# Cline vs Kortix: which open-source tool fits your team?

> Cline is an open-source coding agent that runs in your editor, terminal and desktop. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System a company owns end to end. They solve different jobs: Cline edits code beside you, and Kortix runs team work that lands through review.

URL: https://clinealternative.com/cline-vs-kortix

## Cline and Kortix, side by side

Cline is the coding agent in your editor; Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System a team reviews and owns.

| | Kortix (recommended) | Cline |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | The open-source AI Operating System a company owns end to end | An open-source coding agent for editor, terminal and desktop |
| Where it runs | On a cloud computer per session; web, CLI, Slack and Teams | In your editor, terminal and desktop app |
| Open source | Open source. Read it, fork it, audit it. | Open source. Plan-and-Act. Every model. |
| Self-hosting | Kortix Cloud, your VPC, or your own on-prem network | Runs on your own machine; embed the SDK in your products |
| Shared company memory | Your company memory in one git repo you own | Per-project .clinerules; team state within a multi-agent run |
| Human review before work lands | Session work reaches main through a change request | Approve each edit and command, or enable auto-approve |
| Model choice | Any model provider with your own keys | Claude, GPT, Gemini, local models, any OpenAI-compatible endpoint |
| Who it is for | Teams that want agents that do finished work, reviewed by people | Developers who want an agent in editor, terminal and desktop |

## What Cline is

Cline is an open-source coding agent that runs in your IDE, your terminal, a native desktop app, and an SDK you can embed in your own products. Its own site describes one agent used across an editor, terminal and desktop, and its repository ships the SDK, CLI, VS Code extension, a desktop app and a JetBrains plugin. Plan mode reads the codebase and proposes a strategy; Act mode executes it. Project rules live in `.clinerules` files, MCP servers extend the agent, and every model runs with your own key, including local models through Ollama or LM Studio ([cline.bot](https://cline.bot), [github.com/cline/cline](https://github.com/cline/cline)). As of October 2026 the repository held 70,359 stars and the site reported more than 11 million installs.

## What Kortix is

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector in one git repo you own, with the agents working on real cloud computers. One isolated sandbox per session. Each session has its own isolated machine and branch, and each session runs one agent. The agent commits to its branch and opens a change request, so a person merges the work into `main`. Connector credentials are brokered server-side and never enter the machine, and you can run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. The configuration, the memory and the connectors are files in the repo, which you can read, diff and roll back:

```yaml
# kortix.yaml
agents:
  support-triage:
    file: agents/support-triage.md   # what it does, in plain markdown
    connectors: all                  # what it may reach
```

## Where each one runs

Cline runs where you already work. It executes commands in your terminal and reacts to the output, and it can run headless in CI pipelines. Kortix moves the work off the laptop. Each session boots its own isolated sandbox with the repo and tools already on it, so there is nothing to install on your machine, and you start, watch and steer sessions from the web app, the CLI, Slack, or Microsoft Teams.

## Shared memory

Per-project rules are enough for one developer. `.clinerules` travel with the repo and teach Cline your architecture, testing and deployment conventions, and a multi-agent team keeps its state between sessions. A company needs memory that outlives one editor and one person. In Kortix, memory is files in the one git repo you own, so it accumulates across sessions and people, and any part of it can be read or diffed.

## Review before work lands

Cline keeps a person in the loop by default: every file edit and terminal command requires your approval, and auto-approve is a toggle you choose per task. Kortix puts the review at the end of the work. Session work reaches `main` through a change request, merge is default-deny for agents, and approval gates you set stay off until you set them.

## Ownership and hosting

Cline is code you can read, fork and audit, and it runs on your machine with your own model keys or your own weights. Kortix takes ownership up a level. The repo, the memory and the connector configuration belong to the company, and you choose Kortix Cloud, your VPC, or your own on-prem network.

## Which one to pick

Choose Cline when one developer wants an agent beside them in the editor and terminal, with per-project rules and their own model key. It is built for the person typing.

Choose Kortix when the work is bigger than one repo and one developer. Kortix is for teams that want agents that do finished work, reviewed by people. Shared company memory, one isolated cloud computer per session, and a change request before anything reaches `main` are the parts a company cannot get from an editor agent. A team that needs shared memory, governance and work that lands through review picks Kortix.

## Questions about Cline and Kortix

Short answers about the two open-source tools and how they fit together.

### Can we use Cline and Kortix together?

Yes. Cline works in your editor and terminal with your own model key, and Kortix runs the team's work in the cloud. A common split is Cline for editing and Kortix for the sessions that need shared memory and a review before they land.

### Does Cline change code without asking?

By default, no. Every file edit and terminal command requires your approval, and auto-approve is a toggle you enable per task.

### Does an agent in Kortix change main without review?

No. Session work reaches main through a change request, and merge is default-deny for agents. Approval gates you set stay off until you set them.

### Can we run Kortix on our own infrastructure?

Yes. Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network, and self-host is free.

## Run reviewed agent work from one repo you own

Start with one job and grow from there.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [See the self-hosting guide](https://clinealternative.com/self-hosted-cline-alternative)