agent · ai-coding-agents
Cline vs Kilo Code
55 fields both were evaluated on, 28 of them different — including where one discloses something the other does not. Every value links to the document it came from. 27 further fields are disclosed by neither and are listed at the end rather than tabled.
Assurance
| Field | Cline | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Audit trail· | “Audit the prompt, context window, and decisions in MIT-licensed source.”kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 | |
| Explainability· | “Toggle Plan mode to align on a strategy, then Act to execute.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | “Audit the prompt, context window, and decisions in MIT-licensed source.”kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
| Permission scopes· | “Ship .clinerules with your repo to teach the agent your coding standards, architecture, and deployment conventions.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | no public information kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
Agency
| Field | Cline | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Human oversight· | “Approve every step, or flip auto-approve for autopilot.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | no public information kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
| Goal complexity· | no public information kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 | |
| Action space· | “Edits across your project Coordinated multi-file changes with linter-aware fixes, diffs, checkpoints, and one-click undo on every step. Runs bash commands Executes in your terminal and reacts to output as it appears. Long-running dev servers, tests, deploys, all handled live.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | no public information kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
| Operating environment· | no public information cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | VS Code, JetBrains, IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, CLI, Cloud Agents, Slack “Kilo works where you work. Build alone or with your team. VS Code JetBrains IntelliJ PyCharm WebStorm CLI Cloud Agents Slack”kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
| Initiative· | no public information kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
Safety
| Field | Cline | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Data handling· | no public information cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
Practicality
| Field | Cline | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model· | no public information cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | “Aligned pricing Models at cost. No markup. No lock-in.”kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
| Price point· | no public information cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | |
| Availability· | no public information cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | |
| Deployment options· | no public information cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, Cloud “Choose where to start with Kilo VS Code JetBrains CLI Cloud”kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
| Integrations· | no public information cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | VS Code, JetBrains, IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, CLI, Cloud Agents, Slack “VS Code JetBrains IntelliJ PyCharm WebStorm CLI Cloud Agents Slack”kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
| Supported regions· | “Works on macOS, Windows, Linux.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 Not in our latest capture. We captured this page again on Sep 17, 2026 and this quote was not there. How we re-check citations | no public information kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
Foundation models
| Field | Cline | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Base models· | “Claude, GPT, Gemini, local Ollama / LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | “500+ models, zero markup: frontier, open weight, or your own keys.”kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
| Model provider· | “500+ models, zero markup: frontier, open weight, or your own keys.”kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 | |
| Model swappable· | ||
| Open weights· | no public information cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | “500+ models, zero markup: frontier, open weight, or your own keys.”kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
Ecosystem
| Field | Cline | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Protocols supported· | “Plug in MCP servers for databases, APIs, and infrastructure.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | MCP (Model Context Protocol) “Does Kilo support MCP (Model Context Protocol)?”kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
| Tool use· | “Extend with MCP and plugins Register custom tools and lifecycle hooks via the SDK.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | no public information kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
| Multi-agent· | “Multi-agent teams and schedules Coordinator agents delegate to specialists with their own tools and context.”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | “Agent command center One portal for every agent Control every agent from one place across IDEs, CLI, and cloud. Local and cloud agents Parallel isolated worktrees”kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 |
| Open source· | MIT-licensed open source; vendor states users can inspect, fork, modify and self-host the agent. “Open source No black boxes. Inspect everything. Audit the prompt, context window, and decisions in MIT-licensed source. Fork, modify, self-host”kilo.ai · checked Sep 9, 2026 | |
| Marketplace presence· | “8.0M + installs across all platforms marketplace + open vsx registry 65.9k stars ★ 4.1 /5 from 307 VS Code Marketplace ratings”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 Not in our latest capture. We captured this page again on Sep 17, 2026 and this quote was not there. How we re-check citations |
Impact
| Field | Cline | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| User base· | no public information cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | |
| Deployment scale· | “8.0M + installs across all platforms marketplace + open vsx registry 65.9k stars ★ 4.1 /5 from 307 VS Code Marketplace ratings”cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 Not in our latest capture. We captured this page again on Sep 17, 2026 and this quote was not there. How we re-check citations | Vendor-reported: "5M+ Kilo Coders" and "10T+ tokens processed every month". No independent counter is named. “5M+ Kilo Coders 10T+ tokens processed every month”kilo.ai · checked Sep 9, 2026 |
| Target sectors· | developers at the world's most innovative companies “Trusted by developers at the world's most innovative companies”kilo.ai · checked Aug 8, 2026 | |
| Documented incidents· | no public information cline.bot · checked Aug 8, 2026 | Disclosed a security incident at business-intelligence provider Metabase impacting Kilo Code data (originally Aug 7, 2026), with the latest update posted Aug 14, 2026 23:19 UTC. “Metabase Incident Impacting Kilo Code Data August 14, 2026 23:19 UTC Update Aug 7, 2026”kilo.ai · checked Aug 18, 2026 Not in our latest capture. We captured this page again on Sep 16, 2026 and this quote was not there. How we re-check citations |
Disclosed by neither
Both Cline and Kilo Code publish nothing on these 27 fields. That is a finding about the category rather than a difference between them, so it is recorded here instead of as 27 identical table rows. Each is shown with its source check on the individual profiles.
- Autonomy level
- High-risk domains
- Support model
- Fine-tuning
- Context window
- API access
- Safety evaluations
- Red teaming
- Safety policy
- Usage restrictions
- Model or system card
- Incident reporting
- Third-party evaluations
- Insurance available
- Insurance carriers
- Coverage limits
- Indemnification
- Liability cap
- Tamper-evident log
- Runtime governance
- Compliance certifications
- Regulatory alignment
- Outcome-based pricing
- Settlement mechanism
- Dispute process
- SLA terms
- Evaluation coverage
Questions
- How do Cline and Kilo Code compare on operating environment?
- Cline: no public information disclosed. Kilo Code: VS Code, JetBrains, IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, CLI, Cloud Agents, Slack.
- How do Cline and Kilo Code compare on user base?
- Cline: no public information disclosed. Kilo Code: 5M+ "Kilo Coders" (self-reported user count)..
- How do Cline and Kilo Code compare on documented incidents?
- Cline: no public information disclosed. Kilo Code: Disclosed a security incident at business-intelligence provider Metabase impacting Kilo Code data (originally Aug 7, 2026), with the latest update posted Aug 14, 2026 23:19 UTC..
- How do Cline and Kilo Code compare on deployment options?
- Cline: no public information disclosed. Kilo Code: VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, Cloud.
- How do Cline and Kilo Code compare on integrations?
- Cline: no public information disclosed. Kilo Code: VS Code, JetBrains, IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, CLI, Cloud Agents, Slack.