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Kilo Code vs Continue

Continue’s source and final binaries remain available, but active product maintenance has ended.

What this comparison covers

This comparison covers Continue’s final VS Code, JetBrains, and CLI releases and surviving documentation. It does not present retired login, hosted configuration, subscription, or organization services as current offerings.

Verdict

Continue remains a valuable Apache-2.0 foundation with unusually clear model-role configuration, but it is no longer an independently maintained product. Kilo is the safer default for users who want an actively supported open agent with managed models and current team features.

Updated Verified against Continue’s acquisition page, maintenance notice, final repository, marketplace, model, YAML migration, and CLI documentation.
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Quick Comparison

Product status
Kilo Code
Actively maintained
Continue
Discontinued
Joined Cursor; repository says no active maintenance
Surfaces
Kilo Code
Desktop (beta), VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, and Cloud
Continue
Final VS Code, JetBrains, CLI releases
Desktop app
Kilo Code
Kilo Desktop (beta)
Agent workspace, not a full IDE
Continue
Reviewed clients are IDE extensions and CLI
Client price
Kilo Code
Free
Continue
Free preserved clients
Models/BYOK
Kilo Code
500+
Continue
Configurable providers and roles
Local inference
Kilo Code
Ollama/LM Studio; validate network requirements
Continue
Autocomplete
Kilo Code
Continue
Open source
Kilo Code
Maintained MIT IDE/CLI; other components differ
Continue
Apache-2.0 unmaintained
Current team controls
Kilo Code
Continue

Where Continue may fit better

Reasons to choose the competitor, depending on your workflow and constraints.

Clear model-role separation

Continue can assign different models to chat, editing, apply, autocomplete, embeddings, and reranking.

Portable YAML configuration

Models, rules, prompts, context, MCP servers, and agent files are represented in inspectable local configuration.

Useful offline foundation

Apache-2.0 source, Ollama guidance, compatible endpoints, and locally installable packages remain useful to internal forks.

500+ hosted models, plus BYOK and local inference

Choose Kilo Gateway, your own provider credentials, or a compatible local model. Model capabilities and tool support vary; a large catalog does not mean every model fits every workflow.

Open clients with clear license boundaries

The VS Code, JetBrains, and CLI clients are MIT-licensed. Gateway and Cloud backend code are source-available under a separate repository license, not a promise that every hosted service or Desktop component is MIT-licensed.

Desktop for code and data, or the editor you already use

Kilo Desktop beta brings agent chat, interactive Python notebooks, conda environments, and local inference into one workspace. You can also keep working in VS Code, JetBrains, the CLI, or Cloud. Capabilities vary by surface.

Continue alternative: why developers switch to Kilo Code

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

500+ hosted models, plus BYOK and local inference

Choose Kilo Gateway, your own provider credentials, or a compatible local model. Model capabilities and tool support vary; a large catalog does not mean every model fits every workflow.

Open clients with clear license boundaries

The VS Code, JetBrains, and CLI clients are MIT-licensed. Gateway and Cloud backend code are source-available under a separate repository license, not a promise that every hosted service or Desktop component is MIT-licensed.

Desktop for code and data, or the editor you already use

Kilo Desktop beta brings agent chat, interactive Python notebooks, conda environments, and local inference into one workspace. You can also keep working in VS Code, JetBrains, the CLI, or Cloud. Capabilities vary by surface.

Kilo Desktop for code and data

Beta

Use the Kilo agent in a desktop workspace, or keep your existing VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, and Cloud workflows. Desktop runs the Kilo CLI engine and supports 500+ hosted models through Kilo Gateway, your provider keys, and local inference.

  • Interactive Python notebooks

    Edit and run notebook cells alongside the agent, with outputs visible next to the conversation.

    Notebook documentation

  • Managed conda environments

    Manage Python environments and packages in the app, with access to Anaconda's 19,000 vetted packages.

    Environment documentation

  • Local inference when it fits

    Import a compatible GGUF model into the built-in local model server. Hardware and tool-calling support determine which tasks work well.

    Local inference documentation

Available for macOS Apple Silicon, Windows, and Linux. The built-in local model server, notebooks, and conda environments require a Kilo account. Local inference is not a guarantee of an entirely offline or air-gapped application. See requirements.

Get Kilo Desktop (Beta)
Explore Desktop documentation

Compare the whole cost, not just the seat

Platform
Free for individuals. Teams is $15/user/month; Enterprise is custom. SSO, SCIM, and audit logs are Enterprise features, not included in Teams.
Inference
Use available free models, local inference, or BYOK. Kilo Gateway charges provider rates with no inference markup. Kilo Pass is an optional credit subscription.
Cloud compute
Cloud Agents and hosted Code Reviews have separately priced compute in addition to model inference. Check current pricing and any applicable beta offer. BYOK does not remove compute charges.

