Cline vs Kilo Code
A side-by-side comparison of Cline and Kilo Code, two Agent tools, drawn from Ignaite's continuously-verified listings.
Compared from listings verified as of
At a glance
| Attribute | Cline | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Agent | Agent |
| Pricing (differs) | BYO KEY | FREEMIUM |
| License (differs) | Open source | Open core |
| Deployment (differs) | Local | — |
| Platforms (differs) | VS Code extension | VS Code extension, CLI |
| Model support | BYO key / model | BYO key / model |
| Vendor (differs) | Cline Bot Inc. | Kilo Code, Inc. |
The honest brief
Cline
BYO-key VS Code agent that shows and asks approval for every edit and command — no markup, no lock-in.
- No vendor markup on token costs
- Approves every edit/command before running
- Bring any model (Claude, local, etc.)
- Plan/Act split for review before changes
- BYO-key means you pay provider token costs
- VS Code only, no standalone IDE
- Slower than Cursor on equivalent tasks
- No codebase indexing or background agents
Kilo Code
Routes 500+ models at zero markup on your own keys, so you pay providers directly — unlike agents that mark up or lock you to one model.
- Fully open source (MIT)
- Works in VS Code, JetBrains, and CLI
- Plans, writes, edits, and runs code
- Specialized modes (Code, Architect, Debug)
- Free tier plus paid cloud and team plans
- You manage model costs and keys
- Cloud and team features are paid
- Agent quality depends on chosen model
- Young project (launched 2025)