Skip to main content
Updated June 2026

Cheaper than Claude Code and without rate limits!

Same models + free and open-weight. Mix DeepSeek, Qwen, MiniMax with Anthropic and OpenAI models. Zero markup on the token price. Save up to 90% with Kilo.

Pricing
Kilo Code
$0/month
BYOK free or pay-as-you-go at cost
Claude Code
$100–200/month
Full Claude Code starts at Max 5x $100
AI Models
Kilo Code
500+
60+ providers, any model
Claude Code
Claude only
Opus 4.8, Sonnet 4.6, Haiku 4.5
Tab Autocomplete
Kilo Code
Codestral-powered inline FIM
Claude Code
No autocomplete at all
Primary Interface
Kilo Code
IDE extension + CLI
VS Code, JetBrains, Kilo CLI
Claude Code
Terminal-first
+ Desktop, Web, iOS surfaces
Open Source
Kilo Code
MIT, full transparency
Claude Code
Closed source
Try Kilo Code Free
See Full Comparison

Where Kilo Code Wins

500+ models from 60+ providers
Switch between Claude, GPT-5.5, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi, GLM, MiniMax, and hundreds more. Claude Code is locked to Claude only (Opus 4.8, Sonnet 4.6, Haiku 4.5).
Inline autocomplete (Claude Code has none)
Kilo has Codestral-powered inline FIM tab autocomplete. Claude Code has no autocomplete at all — it's purely an agentic chat/command tool, not a tab-completion engine.
Free tier with full functionality
Kilo is free with BYOK or free models — all agentic features included. Claude Code requires Max 5x ($100/mo) or Max 20x ($200/mo) for full access; Pro at $20/mo has heavy rate limits.
IDE-native experience
Kilo is a VS Code extension + JetBrains plugin. Keep your keybindings, themes, extensions. Claude Code is primarily terminal-based — IDE integrations are secondary surfaces.
Fully open source (MIT)
Inspect every prompt, see context windows, verify no silent compression. SOC 2 certified. Claude Code is closed-source — you can't see system prompts or how code is processed.
Zero markup on any model
Pay exact provider rates for any model. Claude Code bundles usage into $100–$200/mo Max plans with opaque 'usage limits' (Max 5x/20x multipliers). With Kilo, you pay exactly what the provider charges.

Where Claude Code Wins

Deep sub-agent orchestration system
The most sophisticated agent system: custom sub-agents with YAML frontmatter, tool allowlists, model selection, hooks, skills, and plugins. Agents spawn other agents and coordinate via Task tool. Kilo's native sub-agent delegation doesn't match this depth.
Terminal-first composability (Unix philosophy)
Pipe logs into Claude, chain with CLI tools, run in CI/CD. `tail -f app.log | claude -p "alert on anomalies"`. Claude Code follows Unix philosophy — composable by design.
Background agents with true multitasking
Local background agents run in separate processes. Press Ctrl+B to background a sub-agent and keep coding. Kilo's Cloud Agents run remotely but Claude Code's local agents are more interactive.
Hooks system for deterministic automation
PreToolUse, PermissionRequest, Stop, UserPromptSubmit — hooks let you run shell commands at specific lifecycle moments. Auto-format, lint, notify Slack. Kilo doesn't have lifecycle hooks.
CLAUDE.md + auto memory
Project-level CLAUDE.md files set coding standards and architecture decisions. Auto memory learns build commands and debugging insights. More structured than Kilo's Memory Bank.
Cross-surface continuity
Start in terminal, continue on web/iOS, teleport to desktop app, hand off from Slack. Remote Control lets you manage sessions from any browser. Sessions flow across every surface.
Agent SDK + Plugins ecosystem
Build fully custom agents with the Agent SDK. Plugins bundle skills, commands, sub-agents, hooks, and MCP servers into distributable packages. This is an agent operating system. Kilo doesn't have an SDK or plugin distribution model.
GitHub Actions / GitLab CI/CD integration
Native integration for automated PR reviews and issue triage in CI/CD pipelines. Kilo has Cloud Agents but not purpose-built CI/CD actions.

Trusted by developers at the world's most innovative companies

Why developers choose Kilo Code

500+ models. Inline autocomplete. IDE-native. Open source. Free with BYOK.

IDE-Native

VS Code extension + JetBrains plugin + CLI. Not terminal-first \u2014 IDE-first.

500+ Models

60+ providers. Not locked to Claude. Pick the best model per task.

Tab Autocomplete

Codestral-powered inline FIM. Claude Code has zero autocomplete.

Open Source

MIT-licensed. See every prompt. Audit the code. Full transparency.

Pricing: Kilo Code vs Claude Code

Kilo: free with BYOK or pay-as-you-go. Claude Code: subscription required (full Claude Code now starts at Max 5x $100/mo).

