For Cline, buy the model access that fits your task and compare the same model across providers. If you want Claude with lower published token rates, Kunavo is worth comparing with direct Anthropic and OpenRouter. If you want simple access to open models, ClinePass is a different purchase. A free promotion or local model can cover a small trial without a hosted paid API.
Which buying route fits?
| Route | Choose it for | Price structure |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Anthropic | Claude with direct vendor account and billing controls | Anthropic's API rates for the selected model |
| Cline built-in access | Model access managed within the client | Usage billing or an eligible subscription option |
| ClinePass | Its included open-model selection | $9.99/month standard rate; processing fee may apply |
| OpenRouter | Choosing among models and provider routes | Route pricing plus applicable platform fees |
| Kunavo | The listed Claude rates and a gateway account for multiple models | Usage at the model catalog rate |
| Free promotion or local runtime | A limited trial or suitable local-model workload | Promotion quota, or your own hardware costs |
ClinePass is an included-model subscription, not a dollar balance for any Claude model. Cline also documents free promotions and local runtimes. For the full plan breakdown, use Cline pricing; the comparison below focuses on what you pay for selected models.
Claude API rates side by side
USD per million standard uncached input and output tokens. External rates were checked September 17, 2026; Kunavo values come from the current catalog. Caching, paid tools, taxes, and payment charges must be accounted for separately.
| Model | Direct Anthropic: input / output | Kunavo: input / output |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | $1.00 / $5.00 | $0.40 / $2.00 |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | $3.00 / $15.00 | $1.20 / $6.00 |
| Claude Sonnet 5 | $2.00 / $10.00 | $2.00 / $10.00 |
Compare with Anthropic's price table and Kunavo's model catalog. OpenRouter's Sonnet 4.6 listing shows $3 input / $15 output, before its applicable fee; its pricing page lists a 5.5% pay-as-you-go platform fee. Include that fee when funding usage.
A cost example with explicit inputs
Suppose the billed total is 200,000 uncached input tokens and 20,000 output tokens. Haiku 4.5 would cost $0.300 direct or $0.120 on Kunavo. Sonnet 4.6 would cost $0.900 direct or $0.360 on Kunavo. These are calculated examples, not measured Cline session costs.
Kunavo's final charge is the higher of the catalog calculation and upstream cost multiplied by the model's markup factor; the billing guide explains this rule. The examples therefore estimate catalog cost, not a guaranteed final charge. Include all task steps and corrections in the usage comparison.
What you pay to start, and what caching changes
Kunavo's minimum prepaid top-up is $10, with no mandatory subscription or balance expiry. Small tasks draw from that balance. OpenRouter's minimum purchase is $5 of credits; its 5.5% PAYG card fee has a $0.80 floor per purchase, so that first $5 costs $5.80 before tax. Compare the initial cash payment separately from the amount one edit consumes.
When Cline repeatedly sends repository context, inspect cache usage. Direct Sonnet 4.6 lists $0.30 per million cache-read tokens, $3.75 for five-minute writes, and $6 for one-hour writes. Kunavo's catalog cache-read rate is $0.12; its Claude cache writes bill at 1.25 times input. For frequent hits, the read rate matters more than the fresh-input headline. For new or changing prefixes, include the write cost and do not assume a cache hit.
Anthropic includes 1M context at standard rates for Sonnet 4.6 and Sonnet 5; Kunavo has no long-context surcharge for those Claude models. That removes a price tier, not the cost of sending more tokens. Use the model and context size your task needs, then compare the complete charge with the accepted result.
Choose the model before optimizing the account
Start with Haiku 4.5 as the lower-rate Claude candidate for a small, well-defined edit. If your workflow calls for Sonnet 4.6, the same-model table gives you a reason to compare Kunavo with a direct key. For Sonnet 5, use the displayed rates rather than assuming every Claude model has the same provider discount. Pick a higher-priced model when the result justifies it, not automatically for every step.
Cline's Plan and Act settings allow different models for those stages. One practical trial is to plan with the model you already trust and try a lower-rate model for the scoped implementation. Compare the combined cost; moving spending between modes does not itself reduce the final bill.
Connect your choice and start with one change
API Provider OpenAI Compatible
Base URL https://api.kunavo.com/v1
API Key <your Kunavo key>
Model ID claude-sonnet-4-6
# For a lower-rate Claude candidate, select claude-haiku-4-5.
# Keep the model's context, capabilities, and displayed prices accurate.These fields follow Cline's OpenAI Compatible setup. Create a Kunavo account, create your key, and follow the Cline integration for the complete model settings. Pick a small change with a test, review the diff, and compare the reported usage before expanding the trial. Keep your current provider available until the new route fits your work.
Use the same API purchase in Cline CLI
Cline CLI is a terminal application with its own installation and authentication steps. The editor settings above are not CLI commands. Follow the official installation guide; Node.js 22 or newer with npm is a straightforward starting point. Current CLI packages support macOS, Linux, and Windows. The shell example below uses Bash-style environment-variable syntax.
Create a key in Kunavo API keys, then load KUNAVO_API_KEY through your secret manager or a hidden shell prompt. Avoid typing the real key into a saved command. Expanding the variable keeps that literal out of shell history, but the --apikey argument can still be visible to process inspection. Alternatively, run cline auth for interactive setup, choose your own API key and OpenAI Compatible, and enter the same endpoint, key, and model there.
npm install -g cline
cline --version
# Load KUNAVO_API_KEY from your secret manager first.
cline auth --provider openai-compatible \
--apikey "$KUNAVO_API_KEY" \
--modelid claude-haiku-4-5 \
--baseurl https://api.kunavo.com/v1
# Run inside the project directory.
cline --provider openai-compatible --model claude-haiku-4-5 \
--auto-approve false --plan \
"Read README.md and summarize setup steps. Do not change files."The current CLI provider ID is openai-compatible; the /v1 base URL selects Kunavo's Chat Completions endpoint. Cline's auth command documents these flags in its source. This configuration has not been verified here with a paid CLI task. Start in a small project, keep tool approval enabled, and check the response and Kunavo charge before moving a larger workflow.
A successful install only proves the executable is available. For a 401, check the selected provider and credential; for a route or model error, recheck the base URL and exact model ID. Use cline auth --help and cline --help to compare your installed version with the CLI reference.
FAQ
Which API is best for Cline?
Choose direct Anthropic when direct Claude account controls are the priority, Cline's built-in services for simple model access, OpenRouter for its model and provider market, or Kunavo for the listed model rates and one gateway account. The price table gives concrete same-model comparisons; the right purchase also depends on the model and features you need.
What is the cheapest Claude model for Cline in this comparison?
Claude Haiku 4.5 is the lowest-rate Claude candidate shown here: $0.40 input and $2.00 output per million tokens on Kunavo. It is a candidate for smaller tasks, not a promise to match a larger model on every job. Count corrections and the completed task cost.
Can I use Cline without paying for an API?
Cline documents rotating free-model promotions with quotas and local-model options. ClinePass is another paid access route. Free promotional usage is not unlimited, and a local model requires suitable hardware. Choose one of these paths explicitly instead of assuming every provider requires a paid API key.
Can Plan and Act use different models in Cline?
Yes. Cline documents separate model selection for Plan and Act. You can use one model to plan and another to implement, then compare the combined bill and accepted result. A cheaper implementation model is useful only if corrections do not erase the saving.
Official sources and external prices checked September 17, 2026. This comparison covers selected routes and models, not every offer in the market.