Kiro
Spec-driven agentic IDE and CLI built and operated by AWS
- #9 of 10 in best AI coding assistants
- Free plan, paid upgrades
- Free to use
- macOSWindowsLinuxCommand line
Ranked 9 of 10 in best AI coding assistants
AWS-built agentic IDE and CLI that turns prompts into specs and runs parallel agents. The Free plan includes 50 credits, and usage is metered in credits that vary by model, so cost is harder to predict than a flat plan.
Best for Spec-driven work inside the AWS ecosystem
About Kiro
Kiro turns a prompt into a spec, then implements it with agents on the local machine or in the cloud. The site describes spec-driven development, support for AGENTS.md and Skills.md files, MCP support, and an IDE that supports Open VSX extensions and VS Code settings. Kiro IDE and Kiro CLI are listed for macOS, Windows and Linux.
The pricing page lists a Free plan with 50 credits, Pro at $20 per user a month with 1,000 credits, and higher tiers at $40, $100 and $200 a month. Credit cost varies by model, with Auto as the baseline and other models at multiples of it. The site says Kiro is built and operated by AWS, and sign-in uses GitHub, Google, AWS Builder ID or AWS IAM Identity Center. Developers who want an open-source agent may compare OpenCode or Kilo in this ranking.
Key features
- Spec-driven development
- Parallel agents
- Kiro CLI
- AGENTS.md and MCP support
- Open VSX extensions
Strengths
- Spec-driven workflow with parallel agents
- Free plan with 50 credits
- Built and operated by AWS, with IAM sign-in
Limits
- Usage is metered in credits that vary by model
- Pro costs $20 per user a month before add-on credits
Where Kiro ranks
How Kiro compares
| Product | Score | Price | Platforms | Interface | Model choice | Commits to git |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#6 Kilo | 85.0 | Free and open source | WindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line | VS Code, JetBrains, CLI and cloud | 500+ models or local models | Not listed |
| #7Aider | 83.5 | Free and open source | Command line | Terminal | Cloud and local models | Automatic commits |
#8 OpenAI Codex | 81.0 | Free and open source | Command line | Terminal | OpenAI models | Not listed |
| #9Kiro | 80.5 | Free plan, paid upgrades | macOSWindowsLinuxCommand line | IDE and CLI | Auto plus several models | Not listed |
#10 Zed | 79.5 | Free plan, paid upgrades | macOSLinuxWindows | Code editor | Hosted models or your own keys | Not listed |
The full comparison table for best AI coding assistants has all 10 products.
Questions about Kiro
- Is Kiro free?
- Kiro can be used without paying: Free plan with 50 credits; Pro $20 per user a month. Check the vendor’s pricing page for current limits.
- Is Kiro open source?
- No. Kiro is proprietary software; its source code is not public.
- Which platforms does Kiro support?
- Kiro is available on: macOS, Windows, Linux, Command line.
- What is Kiro best for?
- Spec-driven work inside the AWS ecosystem. In our ranking of AI coding assistants it is number 9 of 10 with a score of 80.5.
- What are the best alternatives to Kiro?
- The highest-ranked alternatives on listme.name are Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, OpenCode.
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<a href="https://listme.name/software/kiro"><img src="https://listme.name/badge/kiro.svg" height="28" alt="Ranked #9 of 10 AI coding assistants on listme.name"></a>Articles that mention Kiro
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