Compare / Kilo vs Cline
Kilo vs Cline
Two open VS Code agents that compete on model routing and markup.
This is a structured comparison of two listings, not a score. Read both
takes. Fields were last checked on each listing’s verifiedAt.
| Kilo Verified | Cline Verified | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | Open agent across IDE and CLI, plus a zero-markup model gateway. | Open VS Code agent that drives the editor like a human. |
| Layers | execution, orchestration | execution |
| Model independence | Router | Multi-model |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT (plugin); hosted gateway is a service | Apache-2.0 |
| Pricing model | Mixed | Mixed |
Kilo
Editorial take
Kilo’s honest pitch is “open agent plus a model gateway that does not take a cut.” That is routing, which is why this listing is marked router. The CLI fork of OpenCode is disclosed on their own site — good. Do not count Kilo and OpenCode as one codebase. Gateway pricing claims should be re-read; we are not printing a markup percentage as a fact beyond “they say zero.”
Cline
Editorial take
Cline is what people install when they want Cursor-shaped agency without Cursor’s closed runtime. The human-in-the-loop tool approvals are the product, and also the reason it is a poor unattended factory worker unless you turn them off on purpose. Compare it to Roo Code before you pick a fork to standardize on.