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Amid the big news that Windsurf is gaining recognition (after the founder went to Google), developers interested in AI-powered coding may be looking for new alternatives.
A bit by chance, today we also saw the release of Amazon from Kiro, a new agent integrated development environment (IDE) built to allow developers to move from prototype to production using AI workflows based on structure, planning and engineering rigor.
Kiro uses Claude Sonnet 3.7 and 4.0 as the default model backend. Users can switch between them and may add future support for other models.
Currently published previews, Kiro will start free on MacOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), Windows and Linux (limited to 50 interactions per user per month).
Why do developers need to check kilo?
Kiro aims to bridge the gap between “vibe coding.” This allows AI to generate complete blocks or software processes and applications from simple text instructions, typically for rapid prototypes and iterations.
The tool combines AI agents with project specifications, technical architectures and automated task management to support the complete software development lifecycle within a single interface.
Kiro vs. Q Developer?
But did Amazon already have its own AI code completion tool, Q developer? Yes, it is still available.
So why launch a brand name with a whole new product offering some of the same features? “Kiro is a typical agent IDE for working on a selected platform,” an Amazon source told VentureBeat, “Kiro is a popular agent IDE for working on a platform of choice,” as opposed to Q developers, who have more limited support for third-party IDEs, limited to VSCode, Jetbrain, Eclipse and Visual Studio.
Furthermore, sources pointed out that Kiro’s agent spec-driven development is fundamentally different to the code proposals provided by Q developers in discrete snippets. They said that some developers may prefer to use both on tandems supported by Q Developer Pro subscriptions starting at $19 per month.
Spec-driven development to speedy production
Kiro’s main differentiator is the spec-driven development model, which guides the process from idea to implementation. A simple prompt, like “Add a review system,” triggers a chain of AI-assisted outputs that includes:
- User stories with acceptance criteria Ear (simple approach to requirements syntax) format.
- Design Document Data flow diagrams, TypeScript interfaces, API schemas.
- Task list and subtasks Dependencies automatically sequence it and incorporates tests, load states, and accessibility.
Developers can perform these tasks one at a time via Kiro’s built-in agent interface using inline DIFF, progress tracking, and access to historical agent execution logs. As development progresses, Kiro synchronizes specs with the codebase, helping the team avoid the typical drift between documentation and implementation.
Agent Hooks automate daily quality tasks
Kilo Agent Hook Allows developers to configure automation triggers for routine tasks such as playing tests, updating documents, and running security scans.
Hooks can be associated with actions such as saving files, editing components, pushing commits, and more. Set up and check in to the repository to provide team-wide consistency in code quality and standards enforcement.
For example, developers can define hooks to ensure that new React components follow “single principles of responsibility” or trigger secret scans before committing. This approach adds automatic quality control without slowing down individual developers.
Kiro is built on Code OSS, the open source foundation for Microsoft-managed Visual Studio code. It provides a core editor experience without the own service, allowing third parties like Kiro to build their own IDEs that are fully compatible with VS code extensions and configurations.
As such, Kiro is compatible with VS code extensions, configurations and UI rules. It also supports:
- Model Context Protocol (MCP) To connect external tools.
- Agent Multimodal Chatuse a file, URL, or document as a context.
- Steering rules Customize and constrain agent behavior across the codebase.
- Via social login github or Googleno AWS account is required.
Pricing and availability
Kiro is currently free to all users during preview periods, including Amazon Q Developer and Q Developer Pro Subscriber.
Preview access includes “generous” usage restrictions aimed at enabling developers to explore Kiro without frequent confusion.
Once the preview period ends, users can select three subscription tiers.
| Plan | Monthly prices | Includes agent interaction | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kilo Free | $0 | 50 per month | Includes specifications, hooks, steering and MCP support |
| Kiro Pro | $19 | 1,000 per month | All the free features plus higher usage allocation |
| Kiro Pro+ | $39 | 3,000 per month | Designed for heavy users or teams |
Agent interactions include direct calls to Kiro agents, such as initiating specs, triggering hooks, and sending chat prompts. Subsequent processing operations (such as running multi-step tasks) are not counted into quotas.
