---
title: Kilo Code
slug: kilo-code
url: "https://toolweight.com/options/kilo-code"
homepage: "https://kilocode.ai"
categories: coding-agents
last_verified: 2026-07-23
license: CC-BY-4.0
---

# Kilo Code

> Open-source VS Code agent in the Cline/Roo lineage, with an orchestrator mode and a CLI.

Kilo Code is an open-source VS Code extension descended from the Cline and Roo Code lineage, merging features from both and adding an orchestrator mode that decomposes work across specialised sub-modes. It ships its own credit-based provider alongside standard BYOK, and has since added a CLI. It moves fast and inherits a mature extension architecture, but its commercial side is less documented than its rivals'.

## Identity

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Name | Kilo Code |
| Company | Kilo Code |
| One-liner | Open-source VS Code agent in the Cline/Roo lineage, with an orchestrator mode and a CLI. |
| Site | https://kilocode.ai |
| Repo | https://github.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode |
| Open source | Yes |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 |
| Compared in | 1 |

## Where it is compared

### [Coding agents](https://toolweight.com/compare/coding-agents)
Ranked **#7 of 17** on default weights.
| Field | Value | Confidence | Verified | Source | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Surface | IDE extension, CLI | Community-reported | - | - | VS Code extension first; a CLI followed. |
| Default model | - | Unknown | - | - | - |
| Model breadth | any provider / router | Community-reported | - | - | Inherits broad provider support from the Cline/Roo lineage. |
| Repo indexing | embeddings index | Community-reported | - | - | - |
| Plan mode | ● | Community-reported | - | - | The mode system includes architect and orchestrator modes. |
| Checkpoint & undo | ● | Community-reported | - | - | - |
| Headless / CI | ◐ | Inferred | - | - | Via the CLI; maturity unverified. |
| Local models | ● | Community-reported | - | - | - |
| Where it stops | 3 | Inferred | - | - | Edits and runs commands in the IDE terminal; no first-class PR path we could verify. |
| MCP | ● | Community-reported | - | - | - |
| Subagents | ● | Community-reported | - | - | Orchestrator mode delegates to specialised sub-modes. |
| Hooks | - | Unknown | - | - | - |
| Skills / commands | ● | Community-reported | - | - | Custom modes and rules files. |
| Background agents | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Opens PRs | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Permissions | granular allowlist | Inferred | - | - | Auto-approve settings per action class, as in Cline; no OS sandbox. |
| BYOK | ● | Community-reported | - | - | - |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Community-reported | - | https://github.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode | - |
| Pricing model | BYOK tokens only | Inferred | - | - | Free extension with optional first-party credits. |
| Entry price | $0 /seat/mo | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Token markup | ○ | Inferred | - | - | BYOK at provider list is the default path, which is what this column asks. It also sells first-party credits whose margin we have not verified, the same optional arrangement opencode, Cline and Zed have, and all four are graded the same. |
| GitHub stars | 9,000 | Community-reported | - | - | Rounded, low confidence. |
| Terminal-Bench | - | Unknown | - | - | - |
| Bench model | - | Unknown | - | - | - |
| Positioning | Open-source AI coding agent for VS Code, with everything included. | Vendor-claimed | - | https://kilocode.ai | - |
| First release | 2025-03-01 | Inferred | - | - | Approximate, we have not verified the first public release date. |

**Verdict.** A features-merged descendant of Cline and Roo Code that ships faster than either, with orchestrator mode as the genuine differentiator. The commercial side, credits, markup, roadmap, is the least documented of any open-source tool here, which is why this row carries nulls.

## Alternatives

- [Aider](https://toolweight.com/options/aider), Minimal terminal pair-programmer with a tree-sitter repo map and automatic git commits.
- [Amp](https://toolweight.com/options/amp), Sourcegraph's opinionated agent with no model picker and an ad-supported free tier.
- [Claude Code](https://toolweight.com/options/claude-code), Anthropic's terminal-first agent, with IDE, web and GitHub Action surfaces.
- [Cline](https://toolweight.com/options/cline), Open-source VS Code and JetBrains agent built around an explicit plan/act split.
- [Codex CLI](https://toolweight.com/options/codex-cli), OpenAI's open-source Rust agent, with the strongest local sandboxing on this page.
- [Cursor](https://toolweight.com/options/cursor), VS Code fork with a real codebase index, background cloud agents and a CLI.
- [Devin](https://toolweight.com/options/devin), Fully delegated cloud engineer: file a task in Slack or the web app, get a PR back.
- [DIY harness](https://toolweight.com/options/diy-harness), Your own loop over a model API with an agent SDK, the build-it-yourself reference point.
- [Gemini CLI](https://toolweight.com/options/gemini-cli), Apache-2.0 terminal agent from Google with an unusually generous free tier.
- [GitHub Copilot (Agent HQ)](https://toolweight.com/options/github-copilot), Copilot's coding agent plus a control plane for running third-party agents on your repos.
- [Goose](https://toolweight.com/options/goose), Block's Apache-2.0 agent, MCP-native from the start, as both a CLI and a desktop app.
- [Grok Build](https://toolweight.com/options/grok-build), xAI's coding harness, launched July 2026, on this page but not yet verified.

## Licence and attribution

Data from toolweight (https://toolweight.com), licensed CC-BY-4.0.

- Licence: [CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- Canonical HTML: https://toolweight.com/options/kilo-code
- Machine-readable: https://toolweight.com/options/kilo-code.md · https://toolweight.com/api/v1 · https://toolweight.com/mcp
- toolweight takes no affiliate revenue and sells no placements. Corrections: https://toolweight.com/suggest