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

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

Kilo Review

Depends

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

Analyzed September 20, 2026 · 1 month ago

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

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

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 September 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
September 20, 2026
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

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

Alternatives

Compare Kilo with each alternative.

Claude Code
Polished terminal agent; top-ranked alternative if Claude-only is fine.
Kilo vs Claude Code
Cursor
Popular AI IDE with simpler pricing; less model choice.
Kilo vs Cursor
Cline
Lighter open-source VS Code agent; simpler if Kilo feels heavy.
Kilo vs Cline

Kimi Code
Model-tied terminal agent from Moonshot; simple and cheap.
Kilo vs Kimi Code

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.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

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

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Kilo Review

Confidence

Ratings

Pricing