Gray vs Kilo Code: which should you use?

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Short answer

Choose Kilo Code if you want a feature-rich agent mode inside VS Code with orchestration and cloud options. Choose Gray if you want a minimal MIT terminal harness — one binary, any provider — for interactive and always-on work.

GrayKilo Code
What it isMinimal, always-on AI harness: one Rust binary, open source (MIT)Open-source (MIT) agentic coding extension for VS Code
InterfaceTerminal REPL and headless modeVS Code sidebar with specialized modes (architect, code, debug, orchestrator)
ModelsAny OpenAI-compatible provider with your own API key; local models through Ollama; Claude Pro/Max and ChatGPT plans through official pluginsBring-your-own-key across providers including local models; optional Kilo Pass credit bundle
Headlessgray -p one-shot mode and the gateway for scheduled jobskilo run --auto for autonomous runs
PriceFree (MIT); you pay your model provider. Hosted Voyager plan $77/month, not yet openFree (MIT); optional Kilo Pass plans from about $19/month

Is Gray more minimal than Kilo Code?

Yes — Kilo Code packs multiple specialized modes and cloud features into a VS Code extension; Gray is a single static binary that stays out of the editor entirely.

When should you choose Kilo Code instead?

Choose Kilo Code if you want orchestrated multi-mode agent work inside VS Code, or its managed cloud and credit options.

Sources

Competitor details are taken from the sources above as of the date at the top of this page. Products change quickly — if something here is out of date, open an issue on GitHub.