Gemini Code Assist vs Kilo Code
Compare Gemini Code Assist and Kilo Code by workflow, pricing, privacy, model support, and best use cases.
Gemini Code Assist
Gemini Code Assist is a strong choice for teams that want AI coding assistance inside existing IDEs while staying aligned with Google Cloud, Gemini CLI, GitHub review, and enterprise admin workflows. It is less suitable for developers who need local model control, BYOK flexibility, or a standalone AI editor experience.
Kilo Code
Choose Kilo Code when openness, model flexibility, BYOK/local options, and cross-surface agent workflows matter more than having one tightly controlled first-party editor experience.
Gemini Code Assist
- Pricing model
- freemium
- Free plan
- Yes
- Open source
- No
- Local models
- No
- BYOK
- No
- Editor base
- VS Code
Key Differences
Workflow
Gemini Code Assist is Google’s AI coding assistant for IDEs, GitHub, Gemini CLI, and Google Cloud workflows, positioned as a business-friendly alternative to Copilot, Cursor, and terminal coding agents.
Kilo Code positions itself as an open-source, multi-model coding agent that spans IDE extensions, CLI, cloud agents, and team governance.
Pricing
freemium
open-source
compare.fields.localModels
No
Yes
BYOK
No
Yes
compare.fields.openSource
No
Yes
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Gemini Code Assist | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Primary workflow | Gemini Code Assist is Google’s AI coding assistant for IDEs, GitHub, Gemini CLI, and Google Cloud workflows, positioned as a business-friendly alternative to Copilot, Cursor, and terminal coding agents. | Kilo Code positions itself as an open-source, multi-model coding agent that spans IDE extensions, CLI, cloud agents, and team governance. |
| Type | extension | extension |
| Editor base | VS Code | VS Code |
| Pricing model | freemium | open-source |
| Starting price | $22.8 | $0 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Local models | No | Yes |
| BYOK | No | Yes |
| Platforms | VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, GoLand, WebStorm, Android Studio, Cloud Shell Editor, Cloud Workstations, GitHub, Gemini CLI, Google Cloud, Firebase, Cloud Run, BigQuery, Apigee, Application Integration | VS Code, Open VSX-compatible editors, JetBrains IDEs, CLI, Cloud Agents, Slack |
| Models | Gemini 3, Gemini 2.5 | Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, xAI Grok, MiniMax, Z.ai GLM, DeepSeek, Mistral AI, Moonshot AI Kimi, AWS Bedrock, Ollama, LM Studio, Atomic Chat, OpenRouter, OpenAI-compatible providers |
| Enterprise features | Enterprise-grade security, Gen AI indemnification for code suggestions, Code customization from private repositories, Usage metrics and observability dashboard, Google Cloud admin and billing controls, VPC Service Controls configuration, Gemini Code Assist logging configuration, GitHub enterprise code review setup, Google Cloud service integrations, Increased agent usage in Enterprise, Integration with Apigee and Application Integration, Additional Gemini Cloud Assist features | Centralized billing, Usage analytics and reporting, AI adoption score, Shared agent modes, Shared BYOK, Team management, Data privacy controls, Model and provider restrictions, Shared Private Gateway BYOK, Audit logs, SSO, OIDC, and SCIM, SLA commitments, Dedicated support channels |
| Best for | Developers using VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Android Studio, or Google Cloud workstations, Teams building on Google Cloud, Firebase, Cloud Run, BigQuery, Apigee, or Application Integration, Organizations that want managed AI coding assistance with enterprise security and Google Cloud administration, Teams that want IDE assistance plus terminal workflows through Gemini CLI, Enterprises that need code customization based on private repositories and organization coding style | Developers who want an open-source AI coding agent inside VS Code or JetBrains., Teams that want BYOK, shared modes, usage analytics, and centralized AI cost controls., Power users who switch between IDE and terminal workflows., Developers comparing Roo Code, Cline, Continue, Cursor, and Claude Code., Privacy-conscious workflows that can run capable local models. |
| Not best for | Users looking for a fully open-source coding assistant, Developers who need local model support or BYOK routing inside the IDE assistant, Teams outside the Google Cloud ecosystem that want minimal cloud admin setup, Users who want a standalone AI-native editor like Cursor or Windsurf, Developers relying on the unpaid individual IDE extension for long-term usage after the Antigravity migration | Users who only need lightweight autocomplete with minimal setup., Non-technical users looking for a no-code prompt-to-app builder., Teams that require a single fixed first-party model vendor., Developers without budget or hardware for higher-capability model usage. |
Use Case Winners
Both Gemini Code Assist and Kilo Code have comparable signals here.
