Looking for an alternative to IntelliJ? Keep IntelliJ — swap the AI.
IntelliJ is a great IDE. Its debugger, refactoring, Spring tooling, and database tools are why people stay. The part worth replacing is the AI layer.
Quick Comparison
JetBrains plan eligibility and custom-model support are based on the official sources linked below. Model and feature availability depend on the IDE version and configuration.
| Kilo Code | JetBrains AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Provider rates Inference; fees and compute separate | Plan-dependent Monthly credit quota |
| AI Models | 500+ | Curated + BYOK |
| Model Selection | Open | Provider-dependent |
| Agents | Code, Ask, Plan, Debug | AI Assistant, Junie, and compatible agents |
| BYOK | Supported providers Free individual platform; usage separate | Supported providers and compatible endpoints |
| Community Edition | AI Free excluded; other access varies | |
| Open Source |
Open Pricing
Provider-rate inference with supported BYOK. Card credit purchases carry a 5% processing fee.
JetBrains offers eligible free access, paid credit plans, and supported BYOK/local models.
Open Source
The JetBrains plugin is MIT-licensed. Inspect and customize the client; hosted backend licensing is separate.
JetBrains AI Assistant and Junie are proprietary closed-source software.
Open Model Choice
500+ models via Kilo Gateway, plus BYOK and local Ollama or LM Studio.
JetBrains also supports third-party endpoints and local models, with feature-specific restrictions.
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.
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.
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.
Use it instead of JetBrains AI
Get more models, transparent per-session pricing, and no monthly credit quota. Works on IntelliJ Community Edition.
Use it alongside Junie and AI Assistant
Install both plugins and use whichever model or agent fits the task. Coordinate simultaneous edits and check overlapping shortcuts or completion features.
Kilo Code vs. JetBrains AI
Sources: JetBrains plans and eligibility and third-party and local model support.
| Feature | Kilo Code | JetBrains AI |
|---|---|---|
Access model | Free individual plugin access | AI Free where eligible, paid plans, or supported BYOK/local models |
AI pricing | Provider-rate inference; card credit fees and cloud compute separate | AI credit allowances and top-ups; provider billing for BYOK |
Cost visibility | Per-session cost in real time | Remaining-quota progress bar |
Cloud models | 500+ via Kilo Gateway | Curated models plus supported third-party endpoints |
Budget & open-weights | DeepSeek, GLM, Kimi, MiniMax, and more | Supported third-party or local models; feature compatibility varies |
BYOK | Supported providers and compatible endpoints; provider usage billed separately | Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, and OpenAI-compatible endpoints |
Local models | Ollama, LM Studio | Ollama, LM Studio for chat and compatible features; not agents |
IntelliJ Community Edition | Supported IDE versions; check Marketplace compatibility | AI Free tier excluded; check other activation options |
Open source | MIT JetBrains plugin | Proprietary |
Team plan | $15/user/month plus usage | Organization plans and shared-credit arrangements vary |
500+ hosted models in one place
Kilo Gateway offers a broad hosted catalog. Separately, configure supported local models through Ollama or LM Studio. Model capabilities and hardware determine which tasks work well; not every catalog model supports every feature.
Pay what the provider charges
Track inference usage at provider rates. Budget separately for card credit purchase fees, optional Kilo Pass, team seats, and hosted compute.
BYOK without a tax
Bring supported API keys for local agent workflows without an individual platform subscription. Both products have model and feature compatibility requirements; BYOK does not make hosted Kilo compute free.
Works on Community Edition
Check Kilo's Marketplace compatibility for your Community Edition version. JetBrains excludes Community Editions from AI Free, while other activation paths vary.
Open source
The JetBrains plugin is MIT-licensed, as are the VS Code and CLI clients. Gateway and Cloud backend code are source-available under a separate license.
Trusted by developers at the world's most innovative companies
- 1
Install the Kilo Code plugin
From the JetBrains Marketplace.
- 2
Pick your models
Kilo Gateway, your own API keys, or local via Ollama or LM Studio.
- 3
Start your first task
Choose Ask, Plan, Code, or Debug and work with your project context.
- 4
Enable automatic plugin updates
Receive the latest fixes and improvements from the Marketplace.
Both plugins run alongside JetBrains AI Assistant and Junie.