Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Agentic Ides

IBM Bob vs Kilo Code

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score IBM Bob #4 in Agentic Ides 8.8/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 1 of 5 features Visit IBM Bob
Kilo Code #6 in Agentic Ides 8.6/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 1 of 5 features Visit Kilo Code

IBM Bob leads on 0 checks, Kilo Code on 2, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreIBM Bob · 8.8/10
  • Lowest starting priceKilo Code · $15/user/mo
  • Free planonly Kilo Code
  • Free trialboth

IBM Bob scores higher on our rubric for agentic ides: 8.8 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #6.

Kilo Code offers free plan; IBM Bob doesn't. Kilo Code is cheaper to start at $15/user/mo against $20/user/mo.

IBM Bob is the better fit for teams working across code and modernization projects. Kilo Code is the better fit for developers seeking open IDE integrations and model choice.

  • IBM Bob fits best

    Teams working across code and modernization projects

  • Kilo Code fits best

    Developers seeking open IDE integrations and model choice

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature IBM Bob 8.8/10 Visit ↗ Kilo Code 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.8 8.6
Ranking #4 in Agentic Ides #6 in Agentic Ides
Best for Teams working across code and modernization projects Developers seeking open IDE integrations and model choice
Pricing model Paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $20/mo $15/user/mo (best)
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial 30 days 14 days
Free trial length 30 days 14 days · no card needed
Deployment Desktop Cloud, Self-hosted, Mobile
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Web, iOS, Android
Support Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 3 integrations 3 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features IBM Bob 1/5 · Kilo Code 1/5
Autonomous agent Not checked yet Not checked yet
Multi-file editing Not checked yet Not checked yet
Terminal control Not checked yet Not checked yet
Codebase indexing ✓ ✓
Local model support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Model selection Not checked yet Not checked yet
Distribution Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Agent, ask, and plan modes with parallel subagents
  • Reads and writes project files, searches codebases, and runs terminal commands
  • Specialized Java, IBM i, and IBM Z modernization plans
  • Works across VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, CLI, cloud agents, and mobile apps
  • Supports hosted, BYOK, and local models, including Ollama and LM Studio
  • Offers chat, completion, specialized agents, and parallel Git worktrees
Cons
  • No free plan is listed; paid plans start at $20 monthly
  • A standalone desktop IDE, rather than an IDE extension
  • Published support channels list documentation only
  • AI inference and cloud compute may be billed separately from free platform access
  • Teams features such as shared agent modes require a paid plan
  • Enterprise capabilities and support are separated into a distinct tier
Our verdict

IBM Bob brings AI-assisted development into a standalone desktop IDE for developers and enterprise teams. Its agent, ask, and plan modes cover code generation, modification, explanation, and review, while code completion and code actions…

Read the review →

Kilo Code is an open-source AI coding assistant for individual developers and engineering teams. It brings conversational coding, autocomplete, code generation, refactoring, debugging, and code review into VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, the CLI,…

Read the review →
  1. IBM BobAgentic Ides 8.830-day trial
  2. Kilo CodeAgentic Ides 8.6Free plan · 14-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • IBM Bob — where it wins

    • Agent, ask, and plan modes with parallel subagents
    • Reads and writes project files, searches codebases, and runs terminal commands
    • Specialized Java, IBM i, and IBM Z modernization plans

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan is listed; paid plans start at $20 monthly
    • A standalone desktop IDE, rather than an IDE extension
    • Published support channels list documentation only

  • Kilo Code — where it wins

    • Works across VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, CLI, cloud agents, and mobile apps
    • Supports hosted, BYOK, and local models, including Ollama and LM Studio
    • Offers chat, completion, specialized agents, and parallel Git worktrees

    Where it doesn't

    • AI inference and cloud compute may be billed separately from free platform access
    • Teams features such as shared agent modes require a paid plan
    • Enterprise capabilities and support are separated into a distinct tier
  • IBM Bob8.8/10 · 30-day trial

    A standalone AI development environment with agent workflows and modernization plans.

    Visit IBM BobFull verdict →
  • Kilo Code8.6/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

    A flexible coding assistant with broad model choice and a free individual plan.

    Visit Kilo CodeFull verdict →

More comparisons

All agentic ides comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update