What it is
Kilo Code is an open-source coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains IDEs and the terminal. The extension began as a fork drawing on Cline and Roo Code; the current CLI is a fork of OpenCode. It ships Code, Plan, Ask and Debug agents, and the agents with full tool access now launch sub-agents themselves, which has made the old Orchestrator mode deprecated.
You can bring your own keys, run local models through Ollama or LM Studio, or buy credits through the Kilo Gateway, which offers more than 500 models at provider prices plus a 5% processing fee on credit purchases.
Anaconda acquired Kilo on 15 July 2026, saying it had more than 3 million users; terms were not disclosed and Anaconda said existing plans would not change.
Our review
Kilo's draw is choice without lock-in. The same MIT-licensed agent runs in VS Code, JetBrains and a terminal, takes your own keys or local models, and its gateway resells more than 500 models at list price. Since Roo Code's repository was archived in May 2026, Kilo has been the obvious home for people who liked Roo's structured modes, and Anaconda says it reached 3 million users in 16 months.
The product is moving fast, which cuts both ways. v7.8.17 shipped on 23 October 2026, two days after the previous build. Orchestrator mode is deprecated because Code, Plan and Debug can now spawn sub-agents, which is simpler but means older guides are wrong. Open issues include a reported regression that blocked external skills and auto-compaction failures with 32K-context Ollama models, and the VS Code Marketplace rating sits at 3.9 from 217 reviews, below Cline's 4.0 from 324.
Cost control needs attention. The gateway charges a 5% processing fee on credits, Kilo Pass bonus credits vary by month and streak, and cloud agents bill compute separately at $0.60 to $1.20 an hour. The CLI's autonomous --auto flag approves every action not explicitly denied. Telemetry is on by default in the CLI and is switched off in kilo.jsonc.
The Anaconda deal is the open question for buyers. Anaconda frames Kilo as the front end of a governed enterprise pipeline alongside its package security and the Outerbounds platform it bought in April, which suggests Enterprise features will grow faster than the free tier. Its privacy policy says prompts and conversation history are kept while an account is active, and SOC 2 is not mentioned on the pricing page.
Where it earns its place
A Kotlin developer on IntelliJ who wants an agent without switching editors
Plan and implement multi-file changes inside a JetBrains IDE
Install the plugin from the JetBrains Marketplace and use Plan then Code. With BYOK the only cost is the model provider; most rival open-source agents treat JetBrains as an afterthought.
An engineering manager with 20 developers on mixed editors
Give the team one agent with central billing and usage reports
Teams at $15 per user is $300 a month before inference, with shared BYOK and usage analytics. SSO, SCIM, audit logs and model restrictions need the custom Enterprise plan.
A DevOps engineer automating test fixes in CI
Run an agent headlessly to fix failing tests on a branch
kilo run --auto approves every action not denied by a rule, so it belongs in a disposable container with scoped credentials. Inference is billed per token; a hosted Kilo cloud agent adds $0.60 to $1.20 an hour of compute.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Install the VS Code extension or JetBrains plugin, or npm install -g @kilocode/cli (also Homebrew, AUR and standalone binaries). Sign in for gateway credits or add your own key; minutes to a first task.
- Integrations
- VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, CLI, web cloud agents and a pull-request review bot. 500+ models from 60+ providers through the gateway, Ollama and LM Studio locally, and a marketplace for MCP servers, skills and custom agents.
- Data and privacy
- With BYOK, code goes straight to your provider. Through the gateway, requests are routed via OpenRouter to the chosen provider under that provider's retention terms; Kilo's privacy policy says it keeps prompts and conversation history until account deletion. CLI telemetry is on by default; set experimental.openTelemetry to false. SOC 2 status is not published on the pricing page.
- Cost at scale
- Inference at provider rates plus a 5% fee on credit purchases. Kilo Pass at $19, $49 or $199 a month adds up to 40% bonus credits on a long streak. Teams is $15 per user per month; Enterprise is custom. Cloud agents cost $0.60 to $1.20 per hour of compute.
- Limits
- 746 open issues and pull requests, with themes of context compaction, UI regressions between releases and local-model context limits. Orchestrator mode is deprecated and scheduled for removal. Direction under Anaconda is not yet visible in the roadmap.
What's good
- MIT licence across VS Code, JetBrains and CLI
- 500+ models at provider list price, or BYOK and local models
- Agents spawn sub-agents without a separate orchestrator
- Teams plan at $15 per user is cheap for shared billing and analytics
What's not
- 5% processing fee on gateway credits
- Marketplace rating 3.9, below Cline
- Fast releases bring regressions and stale docs
- Telemetry on by default in the CLI
Best for
Developers who want a mode-based open-source agent in VS Code or JetBrains.
Alternatives
Kilo Code: common questions
- Is Kilo Code worth it?
- Kilo Code is now the main heir to Roo Code's mode-based workflow, with real JetBrains support, but it ships faster than it stabilises. We rate it 4.0 out of 5.
- How much does Kilo Code cost?
- Extension and CLI free (MIT). BYOK or pay-as-you-go gateway credits (5% processing fee); optional Kilo Pass $19, $49 or $199/month with bonus credits; Teams $15/user/month; Enterprise custom.
- What are the downsides of Kilo Code?
- 5% processing fee on gateway credits; marketplace rating 3.9, below Cline; fast releases bring regressions and stale docs; telemetry on by default in the CLI.
- Who is Kilo Code best for?
- Developers who want a mode-based open-source agent in VS Code or JetBrains.
- How much does Kilo Code cost for a team or in production?
- Inference at provider rates plus a 5% fee on credit purchases. Kilo Pass at $19, $49 or $199 a month adds up to 40% bonus credits on a long streak. Teams is $15 per user per month; Enterprise is custom. Cloud agents cost $0.60 to $1.20 per hour of compute.
- Is Kilo Code safe for company data?
- With BYOK, code goes straight to your provider. Through the gateway, requests are routed via OpenRouter to the chosen provider under that provider's retention terms; Kilo's privacy policy says it keeps prompts and conversation history until account deletion. CLI telemetry is on by default; set experimental.openTelemetry to false. SOC 2 status is not published on the pricing page.
- What are the best Kilo Code alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Cline and OpenCode.
Answers checked Oct 23, 2026.
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