Alternatives to Kilo
Open-source AI coding agent for IDE, CLI, and cloud with 500+ model support
Kilo ranks #3 of 11 in AI coding assistants, with an Alt Score of 82. It is licensed under MIT, freemium from $15/user/mo and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and Web. 9 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Kilo (formerly branded Kilo Code) is an open-source AI coding agent combining features from Cline and Roo Code into one platform, running as a VS Code/JetBrains plugin, a CLI, and a cloud agent. It supports 500+ models with bring-your-own-key at zero markup and can run fully on local models to keep code private. It gained prominence in 2026 as the recommended migration target after Roo Code shut down its VS Code extension in May 2026 to pivot toward a separate cloud-agent product (Roomote).
Developers and engineering teams who want an AI coding agent inside their existing editor, terminal, or cloud pipeline rather than a closed, single-model product. It targets both individuals who want free or bring-your-own-key model access and teams needing shared credentials, audit logs, and admin controls.
An open-source coding agent available as a VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, and CLI, with inline autocomplete, codebase-wide semantic search, multi-file editing and refactors, and Cloud Agents that run tasks against a GitHub/GitLab repo from a browser or the Kilo mobile app. Access to 500+ models is billed at the provider's own rate through the Kilo Gateway, or teams can bring their own API keys or local models.
The extension, plugin, and CLI connect to model providers either through Kilo's own Gateway (billed via account credits with zero markup) or directly via user-supplied API keys or local runtimes like Ollama and LM Studio. Codebase Indexing parses the project with Tree-sitter, embeds code blocks, and stores them in a vector database (LanceDB or Qdrant) so the agent can retrieve relevant context; Cloud Agents run the same agent inside an isolated container connected to the user's repository for longer-running or remote tasks.
Where Kilo stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Kilo
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Tabby (TabbyML) is an open-source AI coding assistant built to run entirely on a team's own infrastructure, serving code completion and chat from locally hosted or self-hosted open-weight models with.
Cline is an open-source AI agent that plugs into VS Code and JetBrains, giving models full terminal access, file editing, and browser automation via Playwright under a human-in-the-loop Plan/Act workf.
Aider is an open-source (Apache-2.0) command-line AI coding assistant created by Paul Gauthier that treats git as the system of record, generating a commit for every accepted change.
Amp is Sourcegraph's coding agent, rebranded from Cody in 2026 after Sourcegraph discontinued Cody's individual/Pro plans in favor of an enterprise-only Cody.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the AI coding assistants checklist (14 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| AI coding assistants checklist | Kilo | Tabby | Cline | Amazon Q Developer | GitHub Copilot | Aider |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Editor integrations | ||||||
| Autocomplete | ||||||
| Chat with codebase context | ||||||
| Agentic edits | ||||||
| Local model support | ||||||
| Self-hostable | ||||||
| Free tier limits | ||||||
| Privacy: code retention policy | ||||||
| Terminal / CLI use | ||||||
| Multi-file refactors |
Every fact and feature listed for Kilo is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-30
Community tier is $0; Teams tier adds per-seat pricing; usage-based credits also apply for hosted model inference beyond free models.
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 o
https://kilo.ai/pricing -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Web verified 2026-07-30
README's GitHub Releases table also lists macOS (Apple Silicon/Intel) and Linux (x64/ARM) binaries. Android app is live on Google Play per kilo.ai/docs/code-with-ai/platforms/mobile ('Install Kilo Cod
Windows (most PCs) | kilo-windows-x64.zip
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode/main/README.md -
Status active verified 2026-07-30
GitHub API shows 26.6k stars, 693 open issues, and a repo push timestamped the same day as this research (2026-07-30), consistent with active daily development.
Kilo is the all-in-one agentic engineering platform. Build, ship, and iterate faster with the most popular open source coding agent.
https://github.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode -
License MIT verified 2026-07-30
Full header reads 'Copyright (c) 2026 Kilo Code / Copyright (c) 2025 opencode' — Kilo Code is an MIT-licensed fork of the OpenCode CLI.
MIT License
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode/main/LICENSE -
Starts at $15/user/mo verified 2026-07-30
Cheapest paid plan is 'Teams' — 'Everything in Free, plus team management' — billed per user per month, with a 14-day free trial. Free ($0) tier exists below it.
$15 /user/month
https://kilo.ai/pricing -
Editor integrations Yes verified 2026-07-30
The open source coding agent for building with AI in VS Code, JetBrains, or the CLI.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode/main/README.md -
Autocomplete Yes verified 2026-07-30
Kilo Code's autocomplete feature provides intelligent code suggestions and completions while you're typing, helping you write code faster and more efficiently.
https://kilo.ai/docs/code-with-ai/features/autocomplete -
Chat with codebase context Yes verified 2026-07-30
Codebase Indexing enables semantic code search across your entire project using AI embeddings.
https://kilo.ai/docs/customize/context/codebase-indexing -
Agentic edits Yes verified 2026-07-30
This describes the default 'code' agent's tool access; other built-in agents (ask, plan) intentionally restrict edit access by design.
Full access to all tools: read, edit, glob, grep, bash, task, webfetch, plus tools from MCP servers
https://kilo.ai/docs/code-with-ai/agents/using-agents -
Local model support Yes verified 2026-07-30
Codebase Indexing docs further confirm a fully local, zero-cost setup pairing Ollama (embeddings) with LanceDB (local vector store).
start coding with AI immediately using free models, local models (Ollama, LM Studio), or your own API keys
https://kilo.ai/pricing -
Self-hostable Partial verified 2026-07-30
Kilo Code itself is MIT-licensed and runs entirely on your own machine (source at github.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode); the CLI also exposes a self-run 'kilo serve' headless server. But no vendor page docume
kilo serve starts a headless kilo server
https://kilo.ai/docs/code-with-ai/platforms/cli-reference -
Privacy: code retention policy Partial verified 2026-07-30
Guarantee is limited to paid plans. Free-tier 'Auto Free' routing can hit third-party providers that log data, per kilo.ai/docs/getting-started/using-kilo-for-free: 'Auto Free may route your requests
No data retention for AI prompts and outputs on paid plans
https://kilo.ai/security-and-compliance -
Terminal / CLI use Yes verified 2026-07-30
Also installable via curl script, pnpm, bun, Homebrew, or AUR per README; full command reference documented at kilo.ai/docs/code-with-ai/platforms/cli-reference.
npm install -g @kilocode/cli
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode/main/README.md -
Multi-file refactors Yes verified 2026-07-30
Offload tech debt cleanup, batch updates, and large-scale refactors to run autonomously in the cloud.
https://kilo.ai/cloud
FAQ
Yes. Tabby, Amazon Q Developer and GitHub Copilot have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Tabby, Cline and Aider — every license claim links its source.