New models drop constantly, so this guide focuses on what’s working well with Cline right now. We’ll keep it updated as the landscape shifts.

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Current Top Models

ModelContext WindowInput Price*Output Price*Best For
Claude Sonnet 41M tokens$3-6$15-22.50Reliable tool usage, complex codebases
Qwen3 Coder256K tokens$0.20$0.80Coding tasks, open source flexibility
Gemini 2.5 Pro1M+ tokensTBDTBDLarge codebases, document analysis
GPT-5400K tokens$1.25$10Latest OpenAI tech, three modes
*Per million tokens

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Budget Options

ModelContext WindowInput Price*Output Price*Notes
DeepSeek V3128K tokens$0.14$0.28Great value for daily coding
DeepSeek R1128K tokens$0.55$2.19Budget reasoning champion
Qwen3 32B128K tokensVariesVariesOpen source, multiple providers
Z AI GLM 4.5128K tokensTBDTBDMIT licensed, hybrid reasoning
*Per million tokens

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Context Window Guide

SizeWord CountUse Case
32K tokens~24,000 wordsSingle files, small projects
128K tokens~96,000 wordsMost coding projects
200K tokens~150,000 wordsLarge codebases
400K+ tokens~300,000+ wordsEntire applications
Performance note: Most models start dropping in quality around 400-500K tokens, even if they claim higher limits.

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Open Source vs Closed Source

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Open Source Advantages

  • Multiple providers compete to host them
  • Cheaper pricing due to competition
  • Provider choice - switch if one goes down
  • Faster innovation cycles

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Open Source Models Available

  • Qwen3 Coder (Apache 2.0)
  • Z AI GLM 4.5 (MIT)
  • Kimi K2 (Open source)
  • DeepSeek series (Various licenses)

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Quick Decision Matrix

If you want…Use this
Something that just worksClaude Sonnet 4
To save moneyDeepSeek V3 or Qwen3 variants
Huge context windowsGemini 2.5 Pro or Claude Sonnet 4
Open sourceQwen3 Coder, Z AI GLM 4.5, or Kimi K2
Latest techGPT-5
SpeedQwen3 Coder on Cerebras (fastest available)

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What Others Are Using

Check OpenRouter’s Cline usage stats to see real usage patterns from the community.

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Context Management

Cline automatically handles context limits with auto-compact. When you approach your model’s limit, Cline summarizes the conversation to keep working. You don’t need to micromanage this.

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The Bottom Line

Start with Claude Sonnet 4 if you want reliability. Experiment with open source options once you’re comfortable to find the best fit for your workflow and budget. The landscape moves fast - these recommendations reflect what’s working now, but keep an eye on new releases.