shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Kilo?

Open source AI coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, and Cloud. 500+ models, BYOK at zero markup, local models for privacy. - kilo.ai

Depends. Buy if you're a developer who wants 500+ models with your own keys and accepts real security risk. Skip it for team or sensitive code — 2026 CVEs and a customer-data breach are hard to overlook.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~25 public sources. Several 'Kilo' search results were unrelated companies (gym software, Kilo Health, security firms, a Napoli restaurant) and were excluded. G2 sample is only 4 reviews.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence in sources reviewed
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free extension

Model500+
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Kilo Pass Starter$19/mo
Platform$15/user/mo

Best for

  • Cost-conscious developers wanting BYOK
  • Multi-IDE users (VS Code, JetBrains, CLI)
  • Privacy-focused coders running local models

Not for

  • Non-developers — this is purely a coding agent
  • Teams handling sensitive or compliance-gated code
  • Buyers who want simple, predictable flat-rate pricing
  • Orgs needing vendor stability post-acquisition

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Starter Pass costs $19/mo for up to ~$26.60 usage credit; heavier use costs extra

medium

Extension is free, but hosted KiloClaw service costs extra

medium

Spend is usage-based and hard to predict; Kilo publishes a calculator to help

medium

Acquired by Anaconda; users report recent changes disrupting existing workflows

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Open source agent across VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, and Cloud
  • 500+ models with bring-your-own keys at zero markup
  • Local model support keeps code private
  • Users report it's often cheaper than Cursor
  • Reviewers describe it as flexible and reliable

Cons

  • Two CVEs disclosed in 2026, including CLI information disclosure
  • Documented supply-chain attack in 2025
  • August 2026 Metabase breach exposed user names and emails
  • Users report slowness and confusing pricing
  • Recent product changes pushed some users to alternatives

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 15 sources - Rough record: two 2026 CVEs, a 2025 supply-chain attack, and an August 2026 breach exposing user names and emails.

official x3review x6security x3news x3
  • CVE-2026-8766, Information disclosure vulnerability in Kilo Code CLI.
  • CVE-2026-8765, Vulnerability in Kilo-Org kilocode up to version 7.x, tracked by NIST and GitHub advisories.
  • Supply chain attack, A supply-chain attack on the Kilo Code AI agent was documented in October 2025.
  • Metabase breach (Aug 2026), Metabase zero-day exploited to access Kilo Code data including user names and emails.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 15

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. BYOK zero markup; users report cheaper than Cursor
  • Ease of use: 2/5. Users report confusion, slowness, heavyweight setup
  • Feature depth: 5/5. 500+ models, four surfaces, local model support
  • Support quality. No support evidence in sources reviewed
  • Security posture: 1/5. Two 2026 CVEs, supply-chain attack, data breach
  • 4.5/5 G2 rating 4 reviews — tiny sample
  • $19/mo Starting price Kilo Pass Starter tier
  • Yes Free tier Free extension, BYOK at zero markup
  • 500+ Models available BYOK or Kilo Pass credits

Pricing

Free extension

$0

  • VS Code, JetBrains, CLI agents
  • Bring your own keys at zero markup

Kilo Pass Starter

$19/mo

  • Up to ~$26.60 of usage credit
  • Monthly or annual subscription

Platform

$15/user/mo

  • Team plan on top of free platform tier

Security

Rough record: two 2026 CVEs, a 2025 supply-chain attack, and an August 2026 breach exposing user names and emails.

  • CVE-2026-8766Information disclosure vulnerability in Kilo Code CLI.10
  • CVE-2026-8765Vulnerability in Kilo-Org kilocode up to version 7.x, tracked by NIST and GitHub advisories.11
  • Supply chain attackA supply-chain attack on the Kilo Code AI agent was documented in October 2025.12
  • Metabase breach (Aug 2026)Metabase zero-day exploited to access Kilo Code data including user names and emails.13

What users say

Reddit and review roundups praise its flexibility and price versus Cursor, but complain it's heavy, slow, and pricing is confusing.

“Just tried Kilo Code - what are we all going to do for work!?”
Reddit, r/kilocode
“Kilo Code isn't the lightest tool in the stack”
Solveo analysis of 1,000 Reddit comments
“which is my second concern, it is incredibly slow”
Reddit, r/kilocode
Full analysis

Based on ~25 public sources. Several 'Kilo' search results were unrelated companies (gym software, Kilo Health, security firms, a Napoli restaurant) and were excluded. G2 sample is only 4 reviews.

Powerful open-source coding agent, great BYOK pricing — but CVEs, a supply-chain attack, and a 2026 data breach.

Methodology

Based on ~25 public sources. Several 'Kilo' search results were unrelated companies (gym software, Kilo Health, security firms, a Napoli restaurant) and were excluded. G2 sample is only 4 reviews.

Sources

  1. Kilo — official sitekilo.ai
    official
  2. Kilo pricingkilo.ai
    official
  3. Kilo security page (Anaconda acquisition)kilo.ai
    official
  4. Product Hunt reviewsproducthunt.com
    review
  5. G2 reviewsg2.com
    review
  6. Reddit: cheaper than Cursorreddit.com
    review
  7. Reddit: bad first impression threadreddit.com
    review
  8. Solveo: 1,000 Reddit comments analyzedsolveo.co
    review
  9. Kiro vs Kilo Code comparison (G2 4.5/5 from 4 reviews)theaiagentindex.com
    review
  10. CVE-2026-8766 Kilo Code CLI information disclosuresentinelone.com
    security
  11. CVE-2026-8765 NIST detailnvd.nist.gov
    security
  12. Kilo Code AI agent supply chain attackvulnerablemcp.info
    security
  13. Metabase zero-day exploited to access Kilo datahelpnetsecurity.com
    news
  14. Anaconda: Metabase incident impacting Kilo Code dataanaconda.com
    news
  15. Fortune: Kilo's subscription bet in AI coding marketfortune.com
    news

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