What is Kilo Code and how is it different from Roo Code?

Kilo Code is an open-source (MIT-licensed) AI coding agent that started in March 2025 as a fork in the Cline/Roo Code family. When the Roo Code repository was archived on May 15, 2026, Kilo became the main actively developed continuation for Roo Code users. Anaconda acquired Kilo on July 15, 2026; the extension and CLI remain free and open source. As of October 2026 Kilo runs in VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, a CLI and a cloud agent, with access to 500+ models at provider pricing (latest release v7.8.3, October 1, 2026).

How do Kilo Code, Cline, and Continue differ?

Kilo Code is the most agentic — plans, edits, runs, and iterates autonomously in VS Code, JetBrains or the terminal, and routes across 500+ models. Cline is the original 'autonomous coder in your editor', focused on transparent, approvable step-by-step execution; it now ships as a VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, CLI, desktop app and SDK. Continue was a chat-first assistant with an agent mode, but its team made a final 2.0.0 release in June 2026 and the repository is no longer actively maintained, so it is not a good choice for a new setup in October 2026. Kilo Code and Cline are free and open source.

Which models do they support?

Kilo Code and Cline are model-agnostic: both work with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI and open-weight models through your own API keys or OpenAI-compatible endpoints such as Ollama, LM Studio and OpenRouter. As of October 2026 Kilo lists 500+ models, including GPT-6 Astra, Claude Fable 5.1, Gemini 3.8 Flash, Grok 4.6 and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, billed at the provider's rate with no markup. Continue's final release (June 2026) still works with explicitly defined models but receives no updates for new ones.

Which one should I use in July 2026?

As of October 2026: pick Kilo Code if you liked Roo Code and want the fastest-moving open-source agent across VS Code, JetBrains and the CLI. Pick Cline if you value predictability and transparent step-by-step actions over speed. Do not start new projects on Continue — it made its final release in June 2026 and is no longer maintained; existing Continue users should move to Kilo Code or Cline (both now have JetBrains plugins) or to a terminal agent such as OpenCode. All of these are free.

Quick Answer

Kilo Code vs Cline vs Continue: Open Coding Agents (October 2026)

Q: Is Continue still maintained?

No. As of October 6, 2026, the continuedev/continue GitHub repository states that it is no longer actively maintained and is read-only. The team shipped a final 2.0.0 release of the VS Code extension, CLI and JetBrains plugin in June 2026 that removed anonymous telemetry and authentication. The code stays available under Apache 2.0, but there will be no new features or model updates.

Published: July 2, 2026 • Updated: October 6, 2026

Kilo Code vs Cline vs Continue: The Best Open-Source Coding Agents in October 2026

With Roo Code archived on May 15, 2026 and paid tools like Cursor and Devin Desktop dominating headlines, the open-source AI coding agent scene consolidated around Kilo Code and Cline — and, until its final release in June 2026, Continue. Kilo Code and Cline are free, run in VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, and support the October 2026 frontier models (GPT-6 Astra, Claude Fable 5.1, Gemini 3.8 Flash). Here’s how to pick.

Last verified: October 6, 2026. (First published July 2, 2026.)

What changed as of October 2026

Continue is discontinued. The Continue team made a final 2.0.0 release in June 2026, and its GitHub repository now says it is no longer actively maintained and read-only. This page recommended Continue for team and JetBrains use in July; that advice no longer holds.
Anaconda acquired Kilo Code on July 15, 2026. Kilo says it reached 3 million developers in 16 months; Anaconda says existing products, plans and support continue unchanged, and the code remains open source.
Kilo Code is MIT-licensed, not Apache 2.0, and it was not a May 2026 fork. Its repository dates from March 2025. The July version of this page had both facts wrong (see the corrections log).
Both remaining agents left the VS Code-only box. Kilo now ships a VS Code extension, a JetBrains plugin, a CLI and a cloud agent; Cline ships a VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, CLI, desktop app for macOS and Windows, and an SDK.
A notable alternative: OpenCode, an MIT-licensed terminal coding agent with about 212,000 GitHub stars as of October 6, 2026 — compared in our terminal coding agents page.

