# 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<br>BYOK free or pay-as-you-go at cost | $15/mo (credits)<br>Free: 25 credits/mo (~6–25 prompts) |
| AI Models | 500+<br>60+ providers, zero markup | ~8 built-in<br>\+ BYOK (individual only, 20% markup) |
| BYOK Coverage | All plans, all features<br>0% markup on provider rates | Free/Pro only<br>Not on Teams/Enterprise, 20% markup |
| Editor | VS Code, JetBrains, CLI<br>Extension — keep your setup | Windsurf Editor<br>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<br>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<br>SWE-1.5, Claude, GPT, Gemini, etc. | 500+ |
| BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) | Free/Pro only<br>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<br>Credit system (1 credit = $0.04) |  |
| Claude models direct access | Partial<br>BYOK only — Anthropic refused direct |  |

### Code Review & DevOps

| Feature | Windsurf | Kilo Code |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Automated code review |  |  |
| One-click deployment | Partial<br>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<br>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.

## Common Questions

### Can I use Kilo Code alongside Windsurf?  
### Is Windsurf's Supercomplete better than Kilo's autocomplete?  
### How does Kilo's pricing compare to Windsurf's credit system?  
### Why can't I use BYOK on Windsurf Teams?  
### How does team pricing compare?  
### What are the model routing concerns with Windsurf?  
### Is Kilo ready for enterprise use?