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Kilo Code vs Roo Code

Roo Code is archived and unsupported; this page now prioritizes status, preservation, and migration.

What this comparison covers

This comparison covers the discontinued Roo Code VS Code extension. Roomote is an active, separate self-hosted cloud agent from the same organization and is not treated as Roo Code’s IDE successor.

Verdict

Roo Code remains useful source and an installable final release, but it is no longer a maintained product. Existing users should move to a maintained agent or consciously own the security and compatibility risk of an archived Apache-2.0 extension; Kilo offers the closest maintained open, model-flexible path.

Updated Verified against Roo’s shutdown notice, archived repository, final marketplace listing, settings documentation, and separate Roomote sources.
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Quick Comparison

Product status
Kilo Code
Actively maintained
Roo Code
Discontinued
Shut down May 15, 2026; repository archived
Primary surface
Kilo Code
Desktop (beta), VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, and Cloud
Roo Code
VS Code extension
Desktop app
Kilo Code
Kilo Desktop (beta)
Agent workspace, not a full IDE
Roo Code
Reviewed product is an archived IDE extension
Client price
Kilo Code
Free
Roo Code
Free final release
Models/BYOK
Kilo Code
500+
Roo Code
Broad provider support
Local models
Kilo Code
Roo Code
Custom agents
Kilo Code
Custom agents
Roo Code
Custom modes (legacy)
Open source
Kilo Code
MIT IDE/CLI; other components differ
Roo Code
Apache-2.0 archived
Security updates
Kilo Code
Roo Code

Where Roo Code may fit better

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

Rich custom-mode design

Roo offered per-mode tools, file restrictions, model profiles, subtasks, MCP, and project instructions.

Provider and local-model flexibility

The final release supports direct providers, OpenRouter, Ollama, LM Studio, and reusable provider profiles.

Preserved permissive source

The archived Apache-2.0 repository remains inspectable and forkable for users prepared to maintain it themselves.

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.

Roo Code alternative: why developers switch to Kilo Code

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

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 Roo Code wins, and where they're comparable

Current viability

Desktop app
Kilo Code
Kilo Desktop (beta), not a full IDE
Roo Code
Archived VS Code extension
Active maintenance
Kilo Code
Roo Code
Marketplace install
Kilo Code
Roo Code
Listing includes shutdown notice
Future security fixes
Kilo Code
Roo Code
Supported team service
Kilo Code
Roo Code

Preserved capabilities

Agents and delegation
Kilo Code
Agents and sub-agents
Roo Code
Modes and subtasks (legacy)
BYOK and provider profiles
Kilo Code
Roo Code
Ollama and LM Studio
Kilo Code
Roo Code
MCP and auto-approval
Kilo Code
Roo Code
JetBrains and CLI
Kilo Code
Roo Code

Migration assets

Settings export
Kilo Code
Roo Code
Roo export may contain plaintext API keys
Project rules
Kilo Code
.kilo/
Roo Code
.roo/
Custom mode file
Kilo Code
Kilo configuration
Roo Code
.roomodes
AGENTS.md support
Kilo Code
Roo Code
Optional setting

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.

Migrate off unsupported Roo Code safely

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

Inventory and rotate secrets

Export Roo settings only into a secure location. The export can contain plaintext API keys, so rotate exposed credentials after migration.

15 min
2

Port project behavior

Choose Kilo Desktop beta or Kilo in VS Code or JetBrains, then review .roomodes, .roo/rules, AGENTS.md, provider profiles, MCP servers, and approvals. Recreate only what is still needed; do not assume one-to-one configuration imports.

Varies
3

Validate before removal

Run representative tasks in Kilo, verify permissions and local/provider models, then disable the unsupported extension and preserve only non-secret reference files.

One pilot

Factual basis

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

Common Questions About Switching from Roo Code

Everything you need to know about moving to Kilo Code.

Yes. Roo says the extension shut down on May 15, 2026. Its GitHub repository is archived and read-only, and the final marketplace listing carries the shutdown notice.

The final free marketplace release remained listed at review time, but installability does not mean active support, compatibility fixes, or security maintenance.

No. Roomote is a separate source-available, self-hosted cloud agent from the same organization. Its own documentation says it is not an IDE or copilot.

Treat migration as a reviewed conversion, not a blind import. Roo exports can include plaintext API keys, and Roo paths and permission semantics do not map one-to-one to current .kilo configuration.

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.

Compare Kilo Code with more alternatives

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