Cline vs Kilo Code: both are coding tools on Scriptiii AI Tools. Cline pricing: Free. Free to use. (reported by the maker) Kilo Code pricing: Free. Free to use. (reported by the maker) Both have 0 upvotes.
| Field | Cline | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Page | Cline | Kilo Code |
| Pricing (maker-reported) | Free. Free to use. | Free. Free to use. |
| Upvotes | 0 | 0 |
| Best for | ai-agents, coding-agent, ide-extension | ai-agents, coding-agent, ide-extension |
| Tagline | Open-source autonomous coding agent available as a VS Code extension, CLI and SDK. | Open-source coding agent for IDEs, CLI and cloud. |
| Website | Visit Cline | Visit Kilo Code |
Pricing and pricing details come from the maker's submission. They are not independently verified.
The open source coding agent in your IDE, terminal, & desktop!
CLIRun Cline in your terminal. |
Desktop AppCline as a native app for macOS and Windows. |
VS Code ExtensionAI coding assistant in your editor. |
JetBrains PluginThe same Cline experience in IntelliJ IDEA, |
SDKBuild your own AI agents and integrations powered by the same engine that runs the CLI, desktop app, VS Code extension, and JetBrains plugin. Custom tools, multi-agent teams, connectors, scheduled automations, and more. |
| Product | Description | Location | CHANGELOG |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDK | Node.js programmatic agent API and extension exports. | sdk/ | CHANGELOG.md |
| CLI | Terminal UI, headless mode, shell commands, and CLI-specific flows. | apps/cli/ | CHANGELOG.md |
| VS Code Extension | The Marketplace extension and extension host integration. | apps/vscode/ | CHANGELOG.md |
| Desktop App | Native macOS and Windows app (Tauri shell, Bun sidecar, Next.js UI). | apps/examples/desktop-app/ | CHANGELOG.md |
| JetBrains Plugin | JetBrains-hosted client that talks to the shared agent core. | Currently we are not open-sourcing JetBrains plugins | - |
| Docs site | Public documentation pages. | docs/ | - |
Cline reads your project structure, understands the relationships between files, and makes coordinated changes across your codebase. It monitors linter and compiler errors as it works, fixing issues like missing imports, type mismatches, and syntax errors before you even see them. In VS Code and JetBrains, every edit shows up as a diff you can review, modify, or revert. All changes are tracked with checkpoints, so you can easily undo the agent's work.
Cline executes commands directly in your terminal and watches the output in real time. Install packages, run build scripts, execute tests, deploy applications, manage databases. For long-running processes like dev servers, Cline continues working in the background and reacts to new output as it appears, catching compile errors, test failures, and server crashes as they happen.
Toggle between Plan mode and Act mode. In Plan mode, Cline explores your codebase, asks clarifying questions, and lays out a strategy. Once you're aligned, switch to Act mode and Cline executes the plan. Every file edit and terminal command requires your approval, so you stay in control of what actually changes. Or toggle auto-approve and let Cline run autonomously.
Define project-specific rules in .clinerules files that guide how Cline works in your codebase: coding standards, architecture conventions, deployment procedures, testing requirements. Rules are picked up automatically by the CLI, VS Code extension, and JetBrains plugin. Use skills to let the model load specific rules when needed.
Cline is not locked to a single AI provider. Use whichever model fits your workflow:
| Provider | Models |
|---|---|
| Anthropic | Claude Opus, Sonnet, Haiku |
| OpenAI | GPT series models |
| Gemini series models | |
| OpenRouter | 200+ models from any provider |
| Vercel AI Gateway | Route to many providers through one gateway |
| AWS Bedrock | Claude, Llama, and more |
| Azure / GCP Vertex | All hosted models |
| Cerebras / Groq | Fast inference models |
| Ollama / LM Studio | Run local models on your machine |
| Any OpenAI-compatible API | Self-hosted or third-party endpoints |
Extend Cline's capabilities with plugins. Using the SDK, register tools and lifecycle hooks programmatically through the plugin system for logging, auditing, policy enforcement, or adding domain-specific capabilities. Simple plugin example below.
import { Agent, createTool } from "@cline/sdk"
const deployTool = createTool({
name: "deploy",
description: "Deploy the current branch to staging.",
inputSchema: { type: "object", properties: { env: { type: "string" } }, required: ["env"] },
execute: async (input) => {
// your deployment logic
},
})
const agent = new Agent({ tools: [deployTool], /* ... */ })
...or use MCPs to connect to databases, query APIs, manage cloud infrastructure, and interact with external systems. Use community-built servers or ask Cline to create custom tools on the fly. In the CLI, manage servers with cline mcp.
