The Continuity Layer
Alternatives · Coding agents

Gemini CLI alternatives, graded

thecontinuitylayer.com/alternatives/gemini-cli

3 of the 7 coding agents on the record score higher than Gemini CLI's 6½ of 8 (grade B+): Claude Code (7½, A), OpenAI Codex (7, A−), Cline (7, A−) lead the ranking. Every grade is read from the maker's own page, checked 3 November 2026, never from a review.

B+
Gemini CLI · 6½ of 8
7
coding agents to compare
3
score higher
3 November 2026
Makers' pages checked

Every coding agent on the record, ranked

Gemini CLI’s own row is shaded. The five columns are the tests a person switching asks about first; each product page has every test, with the maker’s line and the source. Where the test is about training, no is the good answer and is colored as such.

coding agentGradeRemembersYour filePortableTrainingPrice
Claude Code#1 · AnthropicA7½/8
OpenAI Codex#2 · OpenAIA−7/8
Cline#3 · Cline Bot Inc.A−7/8
Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)#4 · CognitionB+6½/8
Gemini CLI#5 · Google · this oneB+6½/8
Aider#6 · Aider-AIB+6½/8
Cursor#7 · AnysphereB6/8
GitHub Copilot#8 · GitHub (Microsoft)B6/8
  • Remembers · Does it remember across sessions?
  • Your file · Does it keep memory in a file you own?
  • Portable · Does it read a format other tools read?
  • Training · Does it use your code for training by default?
  • Price · What does it cost?

Gemini CLI alternatives, by what matters

5 coding agents that keep memory in a file you own

  1. A Claude Code
  2. A− OpenAI Codex
  3. A− Cline
  4. B+ Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)
  5. B+ Aider

Gemini CLI passes this test too.

The one coding agent that don't use your code for training by default

  1. B+ Aider

Gemini CLI's grade on this test: partly.

6 coding agents that read a format other tools read

  1. A Claude Code
  2. A− OpenAI Codex
  3. A− Cline
  4. B+ Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)
  5. B Cursor
  6. B GitHub Copilot

Gemini CLI passes this test too.

What Google changed lately

  1. Google made Gemini Omni 1.2 Flash, its video generation model, generally available in the Gemini API on 5 November 2026 at $0.07 per second of 720p video, which Google says is 30% below the price of Gemini Omni 1.1. Clips can run up to 15 seconds, up from 10. The announcement gives no retirement date for Omni 1.1.

    source
  2. Google emailed Google AI Plus subscribers ($4.99 a month) that from November 13, 2026, Pro models in the Gemini app and in AI Mode in Search will only be available on Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month) and above. Plus keeps the Flash and Flash-Lite models; earlier Pro chats can be continued with a different model.

    source
  3. Google Cloud stopped selling new Gemini Code Assist Standard and Enterprise subscriptions and points buyers to Antigravity via Gemini Enterprise. Renewals are allowed until January 31, 2027 (annual) or December 31, 2027 (monthly).

    source

Every change from Google, dated →

Alternatives to the others

The whole shelf: Coding agents. How the grades are made: How we grade. No maker pays for a place or a grade.