Kiro
6.9/10Kiro is an AWS agentic coding IDE and CLI that turns prompts into specs, designs, and task lists before generating code, for development teams.
Data last updated November 2026 · Our methodology
Overview
Kiro is Amazon Web Services' agentic development environment, built on Code OSS so most VS Code extensions carry over. Its main idea is spec-driven development. Before writing code, it turns a prompt into a requirements document in EARS notation, a design document, and a task list, and the developer approves each stage. Agent Hooks run automations on file events such as save or create. Steering files add standing project rules, such as naming or security conventions. Kiro supports MCP servers and also comes as a CLI and a web interface. An auto-router picks models running on Amazon Bedrock, including Claude Sonnet and open-weight models, and users can also choose a model themselves. Kiro replaced Amazon Q Developer in May 2026. Pricing is based on credits. The Free plan includes 50 credits a month. Pro costs $20 for 1,000 credits, Pro+ $40 for 2,000, Pro Max $100 for 5,000, and Power $200 for 10,000. Extra credits cost $0.04 each. Teams and Enterprise pay $20 per seat, and each seat adds 500 credits to a shared pool. Enterprise customers get SSO through Okta, Entra ID, or IAM Identity Center, central registries for models and MCP servers, usage dashboards, HIPAA eligibility, and GovCloud availability. Kiro suits AWS-centric teams that want planned, documented AI changes. Its main weaknesses are reported bugs and inconsistent agent behaviour, credit costs that are hard to predict, upfront spec work that slows small tasks, and JetBrains support only through a CLI workaround.
Our Rating
Who Kiro is best for
Best software for DevelopersGood fit
It is an IDE and CLI built for coding with AI agents.
It offers SSO, credit pooling, governance registries, HIPAA eligibility, and IP indemnity on paid plans.
It is available in AWS GovCloud (US) regions, though some features are limited there.
Spec-driven planning and hooks fit teams that maintain product codebases, especially on AWS.
The free tier and $20 Pro plan keep entry costs low for new projects, which its spec workflow handles best.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The spec workflow produces requirements, design, and task documents that the developer approves before any code is written.
- Agent Hooks and steering files let teams automate checks and enforce project rules within the repository.
- Because it is built on Code OSS, most existing VS Code extensions keep working.
- Enterprise controls include SSO through Okta, Entra ID, or IAM Identity Center, model and MCP registries, HIPAA eligibility, and GovCloud availability.
- Credit pooling and automatic model routing help teams control costs.
Cons
- Users report bugs and inconsistent agent behaviour, and reviewers say it is less polished than Cursor.
- Credit consumption per prompt can be hard to predict.
- Writing specs adds overhead to small tasks, and reviewers say it fits new projects better than existing codebases.
- JetBrains works only through a CLI workaround, and Visual Studio and Eclipse are not supported.
- Its deep AWS integration may cause lock-in for multi-cloud teams.
Key Features
Kiro Pricing
Free
- 50 credits per month
- Not available for Enterprise or GovCloud
- Open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5
Pro
- IP indemnity
- Premium models
- 1,000 credits per month
- Add-on credits at $0.04 each
- Content not used for model training
- First upgrade includes 500 trial credits
Teams and Enterprise (credit pooling)
- Centralized billing and SSO
- Extra pool credits at $0.04 each
- Credit limits by user, group, or profile
- Usage dashboards with alerts at 80% and 100%
- 500 pooled credits per seat per month, no rollover
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Free plan gives 50 credits a month. Your first upgrade to Pro includes the rest of that month free, plus 500 trial credits, and a credit card is required.
Paid individual plans can buy add-on credits at $0.04 each. These credits expire 12 months after purchase.
Teams pay $20 per seat per month, with at least 2 seats. Each seat adds 500 credits to a shared pool, and unused pool credits do not roll over.
According to Kiro, content is not used to train foundation models on Pro, Pro+, Pro Max, or Power subscriptions.
Yes. It supports SSO through Okta, Entra ID, and IAM Identity Center. It is HIPAA eligible and available in AWS GovCloud, where pricing is about 20% higher.
Kiro replaced Amazon Q Developer. New Q Developer accounts were blocked from May 2026, and its IDE plugins lose support on April 30, 2027.
Similar Tools
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Microsoft's free code editor with built-in GitHub Copilot chat, inline suggestions and multi-agent coding sessions, aimed at developers and engineering teams.
Amazon Bedrock is a fully managed AWS service that gives developers API access to foundation models from many providers, plus tools for agents, RAG, guardrails and fine-tuning.
Google's family of generative AI models and assistants, sold to businesses through Gemini Enterprise, Workspace plans and a pay-per-token developer API.
Ranked near Kiro in AI Software
See Kiro in the listKiro is #116 in AI Software by our score.
