Kilo Code

Kilo Code is an open-source, MIT-licensed AI coding agent that runs as a VS Code and JetBrains extension, built as a superset that merges and extends Roo Code and Cline.

The extension takes natural-language instructions to generate, refactor, and debug code, run terminal commands, and automate multi-step tasks inside the editor. It organizes work into agent modes — Architect for planning, Code for implementation, Debug for fixing — and supports user-defined custom modes, inline autocomplete, and a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server marketplace for connecting external tools and data.

Kilo Code is model-agnostic: users can choose from 500+ models, switch between them mid-task, and connect their own API keys or local models. The project advertises "zero markup" on inference when using the hosted routing, meaning you pay the model provider's rate. Pricing is freemium — the extension itself is free, there is a free tier with optional paid credits, and bring-your-own-key keeps costs under the user's control.

For developers comparing options: Kilo Code descends directly from Roo Code, which forked Cline, and the team positions it as a superset combining both projects' features plus its own additions. Relative to Cursor, the main differentiators are that Kilo Code is open source, runs as an extension inside an existing editor rather than as a separate fork, and avoids markup on model usage.

Recent status worth noting: the project's primary domain now resolves to kilo.ai (the older kilocode.ai redirects there), reflecting a broader "Kilo" platform that spans the editor extension, a CLI, and cloud agents. The source repository lives at github.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode under the MIT license and reports 20k+ GitHub stars. The company was co-founded by GitLab co-founder Sid Sijbrandij.