Windsurf vs Cline.bot API
Compare Windsurf and Cline.bot API: free credits, features, and ratings. Which one is right for you?
Category
Coding Assistant
LLM
Rating
β 4
β 3.5
Free Credits
0 undefined
3 models free forever, no credit consumption, 1M context
Refresh Period
one-time
unlimited
Resolution
N/A
N/A
Watermark
No
No
Commercial Use
No
Yes
Paid From
$20/month
$0.5 on signup (for paid models)
Windsurf
AI coding IDE, formerly Codeium. Free plan at $0/month with Light usage. Cascade feature for multi-file editing. Pro at $20/mo.
Pros
- βFree plan $0/mo
- βGreat Cascade multi-file editing
- βClean interface
- βStudent pricing available
Cons
- βLimited free usage
- βFewer model choices than Cursor
- βDirection uncertain after acquisition
Key Features
Cascade multi-file editingAI Agent modeTab smart completionJetBrains pluginStudent pricing
Cline.bot API
Cline's official API platform. 3 free models (MiniMax-M3, Xiaomi MiMo-v2.5, DeepSeek-V4-Flash) all with 1M context. OpenAI compatible. $0.5 signup bonus, free models don't consume credits. Google/GitHub login, no credit card.
Pros
- β3 models completely free, no credit consumption
- β1M ultra-long context, no file truncation
- βOpenAI compatible, easy config
- βExclusive free access to MiniMax-M3 and Xiaomi MiMo
- βOne-click Google/GitHub login
- βNative integration with Cline VS Code plugin
Cons
- βOnly 3 models available
- βPlatform rules may change
- βNew platform, long-term stability TBD
Key Features
3 free models, 1M contextMiniMax-M3 strong general capabilityXiaomi MiMo strong reasoningDeepSeek-V4-Flash fast speedOpenAI compatible APINative Cline/CC Switch support