Can't whittle down the Cursor, any other alternatives?

With Cline + Gemini 2.0

Cursor, the popular AI code editor, is powerful but has recently begun preventing free use by detecting machine code and other ways to make many developers feel limited. As Cursor The competitor, Windsurf, also charges a fee. However, there's no need to worry! We've found an AI code programming tool that is not only free, but also a better experience than Cursor - the Cline . This article will go into detail about Cline after the December update and how it works with the latest Gemini 2.0 models combine to create an impressive programming experience.

Introduction to Cline

Cline is an open source AI assistant plugin that is deeply integrated into VS Code, providing developers with a complete code editing experience.
Cline supports the use of the Claude 3.5 Models such as Sonnet realize complex software development tasks with the following highlight features:

• File creation and editing: By analyzing a project's file structure and syntax tree (AST), Cline can quickly understand the project and perform operations such as code completion and fixing syntax errors.
• Command Line Integration: Cline can execute terminal commands directly after user authorization, monitor output and adjust operations in real time.
• Browser Operation: Cline can launch headless browsers, capture page screenshots and console logs, and help fix runtime errors and visual problems.
• MCP protocol support: Cline supports the use of the Model Context Protocol Dynamically extend its capabilities, such as creating custom tools.

More importantly, Cline's "human supervision" mechanism ensures the security of code and commands, providing developers with a balance between freedom and security.

Gemini 2.0: an open source binding tool for top-level macromodels

2.1 Multimodal and Performance Enhancement

Gemini 2.0 Flash is the latest multimodal macromodel from Google, which not only surpasses Gemini 1.5 Pro in terms of speed and performance, but also adds many innovative features:

• Multi-modal inputs/outputs: Supports multiple input types such as image, video, text, etc., and can generate output content combining image and text.
• Multilingual speech generation: Built-in adjustable multilingual text-to-speech function.
• Enhanced tool calling capabilities: Native support for Google Search and code execution, and the ability to call user-defined functions.

Gemini 2.0 Flash is particularly well suited for code generation tasks, and its free beta version (15 requests per minute) offers convenience in efficient development.

2.2 How to Obtain a Gemini 2.0 API Key

To get started with the Gemini 2.0 API, simply follow these steps:

• Sign in to Google AI Studio.
• Click the "Get API Key" button in the upper left corner and complete the application to get the key.

2.3 How to Configure Cline to Use Gemini 2.0

• Select Configure Model in the upper right corner of the Cline.
• Select 'OpenAI Compatible' for the model type.
• Base URL is filled in:https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/openai/The

Top 3 Reasons to Use Cline + Gemini 2.0

1. Full open source and flexibility
   Cline is available as an open source plugin that supports a wide range of API providers and models, including OpenRouter, Anthropic, Google Gemini, and more. Whether calling a remote model or a local model (via LM Studio/Ollama), developers are free to choose.
2. Smoother experience than Cursor
   Compared to Cursor, Cline provides a complete Agentic programming experience that not only automatically executes commands for the user, but also provides real-time feedback and solutions based on the results. This efficient, dynamic programming approach makes the development process smarter, while preserving the ecological and collaborative capabilities of VS Code.
3. Use the powerful Gemini 2.0 for free!
   Being able to use Gemini 2.0 for free is one of the highlights of Cline. Combined with the multimodal nature of Gemini 2.0, Cline not only excels in code completion and optimization, but also supports image generation, speech generation, and other features, providing developers with new creative tools.

    

summarize

Cline combines with Gemini 2.0 to create an AI programming tool that is free, flexible, and an experience beyond Cursor. For developers, this combination not only reduces costs, but also improves development efficiency and collaboration. If you are looking for a smarter and more open AI programming assistant, try this combination and explore the new heights of AI-assisted development.

Besides Gemini, Cline also supports all kinds of big models, here are the free big models supported by Cline. You can also try them.