Kilo CodeVS
Roo Code
Read from each vendor’s own pages last night, so it does not go stale the way a written comparison does.
- KILO CODE
- $15 / mo
- ROO CODE
- Free
- CHANGES ON EITHER
- 9
- CAVEATS
- 1
ROO CODEARCHIVED SINCE 15 MAY 2026Roo Code is archived and is no longer being developed. Repository archived 15 May 2026; the team pivoted to a separate product. It had roughly 1.56M installs at the point it stopped, which is why so many still-ranking "Cline vs Roo Code" pages now give an answer that cannot be acted on.
On the prices each vendor publishes about itself, Kilo Code starts at $15 / mo and Roo Code at Free. Before that decides anything: Roo Code is archived and is no longer being developed. (since 15 May 2026) Both take your own API key, so on either one the subscription and the model bill are separate decisions. Both are open source, so neither can withdraw the thing you have already installed. Every figure on this page was read from the two vendors' own pages in last night's run rather than written down once, which is the only reason it is still the current answer. ToolDrift sells neither and takes no referral fee on either.
| COMPARED ON | KILO CODE | ROO CODE |
|---|---|---|
| ASSERTED · WHAT EACH VENDOR PUBLISHES ABOUT ITSELF | ||
| Category | IDE extension | IDE extension |
| Vendor | Kilo | Roo |
| Status | Active | Archived |
| How it charges | Hybrid | Free |
| Entry price | $15 / mo | Free |
| Default model | None, you choose | None, you choose |
| Your own key | Yes | Yes |
| Source | Open source · Apache-2.0 | Open source · Apache-2.0 |
| Plans | Free & Open Source · Usage is billed separatelyTeams · $15 / mo per user/monthEnterprise · Custom | Roo publishes no pricing page for Roo Code, so there are no tiers to compare. |
| MEASURED · COUNTED ON THE LAST NIGHTLY RUN | ||
| Stars | 27.4K | 24.3K |
| Maintenance | 100/100 | 0/100 |
| Days since last push | 0 | 131 |
| Top model in it | Poolside: Laguna S 2.1 (free) · Free | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 · $0.10 |
| Its volume | 2.67T tokens | 43B tokens |
Is Kilo Code or Roo Code cheaper?
On the cheapest option each vendor publishes: Kilo Code is $15 / mo and Roo Code is Free. Treat both as an allowance rather than a bill, every tool in this category meters model usage on top of the plan, and which one costs more in practice depends on the models you drive and how hard. The tier prices are the part that can be checked from outside, so they are the part this page prints.
Can I use my own API key with Kilo Code or Roo Code?
Kilo Code: yes. Roo Code: yes. It is the row that decides whether the subscription price is most of what you pay or a fraction of it: a tool that takes your own key charges for the software, and one that does not is reselling inference with a margin you cannot see.
Are Kilo Code and Roo Code still maintained?
Active and Archived as of last night's read. Kilo Code's repository was last pushed 0 days ago and it scores 100/100 on maintenance; Roo Code's repository was last pushed 131 days ago and it scores 0/100 on maintenance. One caution: Roo Code is archived and is no longer being developed. (since 15 May 2026) This is the question a written comparison cannot answer, because it was true on the day it was published and nobody went back.