Kilo Code vs Windsurf
The open-source 500+-model platform in your IDE vs the standalone AI-native editor with credit-based pricing. An honest comparison.
Pricing
| Kilo Code | Windsurf | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $0/month BYOK free or pay-as-you-go at cost |
$15/mo (credits) Free: 25 credits/mo (~6–25 prompts) |
| AI Models | 500+ 60+ providers, zero markup |
~8 built-in + BYOK (individual only, 20% markup) |
| BYOK Coverage | All plans, all features 0% markup on provider rates |
Free/Pro only Not on Teams/Enterprise, 20% markup |
| Editor | VS Code, JetBrains, CLI Extension — keep your setup |
Windsurf Editor Standalone VS Code fork |
| Open Source | Apache-2.0, full transparency | Fully closed source |
Where Kilo Code Wins
Works inside your existing IDE
Kilo is a VS Code extension + JetBrains plugin + CLI. Keep your settings, extensions, themes. Windsurf’s full Tab experience (Supercomplete, Tab-to-jump, Tab-to-import) is exclusive to their standalone editor — JetBrains plugin only gets basic autocomplete.500+ models at exact provider rates
Access any model from 60+ providers with zero markup. Windsurf offers ~5–8 built-in models and bills via a credit system where 1 credit = $0.04.Transparent pricing, no credit system
Pay per token at exact provider rates. Windsurf’s credit system is confusing: some models cost flat credits per prompt, others use token-based billing at provider rate + 20% markup. Different credit multipliers per model per plan tier.Full BYOK on all plans and features
Bring your own keys for any provider on any plan. Windsurf’s BYOK is limited to individual (Free/Pro) plans only — not available on Teams/Enterprise. And Anthropic refused direct Claude model access, so Claude 4+ requires BYOK workaround.Fully open source (Apache-2.0)
Inspect every prompt, verify no model substitution, see context window sizes. Windsurf is closed-source, and independent testing raised concerns about potential model routing discrepancies.No editor switch + full JetBrains support
Full Kilo experience in all JetBrains IDEs natively. Windsurf’s JetBrains plugin only includes Cascade + basic autocomplete — not the full Tab experience (Supercomplete, Tab-to-jump, etc.).More features included free
Deploy, App Builder, Slack bot, Voice Prompting, Code Reviewer — all included at no cost. Windsurf charges for deploys (1/day free, 5/day Pro) and doesn’t offer built-in deployment or app builder.
Where Windsurf Wins
Supercomplete & Tab-to-jump (in Editor)
Windsurf Tab goes beyond autocomplete: Supercomplete predicts multi-line edits on existing code, Tab-to-jump navigates to next edit location, Tab-to-import adds dependencies. This is exclusive to the Windsurf Editor. Kilo’s autocomplete is inline FIM only.SWE-1.5 proprietary model
Windsurf’s in-house model achieves near-SOTA on SWE-bench (78% Verified) with fast inference. SWE-1.5 Free is available at zero credits. Kilo doesn’t have a proprietary coding model.Cascade agent with Turbo Mode
Cascade combines deep codebase understanding with real-time awareness of your actions and auto-executes terminal commands in Turbo Mode. Kilo’s Orchestrator is powerful but Cascade’s flow-state UX is notably smooth.Auto-fix lint errors
Cascade automatically detects and fixes lint errors it generates during coding. Kilo has automatic failure recovery but Windsurf’s lint integration is more polished.Memories feature
Cascade remembers important things about your codebase and workflow persistently. Similar to Kilo’s Memory Bank but more tightly integrated into the Cascade flow.4,000+ enterprise customers
Windsurf (Codeium) has deep enterprise penetration with HIPAA and FedRAMP certifications. Kilo has 2.3M+ users but Windsurf’s enterprise security certifications are broader.
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Why developers are switching to Kilo Code
- Transparent pricing. Your existing IDE. 500+ models. Open source. Full BYOK.
Your IDE, Your Way
VS Code extension + JetBrains plugin + CLI. No editor switch. Full experience everywhere.
500+ Models
60+ providers. No credit system. Pay exact provider rates with zero markup.
