Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Cline vs GitHub Copilot vs Grok Build
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Developers and technical founders who want a capable coding agent inside their editor and want to choose, and pay for, their own AI model.
Pick it if: Teams and developers whose code lives on GitHub and who want AI in the tools they already use.
Pick it if: Developers who already pay for an X Subscription or Grok and want a Claude Code-style agent included in it.
Overview
| Attribute | Cline | GitHub Copilot | Grok Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A free, open-source coding agent for VS Code and the terminal that works with any model. | GitHub's AI helper: it finishes your code, reviews pull requests and takes on whole tasks. | xAI's open-source terminal coding agent, included in every paid X Subscription plan. |
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | $9.99/mo | $10/mo | $8/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Cline | GitHub Copilot | Grok Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Cline | GitHub Copilot | Grok Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | No | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Browser extension | No | – | No |
| API access | Yes | – | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | Yes | No | Yes |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | Yes | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 12/ 17 | 12/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Cline | GitHub Copilot | Grok Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Open SourceOur pick Free Anyone with their own API key or happy to buy credits. | Free Free Trying autocomplete and light chat. | X Subscription Plus $8/mo Trying Grok Build alongside Grok and X Premium. |
ClinePass $9.99/mo People who want cheap daily coding with open models. | ProOur pick $10/mo Individual developers on GitHub. | X Subscription PremiumOur pick $30/mo Developers who use Grok most days. | |
Enterprise Custom Companies rolling it out to a team. | Pro+ $39/mo Developers who run agent tasks every day. | Super / Ultra $100/mo or $200/mo Heavy users running agents all day. | |
Max $100/mo Heavy agent-driven work. | xAI API Pay as you go CI pipelines and people who prefer paying per use. | ||
Business and Enterprise See website Companies that need admin controls and policy management. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Install the free version and connect a model you already pay for. If you want to code most days without watching an API bill, add ClinePass at $9.99 a month for the open models, and keep a Claude or GPT key for the hard jobs. Enterprise only matters once a company needs JetBrains or central controls. | Pro is the sweet spot for an individual: cheap, unlimited autocomplete and enough credits for a few agent tasks a week. Only move to Pro+ if you find yourself buying extra credits every month. | If you already pay for X, try it on the plan you have. Premium at $30 a month is the sensible level for regular coding, but if you're choosing a coding agent from scratch, Claude Code or Codex are the safer picks today. Plans changed on 12 October 2026, so check x.ai before you buy. |
Key features
| Attribute | Cline | GitHub Copilot | Grok Build |
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Pros and cons
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Cline | GitHub Copilot | Grok Build |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Cline, GitHub Copilot or Grok Build?
They tie on our overall rating (Cline 4.0/5, GitHub Copilot 4.0/5 and Grok Build 3.5/5). Cline is best for AI coding inside VS Code with any model and cheap coding with open models through ClinePass. GitHub Copilot is best for autocomplete as you type and Handing GitHub issues to an agent. Grok Build is best for X Subscription users who want a coding agent included and Trying Grok models on real coding work.
Which is cheaper, Cline, GitHub Copilot or Grok Build?
Cline: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $9.99/mo. GitHub Copilot: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/mo. Grok Build: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $8/mo.
Which is easier to use, Cline, GitHub Copilot or Grok Build?
GitHub Copilot rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Teams and developers whose code lives on GitHub and who want AI in the tools they already use.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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