Kilo Code supports local model workflows.
Gemini Code Assist lists more team or enterprise controls.
Gemini Code Assist has stronger frontend or web workflow signals.
Kilo Code supports more model/provider options or BYOK-style workflows.
Kilo Code is marked as open source.
Pricing Comparison
Gemini Code Assist
- Gemini Code Assist for individuals$0 / month
Free version for eligible personal Gmail accounts; Google notes unpaid IDE extension access is being replaced by Antigravity on June 18, 2026.
- Standard Monthly$22.80 / user/month
Business plan with IDE code assistance, local codebase awareness, code transformation, agent mode, Gemini CLI, and enterprise-grade security.
- Standard Annual$19 / user/month
Annual commitment pricing with upfront annual commitment.
- Enterprise Monthly$54 / user/month
Adds code customization, expanded Google Cloud integrations, and increased agent usage.
- Enterprise Annual$45 / user/month
Annual commitment pricing with upfront annual commitment.
Kilo Code
- Free & Open Source$0 / forever
Core VS Code, JetBrains, and CLI coding agent; AI usage is billed separately or supplied via BYOK/local models.
- Teams$15/user / month
Adds centralized billing, usage analytics, shared modes, shared BYOK, team management, privacy controls, and priority support.
- EnterpriseCustom
Adds model/provider restrictions, private gateway BYOK, audit logs, SSO/OIDC/SCIM, SLA commitments, and dedicated support.
- Auto Free / BYOK / Local$0 / month
Use free routed models where available, bring provider keys, or run local models with Ollama, LM Studio, or Atomic Chat.
- Kilo Gateway$0 + usage / month
Pay-as-you-go hosted inference at provider rates with no AI inference markup.
Privacy & Security
Gemini Code Assist
Gemini Code Assist Standard and Enterprise documentation says Google does not use customer data to train models without permission. Gemini Code Assist for individuals has a separate privacy notice and may use data to improve Google machine learning models unless the user opts out. Teams should review edition-specific privacy notices, administrator controls, repository access, code customization settings, GitHub app permissions, and Google Cloud data governance before rollout.
Kilo Code
Kilo Code can use local models through Ollama, LM Studio, and Atomic Chat for workflows where code and prompts stay on the local machine. Hosted Gateway, Cloud Agents, code review, and BYOK routing may send prompts, repository context, or outputs to Kilo infrastructure and/or the selected model provider, so sensitive repositories should be reviewed against provider terms, enterprise controls, and internal policy.
Choose Gemini Code Assist if...
- Developers using VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Android Studio, or Google Cloud workstations
- Teams building on Google Cloud, Firebase, Cloud Run, BigQuery, Apigee, or Application Integration
- Organizations that want managed AI coding assistance with enterprise security and Google Cloud administration
- Teams that want IDE assistance plus terminal workflows through Gemini CLI
- Enterprises that need code customization based on private repositories and organization coding style
Choose Kilo Code if...
- Developers who want an open-source AI coding agent inside VS Code or JetBrains.
- Teams that want BYOK, shared modes, usage analytics, and centralized AI cost controls.
- Power users who switch between IDE and terminal workflows.
- Developers comparing Roo Code, Cline, Continue, Cursor, and Claude Code.
- Privacy-conscious workflows that can run capable local models.
Avoid Gemini Code Assist if...
- Users looking for a fully open-source coding assistant
- Developers who need local model support or BYOK routing inside the IDE assistant
- Teams outside the Google Cloud ecosystem that want minimal cloud admin setup
- Users who want a standalone AI-native editor like Cursor or Windsurf
- Developers relying on the unpaid individual IDE extension for long-term usage after the Antigravity migration
Avoid Kilo Code if...
- Users who only need lightweight autocomplete with minimal setup.
- Non-technical users looking for a no-code prompt-to-app builder.
- Teams that require a single fixed first-party model vendor.
- Developers without budget or hardware for higher-capability model usage.