Free
BYOK or free models — all features
Very limited access
Entry-level
Pay-as-you-go or Kilo Pass $19/mo (+50% bonus)
Max 5x $100/mo — full Claude Code no longer on $20 Pro
Power User
Kilo Pass $99–$199/mo (+50% bonus)
Max 5x $100/mo | Max 20x $200/mo
Teams
$15/user/mo + AI at provider cost
Team Premium ~$100–125/seat/mo (Team Standard excludes Claude Code)

500+ models + inline autocomplete + four primary agents and sub-agents

Code, Plan, Debug, and Ask agents with native sub-agent delegation \u2014 purpose-built for your workflow. Plus tab completions Claude Code doesn't have.

Agentic Engineering

Glide through your workflow with an agent for every step

Ask agent

A knowledgeable technical assistant focused on answering questions without changing your codebase

Full Feature Comparison

Every feature, side by side \u2014 with honest notes on where each tool has the edge

Tab Autocomplete & Code Completion

Inline tab completions
Kilo Code
Claude Code
No autocomplete at all
Multi-line completions
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Fill-in-the-Middle (FIM)
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Autocomplete model choice
Kilo Code
Codestral or Mercury Edit 2
Claude Code
N/A

AI Chat & Agentic Capabilities

AI chat in IDE / terminal
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Terminal-first + IDE panels
Autonomous agents
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Always agentic (default)
Custom sub-agents
Kilo Code
Claude Code
YAML frontmatter, tool allowlists
Background agents
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Local (Ctrl+B)
Multi-agent orchestration
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Agent teams + Task tool
Hooks (lifecycle automation)
Kilo Code
Claude Code
PreToolUse, Stop, etc.
Plugins ecosystem
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Skills + commands + agents + MCP
Agent SDK
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Memory persistence
Kilo Code
Claude Code
CLAUDE.md + auto memory
Voice prompting
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Slack integration
Kilo Code
Claude Code
@Claude in Slack → PRs
MCP support
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Full MCP + plugins
CI/CD integration
Kilo Code
Partial
Claude Code
Native GitHub Actions + GitLab
Chrome debugging
Kilo Code
Claude Code

Model Access & Flexibility

Total models available
Kilo Code
500+
Claude Code
Claude only
Opus 4.8, Sonnet 4.6, Haiku 4.5
Non-Anthropic models
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Claude models only
BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)
Kilo Code
All features
Claude Code
Partial
API account option
Local model support
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Free & budget models
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Free tier 'very limited'
Zero markup on costs
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Partial
Bundled in subscription

IDE & Platform Support

VS Code (native extension)
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Partial
Extension exists, terminal-first
JetBrains IDEs
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Partial
Plugin (beta)
Terminal / CLI
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Primary interface
Desktop app
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Web browser access
Kilo Code
Claude Code
claude.ai/code
iOS / mobile
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Cross-surface continuity
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Terminal ↔ Web ↔ Desktop ↔ iOS

Pricing

Free tier
Kilo Code
Free (BYOK or free models)
Claude Code
Very limited
Entry-level paid
Kilo Code
Pay-as-you-go
Claude Code
Max 5x $100/mo
Full Claude Code no longer on $20 Pro
Power user
Kilo Code
$19–199/mo (+50% bonus)
Claude Code
$100–200/mo
Max 5x/20x multipliers
Team plan
Kilo Code
$15/user/mo
Claude Code
Team Premium ~$100–125/seat/mo
Team Standard excludes Claude Code
Model lock-in
Kilo Code
None
Claude Code
Claude only

Open Source, Privacy & Security

Open source
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Closed source
SOC 2 certified
Kilo Code
Claude Code
Visible prompts & context
Kilo Code
Claude Code
System prompts not visible
Data used for training
Kilo Code
Never
Claude Code
Not by default
Enterprise controls
Sandbox mode
Kilo Code
Claude Code
BashTool sandboxing
Sources: kilo.ai, kilo.ai/pricing | code.claude.com, code.claude.com/docs, anthropic.com/pricing. Pricing: Pro $20/mo (heavy rate limits), Max 5x $100/mo, Max 20x $200/mo, Team Premium ~$100–125/seat/mo (Team Standard $25/seat excludes Claude Code). All data as of June 2026.

Get started in under 5 minutes

Use Kilo alongside Claude Code or as your primary tool. No risk.

1

Install Kilo Code

Install the VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, or Kilo CLI. One click.

1 min
2

Choose Your Models

Pick from 500+ models — including Claude. Or use your existing API keys. Start with our recommendations.

1 min
3

Start Building

Everything works instantly. Try the agents and inline autocomplete.

