Cline vs Kilo Code
Cline (Cline Bot Inc.) and Kilo Code (Kilo Code (Anaconda)) side by side on public data, as of Oct 6, 2026.
Cline has 2.9x the weekly package downloads of Kilo Code (95K against 32.8K). Cline has 3.5x the VS Code extension installs of Kilo Code (5.5M against 1.6M). Cline has 2.5x the GitHub stars of Kilo Code (69.9K against 27.5K).
Side-by-side numbers
| Metric | Cline | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Pulse Score | 52 | 46 |
| Overall rank | #34 | #51 |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 95K | 32.8K |
| Downloads, 7-day change | up 10.1% | down 32.4% |
| Downloads, 30-day change | down 37.2% | — |
| VS Code installs | 5.5M | 1.6M |
| Marketplace rating | 4.0 / 5 (334) | 3.8 / 5 (237) |
| GitHub stars | 69.9K | 27.5K |
| Homebrew installs, 30 days | 61 | — |
| Hacker News mentions, 30 days | 18 | 2 |
| Latest stable release | 0.0.43 · 4d ago | 7.8.3 · 5d ago |
| Stable releases, 90 days | ||
| Terminal-Bench (best run) | — | — |
| Price | Free + $9.99/mo | Free + $19/mo |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| First released | July 2024 | March 2025 |
| Interfaces | IDE extension, CLI, Desktop, SDK | IDE extension, CLI |
| Models | Many providers via BYOK (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, Bedrock, Vertex and more), the Cline provider, or ClinePass open-weight models | 500+ models across 60+ providers via Kilo Gateway; BYOK; free and local models (Ollama, LM Studio) |
Trends
Cline
Open-source autonomous coding agent for VS Code (and JetBrains) that also ships a CLI, a desktop app and an SDK. It works with many model providers through the user's own keys, Cline's usage-billed provider or the ClinePass subscription.
Pricing: The open-source extension and CLI are free for individuals; you pay only for model inference (BYOK or the usage-billed Cline provider). ClinePass is a subscription for open-weight models at a $9.99/month standard rate after a promotion period; Enterprise is custom.
Latest release 0.0.43:
- Existing users get a one-time What's new dialog introducing Connectors, with connector logos, a clickable example prompt, and an Open Connectors button. You can replay it from Settings → About →…
Kilo Code
Open-source coding agent available as a VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin and CLI, with a gateway to 500+ models and support for bring-your-own keys and local models. Kilo launched in March 2025 and was acquired by Anaconda in July 2026.
Pricing: The extension, CLI and JetBrains plugin are free; AI inference is billed separately via free/local models, BYOK or the Kilo Gateway at provider rates (5% processing fee on credit purchases). Optional Kilo Pass credits start at $19/month (Starter), $49 (Pro), $199 (Expert); Teams $15/user/month; Enterprise custom.
Latest release 7.8.3:
- #14634 34ec938 Thanks @brunoagatao! - Add a copy content button to the Documents viewer toolbar, and expand the document tab context menu with Copy Path, Copy Relative Path, Copy File Name, and…
- #14630 de285a6 Thanks @brunoagatao! - Add a manual Fetch Models button to the Custom Provider settings dialog.
- #13589 2d6d0a0 Thanks @sylwester-liljegren! - Suggest files from every folder in a multi-root VS Code workspace when typing @, so folders added through "Add Folder to Workspace..." are mentionable…
- #14675 5b336a9 - Keep the latest Agent Manager selection when another project finishes loading.