Paid plan users can also purchase additional interactions for $0.04 each, but they must explicitly enable overcharges.
The AI-assisted development ecosystem is becoming increasingly crowded, with several well-known IDEs and agents attracting developer attention. Here’s how Kiro stacks it up:
| tool | summary | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Q Developer | Multi-environment AI assistant integrated into AWS, IDES, CLI, and chat. Agent workflows via terminal or IDE. Ideal for cloud OPS, migration and automation. Free and Protia are available. | Free; Pro/$ 19/month/month |
| Claude Code (Humanity) | Chat-based iterations, CLI-First Coding Assistant with plan/edit modes and DIFF views. It is powerful for interactive code development and has less structure than Kiro. | Free; Billing $17 a month or $20 a month |
| Github Copilot (Microsoft) | VS Code, GitHub’s inline code completion tool. Perfect for quick assistance. There is no structured planning or workflow support. | Free trial; $10 a month or $100 a year. Pro+ $39/month |
| cursor | A code-based AI editor for VS conversation editing and navigation. Optimized for solo coding, minimal planning support. | Free; $20 per month ($16 per year) |
| Windsurf (Openai, obtained) | We have canceled AI IDE, which focuses on rapid code editing. We provided a minimal plan. Key Staff/IP obtained by Google and Cognition in July 2025. | Free; $15 per month. Teams are $30/month/month |
| Cognition / Devin | A multi-agent system that allows for autonomous software engineering from planning to deployment. Developer loop model. | Start at $20 a month. Older tier for $500 a month |
| Kilo | Planning-first AI IDE with structured artifacts such as specs, design documents, and task trees. Supports feature planning, implementation and QA automation. Developer loop. | Free (50 Interactions/mo); Pro: $19/user/mo (1,000 Interactions); pro+: $39/user/mo (3,000 Interactions) |
Kiro shows off his actions: “Spirit of Kiro”
To demonstrate Kiro’s capabilities in a real-world context, Amazon has released a complete demo project called “Spirit of Kiro,” an open-source craft game. This project serves as a practical example of how to use kilos throughout the development lifecycle.
Over 95% of the game’s codebase was generated by prompting Kiro. The game has unique procedurally generated items with customizable properties such as damage, quirks, and enchantments. Players can combine, disassemble and sell items. This provides a complex system that highlights Kiro’s strengths in managing interconnected components and evolving feature sets.
The repository includes:
- Architecture documentation.
- App Security Overview;
- A bug-filled sample branch (to test the specification workflow).
- A roadmap with features ideas for future contributions.
This project is also intended as a learning resource. Files like challenge.md, architecture.md, and Guiding-principles.md are actually designed to stroll through Kiro’s specs, hooks and agent workflows to developers.
Developers can clone, run, or deploy projects locally or on AWS infrastructure, and open source donations are welcome through GitHub.
Developer reactions and early impressions
The launch of Kiro has generated a positive discussion about the popular developer forum Hacker News at Startup Accelerator Y Combinator. Here, Nathan Peck, senior developer advocate for Generating AI for AWS (Username Nathankp), provided technical context and answered the questions.
He emphasized that Kiro reflects Amazon’s internal engineering practices and is designed to help developers expand from small ideas to robust production-ready systems.
The initial community response was mixed, but developers were intrigued and focused on specifications, hooks and structure.
Some people compare it with tools such as Claude Code and Cursor, cite the improved rigor of building and documenting features. Others expressed concern about tool termination and switching costs, but there were several preferred command line interface (CLI)-based tools or simpler interfaces.
Feedback has also emerged on authentication bugs, platform compatibility, and desire for development container support. These early responses reflect both curiosity and the high expectations developers currently have about AI coding tools.
Kilo enters a busy field, but appears to carve out a niche with its structured spec-first philosophy and support for developer workflows in the loop.
They don’t try to swap developers or blindly automate the entire codebase. Instead, it offers a more disciplined way to work with AI, from planning to delivery.
With the preview outlined open and pricing models, Kiro is likely to appeal to teams and individuals who are not only built into long-term maintenance, clarity and quality, but also to the most appealing to teams and individuals who are aiming to build faster and more imagined.
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