At a glance

Tool	Origin	Model	Best for	License
Kilo Code	Started March 2025 in the Cline/Roo Code lineage; acquired by Anaconda July 2026	VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, cloud agent; agentic	Autonomous multi-file edits, 500+ models	MIT
Cline	Original “autonomous coder”	VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, desktop app, SDK; agentic	Transparent, controllable agent runs	Apache 2.0
Continue	JetBrains + VS Code assistant — discontinued (final 2.0.0 release, June 2026)	Chat-first, agent add-on	Existing installs only; no longer maintained	Apache 2.0
OpenCode (added October 2026)	Terminal-first open-source agent	CLI / TUI	Terminal workflows, any model	MIT

Kilo Code — the Roo Code successor

Roo Code was archived on May 15, 2026 (its GitHub repository is read-only) when its team refocused on Roomote, a cloud-based agent. Kilo Code, which had been developed alongside Roo Code since March 2025, became the main actively maintained home for Roo Code users. On July 15, 2026, Anaconda acquired Kilo; the extension and CLI stay free and open source under the MIT license.

What Kilo Code offers as of October 2026 (latest release v7.8.3, October 1, 2026):

One agent across VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, the kilo CLI and a hosted cloud agent, plus automated pull-request reviews
500+ models, switchable mid-task, billed at the model provider’s rate with zero markup
Parallel subtasks and checkpoint restore (reported in July 2026, not re-verified today)
A per-task “cost cap” mode (reported in July 2026, not re-verified today)

Where it shines:

Multi-file refactors where you want the agent to plan → edit → run tests → iterate
Cost-sensitive workflows on OpenRouter or local Ollama
Teams already using Roo Code who want a drop-in replacement

Where it lags:

Very fast release cadence means occasional rough edges vs. mature Cline
Product direction now set inside Anaconda; integration plans had not been detailed as of October 2026

Cline — the original, still solid

Cline predates Roo Code and kept shipping through the 2025-2026 fork frenzy. It’s positioned as the transparent agent: every tool call is visible, approvable, and interruptible. As of October 2026 it is the most-starred of the three (about 70,000 GitHub stars) and ships near-daily releases across its VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, CLI (npm i -g cline), desktop app and SDK.

Key traits:

“Plan mode” and “act mode” separation so you can review the plan before code changes
Human-in-the-loop approval for file edits, commands and browser actions
MCP-native tool integration (Model Context Protocol)
Diff-based edits with easy revert
Headless CLI mode for CI/CD and scripting (new since July 2026 for most users)

Where it shines:

Codebases where a wrong autonomous edit is expensive (production, regulated code)
Learning what an AI coding agent is actually doing under the hood
Teams standardizing on Claude Code + Cline for parallel human/AI review

Where it lags:

Slower than Kilo Code on greenfield tasks
Less aggressive multi-file planning

Continue — the chat-first hybrid (discontinued June 2026)

Continue started as a chat-and-inline-completion competitor to Copilot and added agent capabilities over 2025-2026 without abandoning its “assistant, not autopilot” identity. In June 2026 the team shipped a final 2.0.0 release of the VS Code extension, CLI and JetBrains plugin and declared the repository no longer actively maintained. The description below is kept for existing users.

Key traits (as of the final release):

Works in VS Code and JetBrains IDEs
Config-file-driven — every prompt, model, and context provider is versioned in .continue/config.yaml; the final release switched new configs to explicit model definitions (no Hub slugs)
Enterprise self-hosting features from earlier versions; the final release removed anonymous telemetry and authentication
Agent mode is opt-in, not default

What to do if you use it: it keeps working, but it will not get fixes or support for new models. Move to Kilo Code or Cline — both now have JetBrains plugins, which was Continue’s main differentiator.

Decision guide

Use Kilo Code if:

You were a Roo Code user and want continuity
You want the most autonomous open-source agent across VS Code, JetBrains and the terminal
You care about broad model choice and OpenRouter multi-model routing

Use Cline if:

You want to see and approve every action the agent takes
You’re editing production code where autonomous mistakes are expensive
You already have a working Cline setup — no reason to switch

Use Continue if:

Only if you already run it and cannot migrate yet — it is no longer maintained (final release June 2026)
For JetBrains IDEs, choose Kilo Code or Cline instead
For terminal-first work, consider OpenCode

Bottom line

Kilo Code is the momentum project — it’s what most former Roo Code users are on, it iterates fastest, and it now has Anaconda behind it. Cline is the reliable, transparent baseline and now spans the IDE, terminal and desktop. Continue has been wound down. None of them cost money, Kilo and Cline support the current frontier models, and switching takes an afternoon. If you’re picking one for a new setup in October 2026: Kilo Code first, fall back to Cline if you want more control.