger.dev |
| Based in | United States | United Kingdom |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
|
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Pricing compared
Cline has the lower starting price: about $10 a month, against $10 for Trigger.dev.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
2 plans
Open Source
Free
- Free VS Code extension and CLI
- Bring your own model API keys
Enterprise
Contact sales
- JetBrains extension
- SSO and SLA
- Dedicated support
- Centralized billing
4 plans
Free
Free
- $5 of usage credits per month
- 20 concurrent runs
- 5 team members
Hobby
$10/mo
- $10 of usage credits included
- 50 concurrent runs
- 5 preview branches
Pro
$50/mo
- $50 of usage credits included
- 200+ concurrent runs
- 25+ team members
- 30-day log retention
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Custom log retention
- Role-based access control
- SOC 2 report
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Cline
- Free and open source
- Transparent token costs
- Works with local models
- API bills can grow quickly
- Approving each step slows long tasks
Trigger.dev
- Open source and self-hostable
- No timeouts on long tasks
- Free tier with monthly credits
- Clear per-second compute pricing
- Built around TypeScript first
- Usage costs need estimating up front
- HIPAA BAA is a $500/month add-on
Which one should you choose?
Choose Cline if you want:
- Free and open source
- Transparent token costs
- Works with local models
Watch out: api bills can grow quickly.
Choose Trigger.dev if you want:
- Open source and self-hostable
- No timeouts on long tasks
- Free tier with monthly credits
Watch out: built around typescript first.
Cline vs Trigger.dev FAQ
What is the difference between Cline and Trigger.dev?
Cline: Open-source coding agent for VS Code and the terminal. Trigger.dev: Open-source TypeScript platform for durable AI agents and jobs. Both are coding tools.
Is Cline or Trigger.dev cheaper?
Cline has the lower starting price: about $10 a month, against $10 for Trigger.dev.
Do Cline and Trigger.dev have free plans?
Cline: Yes. Trigger.dev: Yes.
Who makes Cline?
Cline is made by Cline Bot Inc., based in United States.
Who makes Trigger.dev?
Trigger.dev is made by Trigger.dev, based in United Kingdom.
Which should I choose, Cline or Trigger.dev?
Choose Cline if you value free and open source and transparent token costs. Choose Trigger.dev if you value open source and self-hostable and no timeouts on long tasks.