Kilo Code

Kilo Code is an open-source AI coding assistant for IDEs, terminals, browsers, and mobile devices. It can generate, refactor, and debug code, automate reviews, and deploy applications. Users can access it through VS Code and JetBrains extensions, a terminal CLI, or cloud agents. Features include code completion, chat assistance, codebase indexing, and terminal access. Kilo supports more than 500 models from more than 60 providers, including free, local, and bring-your-own-key options. Modes include Code, Architect, Debug, Custom, and Auto; Auto Model can route work using Efficient, Frontier, or Free strategies. Cloud agents run remotely and can create branches, with optional commits and pushes. The source is MIT-licensed and can be inspected, modified, or self-hosted. The Free plan is free, with usage billed separately; the free option can route to free models without hosted credits. Hosted inference is charged at exact provider rates without an AI inference markup. Teams costs $15 a month, billed at $15/user/month. Monthly AI credit subscriptions start at $19 a month, and an Enterprise trial lasts 14 days.

Kilo Code combines coding assistance with several ways to choose models and work across development environments. Check how usage, inference, and cloud compute are billed separately before choosing a plan.

Kilo Code may suit developers who want AI coding assistance in an IDE or terminal, or who prefer cloud agents. Its support for local models and bring-your-own keys also suits users who want to select their model source.

Overview

Kilo Code is an open-source coding assistant that pairs editor and terminal tools with remote agents and a broad choice of AI models. It suits developers who want to choose their own provider, use local models, or coordinate coding work across a team. Its flexible model access is a strength, but budgeting takes attention because software access, inference and cloud compute are billed separately.

Alongside code completion and chat, Kilo can generate, refactor and debug code, automate reviews, and deploy applications. Its MIT license allows inspection, modification and self-hosting, which will matter to teams that want control over their tooling. The product was acquired by Anaconda in July 2026, with existing products, plans and support continuing unchanged at the announcement.

Key features

Assistance with model choice

Kilo combines completion, chat and an agent that can work in Code, Architect, Debug, Custom or Auto modes. Auto Model offers Efficient, Frontier and Free routing strategies, giving users a way to balance capability and cost rather than commit to one model. Kilo supports more than 500 models across 60-plus providers, including free and local choices, and users can bring their own provider keys.

The free option requires no hosted credit and routes to free models when available. That keeps the entry point accessible, but it does not mean all model usage is free: provider use and other usage may be billed separately.

Editors, terminals and remote work

Extensions cover VS Code and JetBrains editors, including IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm and WebStorm; Kilo also offers a CLI and cloud agents. Remote agents can create repository branches and optionally commit and push changes, which suits delegated work that can proceed outside a local editor. Slack integration can answer repository questions, implement changes, create branches and open pull requests, but it requires a paid Slack plan and available Kilo credits.

Team controls and security

Teams adds analytics, AI adoption scoring, shared agent modes, centralized billing, shared BYOK and team management. Enterprise adds data privacy controls, audit logs, SSO, OIDC, SCIM, model and provider limits, and SLA commitments, with dedicated support. Those controls make the higher tier more relevant to organizations with governance needs than to individual developers.

Pricing

Kilo separates platform access from AI inference and cloud compute, so the plan price alone does not represent every possible cost. Hosted inference through Kilo Gateway is charged at exact provider rates with no markup. Cloud compute is usage-based, billed by the second without rounding up or a minimum usage charge.

The free options are a sensible fit for solo developers willing to use free models, local inference or their own keys; paid provider usage can still add cost. Teams is priced per user, so it is aimed at groups that will use its shared administration and analytics rather than individuals seeking only coding help. Kilo Pass is for users who prefer a monthly credit subscription: each tier has a stated maximum credit amount, and the subscription is billed monthly and can be canceled anytime. Enterprise is the choice for formal security and service commitments, with custom pricing. A 14-day trial includes Enterprise features for evaluation.

Platforms

Kilo is available through VS Code, JetBrains, CLI and cloud agents, and supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web and Windows. Its listed surfaces also include Slack, IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm and Code Reviewer. That range makes it relevant to developers who move between editors and remote workflows, while the Slack credit and paid-plan requirement limits that integration's usefulness to eligible teams.

Who it's for

Kilo is best suited to developers and teams who value model choice, BYOK or local models, and want one assistant across editors, terminals and remote agents. Open-source users can inspect or self-host the MIT-licensed software. It is less compelling for buyers who want a single predictable price covering platform, inference and compute, or who only need a simple coding assistant without team controls.

Pros and cons

• Pro: More than 500 models across 60-plus providers, plus BYOK and local model options, give users meaningful control over model selection.
• Pro: The MIT license permits inspection, modification, forking and self-hosting.
• Pro: Teams and Enterprise add concrete collaboration, security and governance controls for organizations.
• Con: Platform, inference and cloud compute are separate charges, requiring users to track more than one cost category.
• Con: Free-model routing depends on availability, while other model usage may incur separate charges.
• Con: Slack workflows require both a paid Slack plan and available Kilo credits.

Alternatives

GitHub Codespaces is worth considering when the priority is a cloud development environment with 2-core compute at $0.18 a month or 4-core compute at $0.36 a month. Replit may suit a learner or solo builder looking for a free starting point, with free daily usage, one live project and one background task at a time.

Amazon Q is a fit for readers who want a stated free allowance of 50 agentic requests per month and 1,000 lines of code per month for Java upgrades, or a $19 a month Pro tier. Cursor is another free-plan option; its Hobby tier includes limited Agent requests and access to Composer, while Pro is $20 a month.

Kiro offers a free tier with 50 credits and open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5, and a $20 a month Pro plan; choose it if those stated plan terms better match your needs. Qoder offers a free tier with basic models, limited messages and completions, plus BYOK, and a $20 Pro tier.

Claude Code may suit readers already considering Claude subscriptions: its Pro plan is $17 a month, while its free plan does not include Claude Code. Google Antigravity IDE is a free option for individuals that includes agent models, unlimited Tab completions and Command requests, subject to basic weekly rate limits.

Browse more options in AI Code Generators and AI Coding Assistants.

Verdict

Kilo Code is a strong choice for developers who want an open-source assistant with extensive model options, local and BYOK support, and workflows that span editors and remote agents. Its main advantage is flexibility; its main drawback is cost complexity, since access, inference and compute can be separate charges. Choose it if control over models and team workflows matters more than a single all-in price.