Immediate

Common Questions

Honest answers about Kilo Code vs Claude Code

Compare Kilo Code with Other Tools

See how Kilo Code stacks up against other AI coding assistants

Kilo Code vs Cursor

Compare Kilo Code with Cursor across desktop apps, IDEs, models, BYOK, agents, cloud workflows, pricing, and enterprise controls.

GitHub Copilot vs Kilo Code

Compare GitHub Copilot and Kilo across desktop apps, IDEs, agents, CLI, models, local use, pricing, review, and governance.

Kilo Code vs Cline

Compare Kilo and Cline across Desktop beta apps, IDEs, CLI, cloud sessions, models, BYOK, orchestration, teams, and pricing.

Kilo Code vs Devin Desktop

Compare Kilo with Devin Desktop, formerly Windsurf, across IDEs, local and cloud agents, models, pricing, and teams.

Kilo Code vs Roo Code

Roo Code was discontinued May 15, 2026. Compare its preserved capabilities with maintained Kilo workflows and plan a safe migration.

Kilo Code vs Continue

Continue joined Cursor and is no longer actively maintained. Compare its preserved IDE, CLI, YAML, and local-model capabilities with Kilo.

Kilo Code vs Gemini Code Assist

Compare Kilo with paid Gemini Code Assist across IDEs, models, agents, quotas, Google Cloud integration, data controls, and pricing.

Kilo Code vs OpenAI Codex

Compare Kilo and Codex across desktop apps, IDEs, CLI, cloud, hosted models, local providers, subagents, open source, pricing, and governance.

Kilo Code vs Claude Code

Compare Kilo and Claude Code across Desktop, IDEs, CLI and cloud workflows, including model choice, subscription entitlements, extensibility and usage costs.

Kilo Code vs Roomote

Compare Kilo Desktop beta, IDE and CLI workflows with Roomote, a source-available cloud coding agent offering self-hosting, BYOK and parallel tasks.

Kilo Code vs Tabnine

Compare Kilo with Tabnine across agentic coding, IDE and CLI workflows, model choice and private enterprise deployments. Pricing depends on the offered contract.

Kilo Code vs Augment Code

Compare Kilo with Augment Cosmos, Auggie CLI and IDE integrations: context, custom agents, parallel cloud work, flat-team pricing and the Harness asset-sale agreement.

Kilo Code vs Lovable

Kilo Code plugs into your real IDE and codebase — Lovable is a hosted AI app builder optimized for greenfield prototyping.

Kilo Code vs Replit

Use Kilo inside your existing editor and infrastructure vs Replit's hosted browser IDE.

The Open-Source Google Antigravity Alternative

Compare Google Antigravity with Kilo Code for agentic coding across Desktop beta, VS Code, JetBrains, CLI and cloud, with supported BYOK and local models.

Kilo Code vs Warp

Compare Kilo's IDE integrations, CLI, Desktop beta and Cloud Agents with Warp's terminal-first agent environment. Model access and billing depend on the workflow.

Kilo Code vs Amp Code

Compare Amp apps, orbs, BYOK, and teams with Kilo Desktop, IDEs, CLI, and Cloud

Kilo Code vs Grok Build

Compare terminal agents, provider choice, and automation

Kilo Code vs JetBrains AI and Junie

Compare native JetBrains workflows, model access, and pricing

Kilo Code for JetBrains IDEs

AI coding assistant for IntelliJ, PhpStorm, WebStorm, and Rider

Kilo CLI vs Aider

Compare model choice, workflows, and pricing for command-line agents

Kilo CLI vs Codex CLI

See how Kilo CLI compares with OpenAI Codex CLI

Kilo CLI vs Gemini CLI

Compare Google Gemini CLI with Kilo CLI and 500+ models

Kilo CLI vs OpenCode CLI

Compare Kilo CLI with the upstream OpenCode CLI and subscriptions

Kilo Code vs Google Antigravity

Compare models, pricing, agent workflows, and product surfaces

Kilo Autocomplete vs Cursor Tab

Feature-by-feature comparison for AI code completions

Kilo Autocomplete vs GitHub Copilot

Compare autocomplete quality, pricing, and IDE support

Kilo Autocomplete vs Codeium

Compare Kilo Code autocomplete with Codeium completions

Kilo Code Reviews vs Greptile

Compare AI code review workflows, model choice, and pricing

Graphite vs Kilo Code Reviews

Compare Graphite PR workflows with Kilo Code Reviews

Best AI Coding Assistant

Compare top AI coding assistants and when to choose each one

See all Kilo Code alternatives

500+ models. Tab autocomplete. Open source.

Join 5M+ developers. Free forever with BYOK.

Get Started with Kilo
Book a demo for teams
✓No credit card required✓Free forever with BYOK✓VS Code, JetBrains, CLI