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

Kilo Code is the community-maintained v5.x fork of Roo Code, which was archived on May 15, 2026 when its team pivoted to a cloud agent called Roomote. Kilo Code preserves the open-source VS Code extension model, merges features from Cline (Roo Code's own predecessor), and adds cleaner task management, a redesigned UI, and expanded model support.

How do Kilo Code, Cline, and Continue differ?

Kilo Code is the newest and most agentic — plans, edits, runs, and iterates autonomously in VS Code. Cline is the original 'autonomous coder in your editor,' now more conservative and focused on transparent step-by-step execution. Continue is more of a chat/completion assistant with agent mode added on, favored by teams that want tighter control over prompts and models. All three are free and open source.

Which models do they support?

All three support OpenAI (GPT-5.6 Sol/Terra/Luna, GPT-5.5), Anthropic (Claude Sonnet 5, Opus 4.8, Fable 5), Google (Gemini 3.5 Pro/Flash), and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint like Ollama, LM Studio, and OpenRouter. Kilo Code also has first-class support for Kimi K2, Qwen 3, and DeepSeek V4.

Which one should I use in July 2026?

Pick Kilo Code if you liked Roo Code and want continuity plus faster development. Pick Cline if you value predictability and transparent step-by-step actions over speed. Pick Continue if you want a chat-first assistant with light agent capabilities and deep team/enterprise integrations. All three are free.

Quick Answer

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

Published: July 2, 2026

Kilo Code vs Cline vs Continue: The Best Open-Source Coding Agents in July 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 has quietly consolidated around three projects: Kilo Code, Cline, and Continue. All three are free, all three run in VS Code, and all three support the July 2026 frontier models (Claude Sonnet 5, GPT-5.6, Gemini 3.5 Pro). Here’s how to pick.

Last verified: July 2, 2026

At a glance

Tool	Origin	Model	Best for	License
Kilo Code	Fork of Roo Code (May 2026)	VS Code extension, agentic	Autonomous multi-file edits	Apache 2.0
Cline	Original “autonomous coder”	VS Code extension, agentic	Transparent, controllable agent runs	Apache 2.0
Continue	JetBrains + VS Code assistant	Chat-first, agent add-on	Team standardization, enterprise self-hosting	Apache 2.0

Kilo Code — the Roo Code successor

Roo Code was archived on May 15, 2026 when its team refocused on Roomote, a cloud-based agent. Kilo Code emerged the same week as an actively maintained fork, keeping the original Apache-licensed VS Code extension alive and moving faster than upstream ever did.

What’s new in Kilo Code v5.x:

Redesigned task-management UI (parallel subtasks, checkpoint restore)
Merged the best features from Cline (Roo’s own upstream) into a single agent
First-class support for Kimi K2, Qwen 3, and DeepSeek V4 alongside frontier US models
New “cost cap” mode that stops the agent when a run exceeds a per-task budget

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:

Newer codebase means occasional rough edges vs. mature Cline
Smaller community than Continue’s enterprise-heavy user base

Cline — the original, still solid

Cline predates Roo Code and quietly kept shipping through the 2025-2026 fork frenzy. It’s positioned as the transparent agent: every tool call is visible, approvable, and interruptible.

Key traits:

“Plan mode” and “act mode” separation so you can review the plan before code changes
Excellent long-run stability on Claude Sonnet 5 and Opus 4.8
MCP-native tool integration (Model Context Protocol)
Diff-based edits with easy revert

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

Continue started as a chat-and-inline-completion competitor to Copilot and has been adding agent capabilities over 2025-2026 without abandoning its “assistant, not autopilot” identity.

Key traits:

Works in VS Code and JetBrains IDEs (unusual for OSS coding tools)
Config-file-driven — every prompt, model, and context provider is versioned in .continue/config.yaml
Best-in-class enterprise self-hosting (dedicated proxy, audit logs, model routing policies)
Agent mode is opt-in, not default

Where it shines:

Enterprise deployments where CISO wants full visibility and control
Teams that already have JetBrains IDEs and can’t switch to a VS Code-only tool
Chat + occasional agent runs, not fully autonomous workflows

Where it lags:

Agent mode is still a step behind Kilo Code and Cline in autonomy
More setup overhead than the “install and go” competitors

Decision guide

Use Kilo Code if:

You were a Roo Code user and want continuity
You want the most autonomous open-source agent in VS Code
You care about cost caps 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:

Your team uses JetBrains IDEs
You need enterprise self-hosting, audit logs, or model-routing policy
You want chat-first with agent as an occasional escalation

Bottom line

Kilo Code is the momentum project — it’s what most former Roo Code users are on, and it’s iterating fastest. Cline is the reliable, transparent baseline. Continue is the enterprise-friendly hybrid. None of them cost money, all of them support the current frontier models, and switching between them takes an afternoon. If you’re picking one for a new setup in July 2026: Kilo Code first, fall back to Cline if you want more control.