Learn how Cline and Codex CLI differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these ai coding agents is best for you.
Last 30 days
Last commit
4 hours agoRepository age
2 yearsVersion
v4.1.26License
Apache-2.0Repository
cline/cline
Last 30 days
Last commit
4 hours agoRepository age
2 yearsVersion
v0.166.0License
Apache-2.0Repository
openai/codex
Codex CLI appears to have several advantages over Cline, particularly in popularity and growth. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.
Codex CLI leads in popularity with 133,262 stars vs 71,331 stars for Cline. The 87% higher star count indicates stronger community adoption. In terms of developer contributions, Codex CLI has 21,107 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.
Codex CLI is growing faster, adding 3,879 stars in the last 30 days (+3%) against adding 1,388 stars for Cline (+2%). Codex CLI is both larger and pulling further ahead.
Both projects show recent activity, with Cline last updated 4 hours ago and Codex CLI 4 hours ago.
Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Bash, Typescript, Python. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Cline uses JSX, Ruby while Codex CLI leverages Rust, C, Objective-C, C++.
Both projects started around the same time, with Cline beginning 2 years ago and Codex CLI 2 years ago.
Both projects use the Apache-2.0 license, providing identical terms for usage and distribution.
Both tools serve similar use cases in AI Coding Agents.