Coordinate multiple agents working together on complex tasks. A coordinator agent breaks the work into subtasks and delegates to specialist agents, each with their own tools and context. Team state persists across sessions so you can pick up where you left off.
cline --team-name auth-sprint "Plan and implement user authentication with tests"
Run agents on cron schedules for recurring automations. Daily PR summaries, weekly dependency checks, codebase health reports. Schedules persist across restarts and run independently of any terminal session.
cline schedule create "PR summary" \
--cron "0 9 * * MON-FRI" \
--prompt "List all open PRs and their review status" \
--workspace /path/to/repo
Chat with your agent from any messaging platform: Telegram, Slack, Discord, Google Chat, WhatsApp, and Linear. Each conversation thread maps to an agent session with full context. Set up access control to restrict who can interact with your agent.
## Connect to Telegram
cline connect telegram -k $BOT_TOKEN
## Connect to Slack through webhook
cline connect slack --bot-token $SLACK_TOKEN --signing-secret $SECRET --base-url $URL
## Connect to Slack using socket mode
cline connect slack --bot-token $SLACK_TOKEN --app-token $SLACK_APP_TOKEN
Run Cline with zero interaction for scripting and automation. Pipe input, get JSON output, chain commands, integrate into CI/CD pipelines.
cline "Run tests and fix any failures"
git diff origin/main | cline "Review these changes for issues"
cline --json "List all TODO comments" | jq -r 'select(.type == "agent_event" and .event.text) | .event.text'
Start with the Contributing Guide. Join our Discord and head to the #contributors channel to connect with other contributors. Check our careers page for full-time roles.
The open source coding agent for building with AI in VS Code, JetBrains, or the CLI.
Kilo Code is an AI coding agent that meets you everywhere you work: VS Code, JetBrains, and the CLI. It's open source with open pricing. You pick from 500+ models, switch between them mid-task, and pay the model provider's rate with zero markup. No API keys required to start.
Pick where you want to run Kilo.
Install the Kilo Code extension directly, or grab it from the VS Code Marketplace. Create an account and you'll have access to 500+ models including GPT-6 Astra, Claude Fable 5.1, Gemini 3.8 Flash, Grok 4.6, and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, all at provider pricing.
## npm
npm install -g @kilocode/cli
## curl
curl -fsSL https://kilo.ai/cli/install | bash
## pnpm
pnpm add -g @kilocode/cli
## bun
bun add -g @kilocode/cli
## Homebrew (macOS / Linux)
brew install Kilo-Org/tap/kilo
## Arch Linux (AUR)
paru -S kilo-bin
Then run kilo in any project directory to start.
Install the Kilo Code plugin from the JetBrains Marketplace, or search "Kilo Code" in Settings → Plugins inside any JetBrains IDE.
Download the latest binary from the Releases page.
| Platform | Asset |
|---|---|
| Windows (most PCs) | kilo-windows-x64.zip |
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | kilo-darwin-arm64.zip |
| macOS (Intel) | kilo-darwin-x64.zip |
| Linux x64 | kilo-linux-x64.tar.gz |
| Linux ARM | kilo-linux-arm64.tar.gz |
Notes: x64-baseline is a compatibility build for older CPUs without AVX. musl is the statically linked build for Alpine or minimal Docker images without glibc. kilo-vscode-*.vsix is the VS Code extension package, not the CLI. Source code archives are for building from source.
Kilo ships with specialized agents you switch between depending on the task. You can also build your own custom agents.
Learn more about agents and custom agents.
Run kilo run with --auto for fully autonomous operation with no prompts, built for CI/CD pipelines:
kilo run --auto "run tests and fix any failures"
--auto auto-approves permission prompts unless a rule explicitly denies the action. Only use it in trusted environments.
For configuration and everything else, head over to the docs.
Contributions are welcome from developers, writers, and everyone in between. Start with the Contributing Guide for environment setup, coding standards, and how to open a pull request. See RELEASING.md for the VS Code extension and CLI release process, and packages/kilo-jetbrains/RELEASING.md for the JetBrains plugin.
Please review our Code of Conduct before getting involved.
MIT. You're free to use, modify, and distribute this code, including commercially, as long as you keep the attribution and license notices. See License.
Kilo CLI is a fork of OpenCode, enhanced to work within the Kilo agentic engineering platform.