# Kiro

> Kiro: Best for developers who want an AI coding agent that plans the work as a spec before it writes code.
> Pricing: Free $0 (50 credits; open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5, with limits); Pro $20, Pro+ $40, Pro Max $100, Power $200 per user/mo (1,000 / 2,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 credits); add-on credits $0.04 each. First upgrade from Free: rest of that month free plus 500 trial credits. ([source](https://kiro.dev/pricing/), verified 2026-11-03).

- Canonical page: https://usewhichtool.com/tools/kiro
- Last verified: 2026-11-03
- Publisher: Use Which Tool (https://usewhichtool.com), run by Sameer Chowdhry
- Cite as: Use Which Tool, "Kiro", https://usewhichtool.com/tools/kiro (last verified 2026-11-03)


## Verdict

Best for developers who want an AI coding agent that plans the work as a spec before it writes code.

Per kiro.dev, Kiro turns prompts into requirements, designs and tasks before coding, runs in an IDE, CLI and browser, and has a free tier with paid plans from $20 per user per month.

## Pricing

- Summary: Free $0 (50 credits; open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5, with limits); Pro $20, Pro+ $40, Pro Max $100, Power $200 per user/mo (1,000 / 2,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 credits); add-on credits $0.04 each. First upgrade from Free: rest of that month free plus 500 trial credits.
- Price type: Free tier
- Official source: https://kiro.dev/pricing/
- Verified: 2026-11-03
- Official site: https://kiro.dev

## Use cases

- turn a prompt into a spec (requirements, design and tasks) before writing code
- agentic coding in an IDE, terminal (CLI) or browser
- let agents keep working in the cloud when you step away

## Strengths

- Spec-driven development: Kiro writes requirements, a design and sequenced tasks, then implements them with parallel agents
- IDE, CLI, web app, mobile app and Kiro Crew (open source, free)
- IDE is based on Code OSS and imports VS Code settings, themes and Open VSX extensions
- Supports MCP, AGENTS.md and the Agent Client Protocol (ACP)
- Sign in with GitHub, Google, AWS Builder ID or IAM Identity Center; no AWS account needed

## Limitations

- Free tier has 50 credits; more usage needs a paid plan
- Unused monthly credits don't roll over
- Kiro Web needs a paid plan (Pro or higher)
- Each developer on a team needs their own subscription
- Use through third-party automation harnesses (such as OpenClaw) is not permitted

## Categories

- [Coding](https://usewhichtool.com/category/coding)
- [Agents](https://usewhichtool.com/category/agents)

## Alternatives (AI coding tools)

| Tool | Price type | Pricing | Source | Verified |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Cursor](https://usewhichtool.com/tools/cursor) | Free tier | Free tier; paid tiers listed at $8, $30, $100 and $200/month; Teams from $30/user/month; Enterprise custom. | [official](https://cursor.com/pricing) | 2026-11-03 |
| [GitHub Copilot](https://usewhichtool.com/tools/github-copilot) | Free tier | Free; Pro $10/mo; Pro+ $39/mo; Max $100/mo. Each plan includes monthly GitHub AI Credits for chat and agents (Pro $15, Pro+ $70, Max $200 in credits); code completions stay unlimited on paid plans. | [official](https://github.com/features/copilot/plans) | 2026-11-03 |
| [Claude Code](https://usewhichtool.com/tools/claude-code) | Paid | Included with Claude Pro ($17/mo annual, $20 monthly), Max ($100/mo, 5x Pro usage) and Ultra ($200/mo, 10x Pro weekly usage, no 5-hour limit for verified accounts); API usage billed separately. | [official](https://claude.com/pricing) | 2026-11-03 |
| [Devin (incl. Devin Desktop, formerly Windsurf)](https://usewhichtool.com/tools/devin) | Free tier | Free; Pro $20/mo; Max $200/mo; Teams $80/mo + $40/mo per full member; Enterprise custom. | [official](https://devin.ai/pricing) | 2026-11-03 |
| [Cline](https://usewhichtool.com/tools/cline) | Open source | Free open-source extension; pay only for AI inference (BYOK or Cline provider); optional ClinePass subscription for open-weight models listed at $9.99/mo; Enterprise custom. | [official](https://cline.bot/pricing) | 2026-11-03 |
| [Aider](https://usewhichtool.com/tools/aider) | Open source | Free and open source; you pay your LLM provider. | [official](https://aider.chat/docs/faq.html) | 2026-11-03 |
| [Zed](https://usewhichtool.com/tools/zed) | Free tier | Personal $0; Pro $10/mo (incl. $5 tokens, then usage billed at API list price plus 10%; 14-day Pro trial); Business $30/seat/mo. | [official](https://zed.dev/pricing) | 2026-11-03 |
| [OpenAI Codex](https://usewhichtool.com/tools/openai-codex) | Free tier | Free plan includes Codex with lower limits; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro $100, $200 or $500/mo; Business $20/user/mo (2+ users, annual; $25 monthly); Enterprise and Edu via sales. Codex shares one usage allowance with ChatGPT Work. | [official](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing) | 2026-11-03 |
| [Factory (Droid)](https://usewhichtool.com/tools/factory) | Paid | Pro $20/mo; Plus $100/mo (~5x Pro usage); Max $200/mo (~10x Pro usage); Teams $60/mo per team plus $40/mo per seat, up to 10 seats; Business and Enterprise custom. Extra Usage is prepaid credit with a $10 minimum. | [official](https://factory.com/pricing) | 2026-11-03 |
| [OpenCode](https://usewhichtool.com/tools/opencode) | Open source | Free and open source, with free models included; you pay any model provider you connect. Optional OpenCode Go model subscription: Go $10/mo, Go Plus $40/mo, Go Teams $20/member/mo. OpenCode Models are pay-as-you-go from a $20 balance. | [official](https://opencode.ai) | 2026-11-03 |
| [Google Antigravity](https://usewhichtool.com/tools/google-antigravity) | Freemium | Individual $0 (basic weekly rate limits); more rate limits and a flexible AI credit pool with Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo) or Google AI Ultra (from $99.99/mo); Business via Google Cloud, or API access with consumption-based pricing. | [official](https://antigravity.google/pricing) | 2026-11-03 |
| [Firebase Studio](https://usewhichtool.com/tools/firebase-studio) | Free tier | Firebase has a no-cost tier; usage-based (Blaze) beyond free quotas; eligible new users may get $300 Google Cloud credit. | [official](https://firebase.google.com/pricing) | 2026-11-03 |
| [CodeRabbit](https://usewhichtool.com/tools/coderabbit) | Paid | Essentials $30, Team $60, Advanced $90 per developer/mo billed monthly ($24/$48/$72 billed annually). Free for public repositories; billed only for developers who create pull requests. | [official](https://www.coderabbit.ai/pricing) | 2026-11-03 |

