Kilo Code vs Roo Code — Which AI Agent Is Better?
An in-depth comparison of Kilo Code and Roo Code across output quality, autonomy, reliability, speed, value, and ease of use. Vote for your favorite.
An in-depth comparison of Kilo Code and Roo Code across output quality, autonomy, reliability, speed, value, and ease of use. Vote for your favorite.
Pick a winner in each category — you can change your vote anytime.
Kilo CodeRoo CodeChoose Kilo Code if you are vS Code users who want an open-source AI coding assistant. Choose Roo Code if you are power users who want a deeply configurable VS Code agent and don't mind tuning it.
In our editorial scoring, Kilo Code leads in 3 of six categories (speed, value and ease of use), while Roo Code leads in 2 (output quality and autonomy). On price, Kilo Code runs free / pro via standard compute and is open source; Roo Code runs free (byo api key) and is open source.
Give your chosen agent more room to build, test and iterate. Standard Compute stretches your compute through automatic provider selection and smart routing. Plans start at $19/month with $20 in monthly compute. Choose your agent below to connect. Eligible new accounts can try $0.25 of compute with no card.
See the trial and activation steps →
Weighing the cost of running it? Compare API plans for Kilo Code · Compare API plans for Roo Code
Kilo Code is an open-source VS Code extension that brings powerful AI coding assistance directly into your editor. It supports multi-file editing, intelligent refactoring, and context-aware code generation. Works with any OpenAI-compatible API.
Roo Code began as a fork of Cline and grew into its own power-user favourite. Its signature feature is modes: switchable personas like Architect (plan), Code (build), and Debug (fix), plus fully custom modes with their own prompts and tool permissions. It supports auto-approval settings for hands-off runs, MCP servers, and any OpenAI-compatible provider. The trade-off for all that configurability is a steeper setup than Cline — and, like every BYO-key agent, your API bill scales with how hard you run it.
Kilo Code and Roo Code both run on Standard Compute
