Comparison
Cline vs Factory Droid
How the two compare on the things that decide whether your setup carries over: open standards, license, models and where they run.
| Cline | Factory Droid | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Cline | Factory |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary |
| Models | See vendor docs | See vendor docs |
| Runs in | IDE, CLI | Terminal, IDE, CI/CD |
| MCP | MCP: supported | MCP: supported |
| Agent Skills | ?Agent Skills: not yet verified | Agent Skills: supported |
| AGENTS.md | ?AGENTS.md: not yet verified | AGENTS.md: supported |
| ACP | ACP: supported | ACP: supported |
Key differences
- Cline is open source (Apache-2.0); Factory Droid is proprietary. If you need to self-host, audit or fork the harness, that settles it.
- Cline also runs in CLI; Factory Droid also runs in Terminal, CI/CD.
- Factory Droid supports Agent Skills; we have not verified it for Cline.
- Factory Droid supports AGENTS.md; we have not verified it for Cline.
- Both support MCP, ACP, so MCP servers, skills and repo instructions you set up carry over if you switch.
In their own words
FAQ
- Is Cline or Factory Droid open source?
- Cline is open source under Apache-2.0. Factory Droid is proprietary.
- Do Cline and Factory Droid support MCP servers?
- Cline: yes. Factory Droid: yes.
- Can I reuse Agent Skills between Cline and Factory Droid?
- Only if both support the Agent Skills format. Check the table above.
Set up MCP servers in either one
More comparisons
Reviewed Oct 5, 2026.