We track pricing and features for 11 AI coding tools and re-check every claim against the vendor's own page. Amazon Q Developer and Cline look like a straightforward comparison until you notice that one of them isn't really for sale any more, and the other has grown a feature its own comparison page doesn't mention yet.
Amazon Q Developer — closed to new signups since 15 May 2026. AWS blocked new accounts and subscriptions outright; existing subscribers can still add seats, but a developer starting today cannot sign up at all. Support ends 30 April 2027, and AWS points new users to Kiro instead. (source) If you're evaluating tools right now, this isn't one of your options — it's a migration question for people who already have it.
Cline — free and open source, BYO API key, Plan/Act modes, terminal execution, MCP support. What our own comparison page doesn't say yet: on 16 October 2026, v4.1.25 quietly added "Cline Cloud sessions" — tasks now run in a hosted sandbox against a chosen GitHub repo/branch, keep going after you close the editor, and notify you on completion. v4.1.26 (26 Oct) followed with a Local/Cloud toggle and a cloud-startup progress UI. As of that release, Cline discloses no pricing or terms for Cloud sessions — it's explicitly still "rolling out gradually." (source)
That second fact matters more than it looks. "Runs only while the editor is open" used to be a real dividing line between an editor-resident assistant and an agent you hand a task and walk away from — the same axis people use to compare Cline against Copilot's coding agent or Cursor's background agents. Cline moving toward that model, with pricing still undecided, is a live variable. We're flagging it here rather than updating the comparison table with a price that doesn't exist yet.
Where the two differ, of the 15 dimensions we track:
| Amazon Q Developer | Cline | |
|---|---|---|
| Autocomplete | Good | No |
| Codebase context | Workspace | Full project |
| Custom models | No | Yes |
| Runs in JetBrains | Yes | No |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Usage model | Existing accounts only | BYO API key |
That table — like the comparison page it's drawn from — predates Cloud sessions. It's still accurate for the free, local, BYO-key Cline most people run today; it just isn't the whole current story.
The practical read: for Amazon Q Developer, there's no decision to make unless you already have an account — the only live option for a new user is Cline. For Cline specifically, if you're weighing "can this run unattended," watch the Cloud rollout; it's the one line item here that's actively changing.
Full table, pricing history and our separate reviews (Amazon Q Developer 3.5/5, Cline 4/5): https://devtoolsreview.com/comparisons/amazon-q-vs-cline-2026/
Prices last re-verified against each vendor's own page 18–19 October 2026. No affiliate relationship with either vendor.
