Question 1

Is Kilo Code really free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Kilo Code's VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, and CLI are open source and free to use. AI inference and cloud compute are separate usage costs, and Teams or Enterprise add optional organization features.

Question 2

What pricing changes are coming, and when?

Accepted Answer

Starting September 1, 2026 at the earliest, Kilo will charge a 5% processing fee on card purchases that add credits and begin billing for awake cloud compute time. Purchases and cloud usage before that date are unaffected.

Question 3

What is AI inference and why is it priced separately?

Accepted Answer

AI inference is the cost of running AI models to generate code, answers, and completions. Provider rates are passed through without markup; processing fees and cloud compute are separate costs.

Question 4

When does the 5% processing fee apply?

Accepted Answer

It applies to one-off top-ups, automatic top-ups, and monthly or annual Kilo Pass purchases. It does not apply to Teams and Enterprise seat subscriptions and payments made by invoice, wire, or ACH. For example, a $20 credit purchase costs $21. The processing fee is non-refundable, including when the associated credit purchase is refunded.

Question 5

How is cloud compute billed?

Accepted Answer

Billed only for awake container time, measured in whole seconds with no rounding up or minimum usage charge. Cloud compute draws from the same Kilo credit balance as inference, where $1 of usage equals $1 credit, but it is charged separately and in addition to model usage.

Question 6

Is the $5 cloud minimum an extra charge?

Accepted Answer

No. You need at least $5 in your credit balance to start a container, but it is not a launch fee or minimum usage charge. You pay only for actual awake compute time and inference as the session runs.

Question 7

Do BYOK users and organizations pay for cloud compute?

Accepted Answer

Yes. BYOK covers model inference, not the compute that runs the cloud container. If a session belongs to an organization, usage draws from the organization's balance; otherwise it draws from the individual user's balance.

Question 8

What's the difference between Kilo Gateway and Kilo Pass?

Accepted Answer

Kilo Gateway is pay-as-you-go: add credits, use them across 500+ models, top up anytime, no subscription. Kilo Pass is a monthly subscription that converts 1:1 into credits, plus gives you free bonus credits on top (up to 50%). It's the better deal if you use AI regularly.

Question 9

How does Auto Model affect AI inference cost?

Accepted Answer

Auto Model lets you choose Frontier, Balanced, or Free routing. It can reserve stronger model strategies for harder work while using more economical routing for routine tasks, so Gateway and Kilo Pass credits go further without constant manual model switching.

Question 10

What do Teams and Enterprise plans add?

Accepted Answer

Teams and Enterprise plans add organization features on top of the free Kilo Code tool: centralized billing, user management, usage analytics, shared configuration, SSO/SCIM, audit logs, SLA commitments, and priority support depending on plan. AI model usage is still billed separately so teams can use Gateway, Pass, BYOK, or local models.

Question 11

Do I need a subscription to start coding with Kilo?

Accepted Answer

No. You can download Kilo Code and start coding with AI immediately using free models, local models (Ollama, LM Studio), or your own API keys. A subscription is only needed if you want team features or the bonus credits from Kilo Pass.

Feature	Individual	Teams	Enterprise
	$0	$15/user/month
	Provider rates	Provider rates	Provider rates
Kilo Pass (optional)	From $19/mo	From $19/mo	From $19/mo
	5%	5%	5%
	Individual	Shared	Shared Private Gateway
Cloud compute	Pay-as-you-go	Pay-as-you-go	Pay-as-you-go

Feature	Individual	Teams	Enterprise


AI adoption score



		Data Privacy Controls	Model & Provider Access Controls






EU Inference & Compute			Available

Support	Community	Priority	Dedicated channel

Pricing

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Cloud compute pricing

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