---
title: "Models"
sidebarTitle: "Models"
description: "Available models, pricing tiers, free models, and how model IDs work in the Cline API."
---

The Cline API gives you access to models from multiple providers through a single endpoint. Model IDs follow the `provider/model-name` format, the same convention used by [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai).

## Model ID Format

Every model is identified by a string in the format:

```
provider/model-name
```

For example:
- `anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6` - Claude Sonnet 4.6 from Anthropic
- `openai/gpt-4o` - GPT-4o from OpenAI
- `google/gemini-2.5-pro` - Gemini 2.5 Pro from Google

Pass this string as the `model` parameter in your [Chat Completions](/api/chat-completions) request.

Example:

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.cline.bot/api/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "minimax/minimax-m2.5",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
  }'
```

## Reasoning Models

Some models support extended thinking, where the model reasons through a problem before responding. When using these models:

- Reasoning content appears in `delta.reasoning` during streaming
- Some providers return encrypted reasoning blocks in `delta.reasoning_details`
- Reasoning tokens are counted separately from output tokens

Models with reasoning support include most Claude, Gemini 2.5, and Grok 3 models. Check the model's `supportsReasoning` capability in the model catalog.

## Choosing a Model

| If you need... | Consider |
|----------------|----------|
| Best coding performance | `anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6` |
| Long document analysis | `google/gemini-2.5-pro` (1M context) |
| Fast, cheap responses | `deepseek/deepseek-chat` |
| Free experimentation | `minimax/minimax-m2.5` |
| Multi-modal (text + images) | `openai/gpt-4o` or `anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6` |
| Complex reasoning | Any model with reasoning support |

For setup and account flow details, see the [Cline Provider guide](/getting-started/cline-provider).

## Image Support

Models that support images accept base64-encoded image content in the `messages` array:

```json
{
  "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
  "messages": [
    {
      "role": "user",
      "content": [
        {"type": "text", "text": "What's in this image?"},
        {"type": "image_url", "image_url": {"url": "data:image/png;base64,..."}}
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```

Not all models support images. Check the model's `supportsImages` capability before sending image content.

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Chat Completions" icon="message" href="/api/chat-completions">
    Use these models in your API requests.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Cline Provider" icon="scale-balanced" href="/getting-started/cline-provider">
    Fastest setup path with built-in authentication and billing.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