Full BYOK Everywhere
Your API keys on all plans, all features. $0 platform fee, 0% markup.
Open Source
Apache-2.0. Verify every model call. No routing discrepancies. Full transparency.
Pricing: Kilo Code vs Windsurf
| Feature | Kilo Code | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Free | BYOK or free models — all features, unlimited | 25 credits/mo + SWE-1 Lite unlimited + 1 deploy/day |
| Pro Individual | Pay-as-you-go or Kilo Pass $19–$199/mo (+50% bonus) | $15/mo — 500 credits + SWE-1.5 + 5 deploys/day |
| Teams | $15/user/mo + AI at provider cost. Full BYOK. Code review included. | $30/user/mo — 500 credits/user. No BYOK. SSO +$10/user. |
| Enterprise | Contact sales + usage at cost | Custom — 1,000 credits/user/mo + RBAC + SSO |
Specialized agent modes Windsurf doesn't have
Orchestrator, Architect, Debug, Code, and Ask — each purpose-built for your workflow.
Full Feature Comparison
Every feature, side by side — with honest notes on where each tool has the edge
Tab Autocomplete & Code Completion
| Feature | Windsurf | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Inline tab completions | Proprietary model | |
| Multi-line completions | Supercomplete | |
| Supercomplete (predict edits on existing code) | Editor-exclusive | |
| Tab-to-jump (navigate to next edit) | Editor-exclusive | |
| Tab-to-import (auto-add dependencies) | Editor-exclusive | |
| Autocomplete model choice | Proprietary model only | Expanding |
| Free completions | Unlimited on all plans | Unlimited (BYOK) |
| Full Tab in JetBrains | Autocomplete only, no Supercomplete |
AI Chat & Agentic Capabilities
| Feature | Windsurf | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| AI chat / agent in IDE | Cascade | |
| Agent mode (autonomous coding) | Cascade agent | |
| Turbo mode (auto-execute commands) | Turbo Mode | |
| Cloud agents | ||
| Plan mode | Partial Via Cascade flow |
|
| Dedicated debug mode | Via Cascade | |
| Custom modes / rules | .windsurf/rules | |
| Memory / context persistence | Memories feature | |
| Voice prompting | ||
| Slack integration | ||
| MCP support | Curated MCP servers | |
| Drag & drop images for design | Drop image into Cascade |
Model Access & Flexibility
| Feature | Windsurf | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Total models available | ~8 built-in SWE-1.5, Claude, GPT, Gemini, etc. |
500+ |
| BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) | Free/Pro only Not on Teams/Enterprise |
All features |
| BYOK markup | ~20% markup | 0% |
| Proprietary coding model | SWE-1.5 (78% SWE-bench) | |
| Free model available | SWE-1.5 Free, SWE-1 Lite | |
| Model cost transparency | Partial Credit system (1 credit = $0.04) |
|
| Claude models direct access | Partial BYOK only — Anthropic refused direct |
Code Review & DevOps
| Feature | Windsurf | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Automated code review | ||
| One-click deployment | Partial Limited deploys/day |
|
| Visual App Builder | ||
| Managed codebase indexing | Fast Context (SWE-grep) |
IDE & Platform Support
| Feature | Windsurf | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| VS Code (as extension) | Windsurf IS the IDE | |
| Standalone editor | Windsurf Editor (VS Code fork) | |
| JetBrains IDEs (full experience) | Partial Cascade + basic autocomplete only |
|
| CLI tool | ||
| Cross-device session sync | ||
| Slack bot |
Open Source, Privacy & Trust
| Feature | Windsurf | Kilo Code |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | Fully closed source | |
| Visible prompts & context | Opaque | |
| Model verification | Routing concerns raised | |
| SOC 2 certified | ||
| HIPAA / FedRAMP | Both available | |
| Data used for training | Never (with ZDR) | Never |
Sources:
- kilo.ai, kilo.ai/pricing, kilo.ai/docs
- windsurf.com, windsurf.com/pricing, windsurf.com/tab, windsurf.com/changelog, docs.windsurf.com/windsurf/models.