# Roo Code vs Kilo Code: 2026 Empirical Benchmark & Cost Shootout

> **Direct Answer (October 2026 Verdict)**: Roo Code wins on specialized multi-persona custom modes (Architect, Code, Ask, Debug, and Boomerang parent-child task decomposition) inside VS Code across 24.3k+ GitHub stars (96.4), while Kilo Code wins as an all-in-one superset running across both VS Code and JetBrains IDEs with built-in memory-bank indexing and zero-markup model routing across 27.6k+ GitHub stars (95.9).

- **Category**: Multi-Mode Boomerang VS Code Agent vs Unified VS Code & JetBrains Agentic Platform Shootout
- **Canonical URL**: https://exactbaseline.com/vs/roo-code-vs-kilocode
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## Roo Code Key Advantages
- 24,272+ GitHub stars under Apache-2.0 pioneering Boomerang orchestration that splits complex features into isolated sub-agent context windows
- Custom YAML/JSON role modes let teams restrict read/write file globs and terminal permissions per persona (e.g., read-only Architect vs test-only QA)
- Cuts 50-developer AI coding seat costs by 87.6% when paired with BYOK Claude, DeepSeek, or local vLLM

## Kilo Code Key Advantages
- 27,640+ GitHub stars under Apache-2.0 combining the best features of Roo Code and Cline into a single polished extension
- Supports both VS Code and JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm) with persistent repository Memory Bank indexing
- Transparent zero-markup LLM provider routing plus 1-click MCP server marketplace installation