Dyad vs Cline
Both are alternatives to v0. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Cline vs Dyad — same comparison, one verdict.
Dyad and Cline are closely matched on ownership (93 vs 92) — this one comes down to pricing and to which trade-offs below you can live with.
Dyad
TOP PICKA free desktop app builder with a Next.js and shadcn template, any model, and your code on your own disk.
Dyad is a local, open-source AI app builder that describes itself as an alternative to v0, Lovable and Bolt that runs on your own computer. You chat, it builds and previews the app, and every project is a regular Git repository in a folder on your machine (~/dyad-apps by default), so you can open it in VS Code whenever you like. Alongside its default React and Vite template it ships a Next.js template set up with shadcn and Tailwind, the stack v0 generates. You bring the model: Google Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, a ChatGPT subscription, or local models through Ollama or LM Studio. Supabase and Neon connect for a database and auth, and its docs walk through deploying with GitHub and Vercel or any other host.
Cline
For developers: the same prompt-to-code loop, inside your own repository and editor.
If you mainly use v0 to generate Next.js and shadcn/ui code that ends up in a repository you already have, an open coding agent can do that job in place. Cline (Apache-2.0) runs as a VS Code extension, a JetBrains plugin, a CLI and a desktop app for macOS and Windows. It reads your project, plans before it acts, shows every edit as a diff you can review, asks before running commands, and keeps checkpoints you can roll back to. It works with Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, Vercel AI Gateway, Bedrock, any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, or local models through Ollama or LM Studio. It is a coding agent, not an app builder: there is no hosted preview or one-click deploy, so it suits people comfortable running a dev server themselves.
Side by side
10 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| Dyad | Cline | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 93 | 92 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 (src/pro under FSL-1.1-ALv2) | Apache-2.0 |
| Pricing | Free and open source; bring your own API key or a ChatGPT subscription, or run a local model. The free Basic Agent is listed at 20 messages a day. Optional Dyad Pro is $20/month with 200 AI credits, and Dyad Max $79/month with 900. Verified on dyad.sh/pro 2026-10-06. | Free for individual developers (Apache-2.0); you pay only for inference, with your own keys or Cline's usage-billed provider. Optional ClinePass is $9.99/month for open coding models; Enterprise is custom. Verified on cline.bot/pricing and docs.cline.bot 2026-10-06. |
| RAM to run it wellThe figure that actually matters, not the vendor's minimum. | — | 32 GB for a local model that actually works. Cline's tested minimum is Qwen3 Coder 30B at 4-bit (~17 GB download, 32K context, Compact Prompt on). 64 GB runs the 8-bit version (~32 GB) with 128K context and every feature. With an API key, any machine that runs VS Code is enough. |
| Realistic running costWhat the box costs each month if you run it yourself. | — | $0 — it runs on the machine you already own. Cline is free for individuals and you pay only for inference: per-token API use with your own key, or the hardware to run a local model. |
| Setup timeHonest first-install estimate, not the marketing quickstart. | — | 5 minutes with an API key. An hour or two to set up Ollama or LM Studio with a big enough model and context. |
| Ongoing maintenanceThe part nobody budgets for. | — | Almost none. The marketplace updates it automatically and releases come often (v4.1.22 on 30 Sep 2026). The real work is watching your API spend. |
Dyad is Macrostack's recommended v0 alternative, so it's our pick here.
Dyad
Strengths
- +Each project is a normal Git repository on your own disk; open it in any editor, or keep building elsewhere
- +A Next.js template with shadcn and Tailwind, so the output looks like what v0 produces
- +Any model: Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, a ChatGPT subscription, or local models via Ollama or LM Studio
- +Very active: v1.18.0 shipped on 5 October 2026, and the repository has about 21.7k GitHub stars
Trade-offs
- −A desktop app rather than a hosted service: you install it plus Node.js, and macOS and Windows are the supported platforms; Linux is experimental and does not auto-update
- −JavaScript apps only, per its FAQ: web apps and hybrid mobile apps, but no native Swift or Kotlin
- −The Pro features in the repository's src/pro folder are fair-source (FSL-1.1), not open source, and the free agent mode is limited to 20 messages a day
- −Dyad does not host your app; you deploy through GitHub to Vercel or another host and manage that account yourself
Cline
Strengths
- +Works on the repository you already have, so generated components land beside your real code
- +Every edit shows as a reviewable diff, with checkpoints to undo the agent's work
- +Any provider, or fully local with Ollama or LM Studio
- +Large and active: about 70k GitHub stars, with commits daily
Trade-offs
- −No live preview, hosting or deploy button of its own; you run the dev server and deploy yourself
- −Assumes you are comfortable in a code editor; it is not built for people who have never run a project locally
- −The JetBrains plugin is not open source; only the VS Code extension, CLI, SDK and desktop app are in the public repository
- −Per-token billing on a frontier model can cost more than a flat plan for heavy daily use
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Dyad
if a lower exit cost matters more to you than any single feature, and each project is a normal Git repository on your own disk; open it in any editor, or keep building elsewhere.
Choose Cline
if works on the repository you already have, so generated components land beside your real code.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — a desktop app rather than a hosted service: you install it plus Node.js, and macOS and Windows are the supported platforms; Linux is experimental and does not auto-update, and no live preview, hosting or deploy button of its own; you run the dev server and deploy yourself. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
What it takes to run these yourself
Real requirements and honest running costs, not the vendor quickstart.
Dyad vs Cline — common questions
Is Dyad a better fit than Cline for ai app builders?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Dyad scores 93 to Cline's 92 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Cline earns its place on a different axis — works on the repository you already have, so generated components land beside your real code. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
Dyad keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. Cline is still self-hostable, so the files stay on your server either way — but it is not local-first by design, so check what its export produces before you rely on it.
Can I self-host Dyad or Cline?
Both can be self-hosted. The difference is what it costs you in time rather than whether it is possible — see the setup and maintenance rows above.
Are Dyad and Cline both alternatives to v0?
Yes — both appear in our v0 comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off v0 and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
Related alternative guides
Facts verified 2026-10-06. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.