Kilo Code vs Roo Code
Roo Code shuts down on May 15, 2026. Kilo lives on. Same lineage, active development, rebuilt on OpenCode. Migration is a directory rename and a key paste.
Quick Comparison
188 PRs in week one
That's what Kilo shipped after the April 2 GA. The Roo repo archives May 15, 2026, per Matt Rubens's April 21 announcement.
Shared grandparent
Kilo forked from Roo in 2025. Roo forked from Cline. Custom modes and the Architect/Code/Debug split came from that lineage. Kilo kept the parts that worked and rebuilt the rest.
Rebuilt on OpenCode
The extension, CLI, and Cloud Agents now run on the same MIT-licensed core, called OpenCode server. The old extension bundled its runtime inside VS Code. The new one doesn't.
Seven reasons to move before May 15
Same lineage. Active development. OpenCode-powered engine.
Roo is archiving. Kilo is shipping.
Matt Rubens announced the sunset on April 21, 2026. The repo goes read-only on May 15. Kilo ships to the extension every week — 188 PRs in the first week after the April 2 GA.
Migration is mostly a rename
.roo/rules/ becomes .kilocode/rules/. .roomodes is read on startup and migrated. MCP configs move to .kilocode/mcp.json. Custom modes keep their slug, roleDefinition, customInstructions, and groups fields.
Rebuilt on OpenCode in April 2026
Kilo rebuilt the VS Code extension on the OpenCode server. Pre-release shipped March 10. GA landed April 2. The current extension serves 2.2 million developers.
Subagent delegation without Orchestrator
Code, Plan, and Debug agents spawn Explore or General subagents automatically. Each subagent runs in its own context. Roo required Orchestrator (Boomerang) mode. Kilo deprecated it because delegation is built in.
Agent Manager runs agents in parallel
Open a tab per role. Each tab is a full agent with its own git worktree. Run the same prompt through two models in side-by-side windows. Roo is single-threaded per session.
Snapshots replace checkpoints
Git-based snapshots run before and after each agent step. They live in ~/.local/share/kilo/snapshot/ and never touch your project's Git history. A revert banner appears when you view an earlier state.
Your credit balance moves with you
Kilo Pass credits work in VS Code, JetBrains, the CLI, Cloud Agents, and App Builder. Paid credits never expire. Kilo Gateway and BYOK have zero markup.
Trusted by developers at the world's most innovative companies
Full Feature Comparison — April 2026
Shared lineage means a lot of parity. Here's where Kilo wins, where Roo got there first, and where the two look alike.
Extension Lifecycle & Maintenance
Agents & Subagents
Architecture & Core
Parallel & Multi-Agent Execution
Configuration & Migration
Model Access & BYOK
Pricing & Open Source
Extension Lifecycle & Maintenance
| Feature | Roo Code | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
Active development | Until May 15, 2026 | |
Latest release | v3.52.1 (April 13, 2026) | v7.2.17 (pre-release channel) |
Repo archived | Scheduled May 15, 2026 | |
VS Code Marketplace installs | ~1.5M | ~1M |
GitHub stars | 22.7k | 18.4k |
License | Apache 2.0 | Apache 2.0 extension, MIT CLI core |
Agents & Subagents
| Feature | Roo Code | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
Built-in primary agents | Code, Architect, Ask, Debug | Code, Plan, Debug, Ask |
Built-in subagents | None | Explore, General |
Orchestration model | Orchestrator (Boomerang) mode | Subagent delegation built in |
Custom modes | Yes, .roomodes | Yes, reads .roomodes on startup |
Mode switching | Slash commands /architect, /code | Dropdown, /agents, Cmd+. |
Plan agent file access | Architect mode read-only | Restricted to .kilocode/plans/ |
Architecture & Core
| Feature | Roo Code | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
Shared engine across surfaces | Extension only | OpenCode server: extension, CLI, Cloud Agents |
VS Code extension bundling | Runtime lives inside the extension | Ships CLI binary, spawns kilo serve |
Cross-device sessions | Roomote Control (Pro $20/mo) | Start in CLI, resume in editor |
Parallel tool execution | Limited | |
Network resilience | n/a | Sessions pause and auto-resume on reconnect |
Parallel & Multi-Agent Execution
| Feature | Roo Code | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
Agent Manager UI | n/a | |
Multiple agents at once | Single session | ✓ across git worktrees |
Multi-model comparison | n/a | Run the same prompt across models side by side |
PR sync in Agent Manager | n/a | ✓ (approval badges) |
@terminal context references | Partial |
Configuration & Migration
| Feature | Roo Code | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
Project config directory | .roo/rules/, .roo/rules-{slug}/ | .kilocode/rules/, .kilocode/rules-{mode}/ |
Custom modes file | .roomodes | .kilocodemodes (also reads .roomodes) |
MCP project config | .roo/mcp.json | .kilocode/mcp.json |
Ignore file | .rooignore | .kilocodeignore |
Project instructions standard | customInstructions per mode | AGENTS.md standard |
Auto migration on startup |
Model Access & BYOK
| Feature | Roo Code | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
Unified gateway | Roo Code Router | Kilo Gateway, 500+ models |
Auto routing tiers | Single auto mode | Frontier, Balanced, Free, Small |
BYOK providers | Similar BYOK set | OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, Mistral, Bedrock, Azure, OVHcloud, MiniMax, Z.ai, Vercel AI Gateway, self-hosted |
Zero markup on model costs | ||
Autocomplete engine | Via provider | Codestral 2508 (Mistral) |
Local models |
Pricing & Open Source
| Feature | Roo Code | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
Free tier | Free extension, credits for Router | BYOK at $0, or Auto Model Free |
Subscription | Roomote Control Pro: $20/mo (after archive) | Kilo Pass: $19 Starter, $49 Pro, $199 Expert |
Teams plan | Team plan inside Roo Code Cloud | $15/user/mo |
Open source | Apache 2.0 | |
Credits expire | Bonus credits monthly | Paid credits never expire |
Sources: kilo.ai/pricing, blog.kilo.ai, kilo.ai/docs, docs.roocode.com, github.com/RooCodeInc/Roo-Code, blog.kilo.ai/p/thank-you-roo. Data as of April 22, 2026.
Six agents, each with a job
Kilo's agents replace Roo's mode system. Each has its own tool access and context isolation.
Agentic Engineering
Glide through your workflow with a mode for every step
Ask mode
A knowledgeable technical assistant focused on answering questions without changing your codebase
Switch in under ten minutes
No rewrites needed. Custom modes, rules, and MCP configs come over with a rename.
Install Kilo Code
Install kilocode.Kilo-Code from the VS Code Marketplace. Works in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and VSCodium via Open VSX.
Rename your config directory
Run mv .roo .kilocode at the project root. Rename .roomodes to .kilocodemodes if you use project-level modes. Rename .rooignore to .kilocodeignore. Kilo reads the legacy Roo files on first run and migrates them.
Paste your API keys
Provider configuration lives in the extension UI. Paste your keys or sign in for Kilo Pass. Open the Agent Manager, pick Code or Plan, start a task.
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Move before May 15
Migration is a directory rename and a key paste. BYOK at zero markup.