Kilo Code

Overview

Kilo Code is an MIT-licensed coding agent that runs as a VS Code extension, a JetBrains plugin, a terminal CLI installed with npm, a cloud agent, a Slack bot and mobile apps, all on the same account. Work is organised into modes: Code writes and refactors, Architect plans a feature before a file is touched, Debug traces errors, Ask answers questions, and custom modes cover the rest, while an Agent Manager keeps several sessions running in worktree-isolated parallel. Autocomplete is a separate mechanism from the agent and uses fill-in-the-middle models routed through the vendor's gateway, Codestral by default and Mercury Edit 2 with your own key, shown as ghost text and accepted with Tab. Inference is deliberately unbundled from the platform: the Kilo Gateway is one API endpoint to more than 500 models across over 60 providers at exact provider rates with no markup, Auto Model routes each request through a Frontier, Efficient or Free tier, and your own provider keys or local models through Ollama and LM Studio work just as well. The platform is free for individuals, Teams costs 15 US dollars per user per month and Enterprise is quoted. The company has been acquired by Anaconda.

Best for developers who want an open-source agent and want to pay for model calls at cost.

The reason to choose Kilo Code is the shape of its pricing rather than any single feature. Charging nothing for the platform and passing model calls through at cost puts the meter where you can see it, which suits anyone who already holds provider credits, or who wants cheap models for routine work and a frontier model reserved for the hard parts. The trade-off is that the spend becomes yours to watch, and the bonus-credit arithmetic around the optional pass is a complication a flat seat price does not have. The breadth of surfaces is real, but the editor extension is the mature end of it and the cloud and chat sides are much newer, so judge them separately. The Anaconda acquisition is recent enough that a team standardising on this should ask where the packaging and the free tier are heading before committing.

Key Facts

Features

Where it runs

VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin for IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm and others, a CLI installed with npm, cloud agents, Slack and mobile apps

Inline completions

Yes, fill-in-the-middle autocomplete routed through the Kilo Gateway, on by default as ghost text accepted with Tab, using Codestral by default or Mercury Edit 2 with your own Inception key; a status bar item snoozes it

Agent mode

Yes, Code, Architect, Debug, Ask and custom modes, an automated pull-request code reviewer, and an Agent Manager running parallel worktree-isolated local and cloud sessions

Model choice

Yes, more than 500 models across over 60 providers through the Kilo Gateway, Auto Model routing across Frontier, Efficient and Free tiers, your own Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Azure or AWS Bedrock keys, and local models with Ollama or LM Studio

Data control

MIT-licensed source with the prompt and context window open to inspection and no silent model switching; Teams adds data privacy controls and shared BYOK, Enterprise adds SSO, OIDC and SCIM, audit logs and limits on which models and providers may be used

Ecosystem fit

MCP servers, GitHub integration for automated pull-request reviews, plugins, shell integration, custom rules and shared agent modes

API

Yes, the Kilo Gateway offers one API endpoint for hundreds of models with streaming, BYOK and usage tracking

Integrations

• GitHub
• Slack
• Ollama
• LM Studio

Deployment and Support

Deployment

• Cloud (SaaS)
• Browser-based

Support

• Community forum

Onboarding

• Documentation and knowledge base

Company size

• Freelancers
• Small and mid-sized
• Enterprise

Suitability

The table combines the industries the vendor addresses with the company sizes the tool is aimed at. An empty cell means the combination is not stated, not that it is ruled out.

Pros and Cons

Pricing

• Free & Open Source

  $0

  For individuals. Open-source VS Code, JetBrains and CLI extensions; usage is billed separately.

• Teams

  $15

  Per user per month. Usage analytics, shared agent modes, shared BYOK, centralised billing, data privacy controls and priority support.

• Enterprise

  Custom

  SSO, OIDC and SCIM, audit logs, model and provider limits, a shared private gateway and SLA commitments.

• Kilo Pass

  From $19

  Per month. Optional credit subscription for inference, at $19, $49 or $199, with up to 50 percent bonus credits.

Best For

• Technology

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