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AI Tool Comparison

Comparing as AI Pair Programming & Terminal Agents
Zoo Code vs Kilo Code

VS
Zoo Code official logo and brand icon

Zoo Code

Freemium
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Kilo Code official logo and brand icon

Kilo Code

Freemium
Visit WebsiteFull Review

Verdict by Category

Detailed category analysis is not available for this comparison.
View Zoo Code View Kilo Code
Feature & Spec Matrix

Detailed Comparison20 Criteria

Complete side-by-side breakdown of specifications, capabilities, and feature parity

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Feature / Spec
Zoo Code
Zoo Code
Kilo Code
Kilo Code
Pricing Model
FreemiumThe Zoo Code extension is free and open source under Apache 2.0. If you bring your own API keys, you pay only your model provider at its own rates, with no markup from Zoo Code. Optional Zoo Gateway credits give you one account for multiple models. Cloud Agents also draw from those credits, and the site says at least $0.50 is required. The site did not list fixed per-credit prices when I checked, so confirm the rates on zoocode.dev. A Team plan is available for companies that want a shared wallet; pricing was not published on the page I reviewed.
FreemiumKilo Code is free to install as an open-source Apache 2.0 extension. New users receive $20 in free credits on signup with no credit card required. After free credits, users can: BYOK (free): Connect your own API keys from any of 60+ providers at exact provider rates with zero markup from Kilo. You pay LLM providers directly with full cost transparency shown per request. Kilo Pass ($19/month and up): Bundled credits for access to hosted models managed by Kilo. Note: Kilo Pass credits expire 30 days after purchase. Kilo Teams (custom per-seat pricing): Centralized billing, team-wide custom agent modes, spending dashboards, model usage analytics, admin controls, and MCP marketplace access. Enterprise pricing is custom with dedicated support SLAs. The Kilo Code Reviewer (automated PR review for GitHub/GitLab) is available separately with its own pricing tier.
Starting Price
Difference
$0 Free (BYOK, Apache 2.0)
Free ($20 signup credits) — Kilo Pass from $19/mo — Teams custom
Free Plan & Trial Scope
Difference
The extension is free and open source (Apache 2.0). With your own API keys you pay only your model provider.
Free to install with $20 in signup credits. BYOK at zero markup always available after free credits. No time limit on the free extension itself.
User Rating Score
Unrated
Unrated
Ideal Workflow / Use Case
Difference
Developers who want an open-source, mode-based AI coding agent in VS Code or JetBrains and used or liked Roo Code
Developers and teams who want maximum model flexibility (500+ models at zero markup) with open-source transparency, multi-IDE support, and powerful multi-agent Orchestrator mode
Enterprise & Scalability
Difference
Team plan with a shared wallet; Apache 2.0 licensed code that can be self-audited and forked
Centralized billing and invoicing, team-wide custom agent modes, spending dashboards and model usage analytics, admin controls, MCP marketplace access, custom agent personas, codebase indexing, Slack bot integration, Enterprise support SLAs
Core Categories
Difference
AI Coding AssistantsAI Developer APIs & Platforms
AI Coding AssistantsAI Productivity ToolsAI Developer APIs & PlatformsAI No-Code / Automation Tools
Specialized modes: Architect, Code, Ask, Debug and custom modes
Supported
Supported
Diff-based review before changes are applied
Difference
Zoo Code Advantage
Not listed
Multi-file editing and refactoring from natural-language specs
Difference
Zoo Code Advantage
Not listed
Bring-your-own-key support for any provider
Difference
Zoo Code Advantage
Not listed
Model Context Protocol (MCP) tool integration
Supported
Supported
Semantic codebase search and indexing for large repositories
Difference
Zoo Code Advantage
Not listed
Import and export of Roo Code settings
Difference
Zoo Code Advantage
Not listed
Available on VS Code Marketplace, Open VSX and JetBrains (beta)
Supported
Supported
500+ AI models across 60+ providers — Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Llama, Mistral, Qwen, MiniMax, local Ollama models — all at zero markup via BYOK or Kilo Pass
Difference
Not listed
Kilo Code Advantage
Kilo Code Reviewer — automated AI PR review bot for GitHub and GitLab using full codebase context
Difference
Not listed
Kilo Code Advantage
MCP Marketplace — browse, install, and manage MCP servers for external tool integrations directly within Kilo Code
Difference
Not listed
Kilo Code Advantage
Teams features — centralized billing, team-wide custom agent modes, spending dashboards, model usage analytics, and admin controls
Difference
Not listed
Kilo Code Advantage
3M+ downloads across VS Code and JetBrains — 40+ trillion tokens processed; trusted by engineering teams at Meta, Amazon, Airbnb, PayPal, Square, and Red Hat
Difference
Not listed
Kilo Code Advantage
Zoo Code icon

Zoo Code Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Free and open source under Apache 2.0
  • Familiar Roo Code workflow with settings import and export
  • Actively maintained, with frequent releases
  • Works with many model providers using your own keys
  • Mode system keeps planning, coding and debugging separate

Cons

  • Young community fork with a much smaller user base than Roo Code had
  • About 1.4k GitHub stars and a large backlog of open issues and pull requests
  • JetBrains support is still in beta
  • Gateway and Team pricing are not clearly published
  • Depends on community maintainers rather than a funded company
Kilo Code icon

Kilo Code Pros & Cons

Pros

  • 500+ models at zero markup — more model choices than any other coding agent, accessed at exact provider rates with full cost transparency
  • Co-founded by Sid Sijbrandij (GitLab co-founder) — brings unique open-core expertise to building a sustainable open-source business model
  • Roo Code's official recommended successor — absorbed 3M+ Roo Code users and is the most-used open-source coding agent by token volume (40T+)
  • Native JetBrains plugin (v7, rebuilt from scratch) — not an ACP wrapper; full JetBrains SDK integration with split mode support
  • Memory Bank for persistent cross-session context — the agent remembers architectural decisions without manual re-prompting
  • Backed by General Catalyst and acquired by Anaconda — strong commercial backing for an open-source product

Cons

  • Acquired by Anaconda in July 2026 — product direction and monetization may shift under new ownership
  • Fork lineage (Cline → Roo Code → Kilo Code) means it inherits architectural decisions made by other teams rather than built from a single coherent vision
  • 1,300+ open GitHub issues on a fast-moving repo — quality control can lag behind feature velocity
  • Kilo Pass subscription credits expire after 30 days — unused credits are forfeited, unlike BYOK where you control timing
  • Cloud agents and Slack bot features are newer additions with less maturity than the core VS Code extension
  • GitLab held right of first refusal through August 2026 — acquisition by Anaconda resolved this but created M&A uncertainty during the period
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