Credit purchase processing fee: 5%. Applies to card purchases that add credits, including top-ups and Kilo Pass. Excludes seat subscriptions and non-card payments. See full pricing.

Open-source scope: VS Code, JetBrains, and CLI clients are MIT-licensed; Gateway and Cloud backend code are source-available under a separate license. These licenses do not establish the license of every Desktop component. See component licenses.

Kilo details reviewed . Competitor review dates are listed separately.

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Complete Feature Comparison

An honest look at where Kilo wins, where Continue wins, and where they're comparable

Status and support

Desktop app
Kilo Code
Kilo Desktop (beta), not a full IDE
Continue
Final IDE extensions and CLI
Active feature maintenance
Kilo Code
Continue
Current security fixes
Kilo Code
Continue
Downloadable clients
Kilo Code
Continue
Final binaries remain distributed
Current enterprise service
Kilo Code
Continue

Preserved developer features

Agent, Plan, Chat, and Edit
Kilo Code
Continue
Inline autocomplete
Kilo Code
Continue
Headless CLI and CI output
Kilo Code
Continue
BYOK and compatible endpoints
Kilo Code
Continue
Ollama/offline setup
Kilo Code
Local models; audit tools, telemetry, and network dependencies
Continue

Configuration and teams

Local YAML configuration
Kilo Code
Continue
Per-role model assignment
Kilo Code
Workflow-level choice
Continue
MCP, rules, and agent files
Kilo Code
Continue
Maintained SSO/RBAC/admin plane
Kilo Code
Continue

Specialized agents built into Kilo Code

Code, Plan, Debug, and Ask cover the primary workflow. Code, Plan, and Debug can delegate isolated work to Explore, General, or custom subagents, while Agent Manager coordinates parallel VS Code sessions across git worktrees.

Preserve Continue configuration before compatibility drifts

Validate models, permissions, reusable instructions, and team workflows before removing your current tool. Choose Kilo Desktop beta for a code-and-data workspace, or install Kilo in the editor and terminal you already use.

1

Archive non-secret configuration

Inventory ~/.continue/config.yaml, project .continue files, .continueignore, rules, prompts, MCP definitions, and agent files. Move credentials to secrets.

15 min
2

Map model roles

Choose Kilo models for agent, planning, editing, and autocomplete work rather than copying provider names without testing capability.

20 min
3

Replace scripts and clients

Choose Kilo Desktop beta or keep VS Code/JetBrains with Kilo installed. Validate CLI/CI jobs, editor workflows, and any offline requirements, including tools and telemetry, before removing Continue’s final binaries.

One pilot

Factual basis

Last reviewed . Product details can change; these first-party sources support the comparison above.

Common Questions About Switching from Continue

Everything you need to know about moving to Kilo Code.

No. Continue’s site says it joined Cursor, and the repository says it is no longer actively maintained and is read-only for users. The repository is not technically marked archived, but recent cleanup commits do not reverse the maintenance notice.

Yes, final clients and Apache-2.0 source remain available. Users should account for future editor compatibility, dependency, and security risks without active maintenance.

Yes. Surviving first-party docs cover Ollama, compatible endpoints, BYOK, and offline extension installation, while warning that smaller local models may struggle with agent tool use.

No current first-party team or enterprise SKU was confirmed. Historical organization and login documentation should not be treated as a maintained control plane after the acquisition.

Yes. Kilo Desktop is in beta for macOS Apple Silicon, Windows, and Linux. It uses the Kilo CLI agent engine and combines agent chat with files, git, terminals, interactive Python notebooks, and conda environments. Its built-in local model server, notebooks, and conda environments require a Kilo account. Desktop is an alternative workspace, not a requirement to replace your existing IDE.

Individual platform access is free. Teams costs $15/user/month; Enterprise is custom. Paid inference and cloud compute are separate. Kilo Gateway charges provider rates with no inference markup; a 5% processing fee applies to card purchases of credits, including optional Kilo Pass. Seat subscriptions and non-card payments are excluded from that processing fee. BYOK covers inference through your provider, not Kilo cloud compute.

The VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, and CLI are MIT-licensed. Gateway and Cloud backend code are source-available under their repository license, with security and abuse-protection exclusions. These component licenses should not be generalized to the entire hosted platform or Desktop application.

Yes. Kilo supports provider credentials and compatible local inference, including Ollama and LM Studio. Desktop also has a managed local model server for imported GGUF files. Local inference keeps prompts out of hosted model providers, but does not by itself make the whole application offline or air-gapped. Hosted features and connected tools have their own data flows.

Cloud Agents support repository-based work, webhook triggers, and scheduled triggers; triggers are in beta. The current documentation limits each message to 15 minutes, so break long jobs into steps. Cloud compute is billed separately from inference, including with BYOK. Local tools and MCP support should not be assumed to work identically in a hosted environment; check the current Cloud Agent documentation for limits.

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