## Cost by plan

| Price | What's included | Usage unit | When limits reset | Past the limit | Can you cap spend? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $0 | 50 credits; open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5, with limits | Credits (a unit of work per prompt; simple prompts can use less than 1) | Start of each billing month. Unused plan credits do not roll over. Add-on credits roll over and expire 12 months after purchase. | Not published | Not published |
| $20/user/mo | 1,000 credits | Credits (a unit of work per prompt; simple prompts can use less than 1) | Start of each billing month. Unused plan credits do not roll over. Add-on credits roll over and expire 12 months after purchase. | Buy add-on credits ($0.04 each, packs from $5 for 125). Month-end overage at $0.04 per credit is off by default. | Overage billing is off until you turn it on in the Kiro console. |
| $40/user/mo | 2,000 credits | Credits (a unit of work per prompt; simple prompts can use less than 1) | Start of each billing month. Unused plan credits do not roll over. Add-on credits roll over and expire 12 months after purchase. | Buy add-on credits ($0.04 each, packs from $5 for 125). Month-end overage at $0.04 per credit is off by default. | Overage billing is off until you turn it on in the Kiro console. |
| $100/user/mo | 5,000 credits | Credits (a unit of work per prompt; simple prompts can use less than 1) | Start of each billing month. Unused plan credits do not roll over. Add-on credits roll over and expire 12 months after purchase. | Buy add-on credits ($0.04 each, packs from $5 for 125). Month-end overage at $0.04 per credit is off by default. | Overage billing is off until you turn it on in the Kiro console. |
| $200/user/mo | 10,000 credits | Credits (a unit of work per prompt; simple prompts can use less than 1) | Start of each billing month. Unused plan credits do not roll over. Add-on credits roll over and expire 12 months after purchase. | Buy add-on credits ($0.04 each, packs from $5 for 125). Month-end overage at $0.04 per credit is off by default. | Overage billing is off until you turn it on in the Kiro console. |

Sources: [Kiro: official pricing page](https://kiro.dev/pricing/) (checked 2026-11-03). "Not published" means the value was not found on these official pages.

## Questions

### Is Kiro free?

Yes, it lists a free way to start. Free $0 (50 credits; open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5, with limits); Pro $20, Pro+ $40, Pro Max $100, Power $200 per user/mo (1,000 / 2,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 credits); add-on credits $0.04 each. First upgrade from Free: rest of that month free plus 500 trial credits. (official pricing page, checked 2026-11-03)

### How much does Kiro cost?

Free $0 (50 credits; open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5, with limits); Pro $20, Pro+ $40, Pro Max $100, Power $200 per user/mo (1,000 / 2,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 credits); add-on credits $0.04 each. First upgrade from Free: rest of that month free plus 500 trial credits. (from kiro.dev/pricing/, checked 2026-11-03).

### What is Kiro used for?

Listed use cases: turn a prompt into a spec (requirements, design and tasks) before writing code; agentic coding in an IDE, terminal (CLI) or browser; let agents keep working in the cloud when you step away.

### What are the best alternatives to Kiro?

Other AI coding tools in this directory: Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Devin (incl. Devin Desktop, formerly Windsurf). We list them in data order, not ranked.

### Did you test Kiro?

No. Verdicts are based on each vendor's public docs and pricing pages, not hands-on testing, unless a page says otherwise.

---

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