Agentcode vs Kilo Code
Agentcode vs Kilo Code: managed PR agent or open-source editor agent
Kilo Code is a free, hackable agent you run in your editor and pay for by the token. Agentcode is a managed agent that takes the task and opens the pull request itself at a flat price. Same review gate, opposite tradeoffs.
No card to start · Review-first: the agent never merges
In short
Kilo Code is a free, open-source VS Code extension (a maintained fork of Roo Code) that acts as an in-editor agent: you bring your own API keys across hundreds of models and approve each edit, so its real cost is your model-token bill or its hosted credits. Agentcode is an autonomous, managed coding agent that works asynchronously: you give it a task, it writes the change across your repo, runs your tests, and opens the pull request for you at a flat monthly price with no meter. The distinction is ownership and cost: Kilo Code is a transparent tool you drive and pay per token for, while Agentcode takes the whole task and returns a tested PR at a predictable price. Both keep a human on the merge.
Where Kilo Code shines
Kilo Code is a strong open-source VS Code extension, a maintained fork of Roo Code (itself from Cline), and it is free to install. Its appeal is control and flexibility: you bring your own API keys across 500-plus models, so you can point it at any frontier or local model, and it ships an Orchestrator mode for multi-step work, a CLI, and JetBrains and Zed support. It proposes each edit and command and waits for your approval, so you see and gate every change. When Roo Code was archived in 2026, its team pointed users to Kilo Code. For a developer who wants a transparent agent they drive locally with no vendor lock-in, it is genuinely good.
Where Agentcode is different
The split is who does the work and how the bill behaves. Kilo Code is an in-editor agent you supervise: it drafts an edit, you approve it, it runs a command, you approve that, and the real cost is your own model-token bill (or Kilo hosted credits), which climbs with every run. Agentcode owns the task. You hand it a ticket, it plans the change, edits every file involved, runs your test suite, self-reviews its own diff, and opens the pull request itself on GitHub or GitLab, at a flat $29 a month with no token or credit meter. So Kilo Code is a tool you operate; Agentcode is work you delegate. Both keep a human on the merge, and Agentcode never merges on its own and never trains on your code.
| How they compare | Agentcode | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Take a whole task and return a reviewable pull request with passing tests | Assist you inside the editor, proposing edits and commands you approve |
| Who opens the PR | The agent writes the change and opens the pull request itself | You commit and open the PR after approving its edits |
| Where it runs | Managed service on your GitHub or GitLab repo; nothing to run locally | An extension you install and run in VS Code, JetBrains, or Zed |
| Model choice | Managed for you; no keys to bring | Bring your own API keys across 500-plus models |
| Pricing model | Flat $29 a month, no token or credit meter | Free to install; you pay your own model tokens or Kilo hosted credits |
| Control | You review and merge the finished PR; it never merges on its own | You approve each edit and command as it goes |
Agentcode vs Kilo Code: your questions answered
What is the difference between Kilo Code and Agentcode?
Kilo Code is a free, open-source editor agent you drive and pay for by the token; Agentcode is a managed async agent that takes the whole task and opens the pull request itself at a flat price. With Kilo Code you approve each edit and pay your own model bill; with Agentcode you hand off a ticket and get back a tested PR on GitHub or GitLab. The tell is who operates the agent and who pays the meter.
Is Kilo Code free compared to Agentcode?
The Kilo Code extension is free to install, but running it costs your own model tokens, which on a busy day can reach several dollars per developer, and it also sells hosted credits. So the sticker is free but the usage is metered. Agentcode is a flat $29 a month with no token or credit meter, so a heavy week and a quiet week cost the same. Which is cheaper depends entirely on how much you run it.
Does Kilo Code open pull requests like Agentcode?
No. Kilo Code proposes edits and commands inside your editor and you commit and open the pull request yourself after approving them. Agentcode is built to open the PR itself: you hand it a task and it edits the code, runs your tests, and opens a reviewable pull request on GitHub or GitLab, so your job is to review and merge rather than to approve each step.
Can I use Kilo Code and Agentcode together?
Yes. Many developers keep an open-source agent like Kilo Code for hands-on, exploratory work they want to steer locally, and hand the routine or bounded tickets to a managed async agent like Agentcode that returns a finished, tested pull request. One is a tool you operate; the other is work you delegate. Both leave the merge to a person.
Last updated: July 2026
See it run
Describe the work. Get a pull request.
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Plan
- planning
Files changed
Test run
Pull request
You review and merge. Agentcode never merges on its own.
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