# Kiro: what's new, verdict & setup Canonical: https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/kiro · First covered by us (no vendor release date published): 2026-10-25 · Last verified: 2026-10-25 · Evidence: Reported (not run by us) · Vendor: Amazon Web Services · Official site: https://kiro.dev/ > AWS's agentic coding tool that turns prompts into requirements, designs and tasks (spec mode), with an IDE and a CLI. ## Verdict **AWS's agentic coding tool that turns prompts into requirements, designs and tasks (spec mode), with an IDE and a CLI.** Good for: - Developers who want structured specs before code is written - AWS users moving off Amazon Q Developer IDE plugins Skip if: - You want an open-source tool (Kiro is proprietary) - You want to avoid credit accounting Status: Reported. Written from official release notes and docs; we have not run this release ourselves. Pricing: Official page, dated. Read from kiro.dev/pricing on 2026-10-25. The page offers $20 of credit on first upgrade using social login or AWS Builder ID. (checked 2026-10-25) ## Best for - [Best AI tool for AI coding agents](https://theagenticweekly.com/best/ai-coding-agents) (#-): Spec-driven agentic IDE and CLI. - [Best AI tool for vibe coding](https://theagenticweekly.com/best/vibe-coding) (#-): Vibe mode and spec mode in one tool. ## Key facts Kiro's site says it turns prompts into requirements, architectural designs and sequenced tasks, then implements them, and that prompts run in vibe mode or spec mode. There is a CLI that can also run headless in CI/CD, per the site. Amazon's own page says AWS will discontinue Amazon Q Developer IDE plugins on April 30, 2027 and points to Kiro for similar capabilities. - License: Proprietary - Platforms: IDE and CLI (installer at cli.kiro.dev/install) - Pricing model: Freemium (credit-based) - Free tier: Kiro Free: $0 a month, 50 credits - Paid plans: Pro $20, Pro+ $40, Pro Max $100, Power $200, all per user per month (credit allotments per plan not captured); add-on credits $0.04 each; Enterprise on request - How to start: Download Kiro from kiro.dev, or install the CLI with the installer on the site, then sign in with a social login or AWS Builder ID. - Catalog entry: facts read from the vendor's pages on 2026-10-25. We do not track release notes for this entry. ## How to set it up: Get started with Kiro These steps come from the vendor's own pages as read on 2026-10-25. We have not run Kiro. 1. **Get access.** Download Kiro from kiro.dev, or install the CLI with the installer on the site, then sign in with a social login or AWS Builder ID. 2. **Check the limits and costs first.** Kiro Free: $0 a month, 50 credits. Paid: Pro $20, Pro+ $40, Pro Max $100, Power $200, all per user per month (credit allotments per plan not captured); add-on credits $0.04 each; Enterprise on request. Read from kiro.dev/pricing on 2026-10-25. The page offers $20 of credit on first upgrade using social login or AWS Builder ID. ## Pros and cons Pros: - Free tier with 50 credits - Spec mode adds a written plan before code - Clear per-credit add-on price Cons: - Credits are consumed unevenly: simple prompts use under one credit, complex ones more - Free tier limited to 50 credits ## Alternatives - [Cursor](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/cursor): AI code editor and agent platform with cloud agents, a CLI and its own Git hosting (Origin). - [Claude Code](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/claude-code): Anthropic's agentic coding tool for your terminal, IDE and GitHub. - [GitHub Copilot](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/github-copilot): GitHub's AI coding assistant in the editor, the CLI, GitHub.com and an agent app. - [Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/windsurf): Windsurf was renamed Devin Desktop on June 2, 2026: a full IDE with an Agent Command Center for managing local and cloud coding agents. - [Codex CLI](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/codex-cli): OpenAI's open-source coding agent that runs in your terminal. - [Amazon Q Developer](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/amazon-q-developer): AWS's AI coding assistant for IDEs and the CLI, with a free tier and a $19 Pro tier; IDE plugin support ends April 30, 2027. - [Augment Code](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/augment-code): Coding agent and 'Cosmos' platform with a Context Engine, CLI and cloud agents; plans are flat team prices with usage included. - [Devin](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/devin): Cognition's autonomous software engineer: a cloud coding agent that tests in its own browser and aims to hand back a mergeable pull request. - [Qodo](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/qodo): AI code review platform with 15+ agentic workflows for IDEs, pull requests and security, priced by team credits. - [Warp](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/warp): Warp's terminal and agent platform; it now pitches 'open infrastructure for cloud software factories' defined as code, with any model. - [Zed](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/zed): High-performance, multiplayer code editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter, open source with AI optional. - [goose](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/goose): Open-source, extensible AI agent that installs, runs, edits and tests code with the LLM of your choice. ## FAQ ### What is Kiro? Kiro's site says it turns prompts into requirements, architectural designs and sequenced tasks, then implements them, and that prompts run in vibe mode or spec mode. There is a CLI that can also run headless in CI/CD, per the site. Amazon's own page says AWS will discontinue Amazon Q Developer IDE plugins on April 30, 2027 and points to Kiro for similar capabilities. ### Is Kiro free? Kiro Free: $0 a month, 50 credits. Paid: Pro $20, Pro+ $40, Pro Max $100, Power $200, all per user per month (credit allotments per plan not captured); add-on credits $0.04 each; Enterprise on request. Read from kiro.dev/pricing on 2026-10-25. The page offers $20 of credit on first upgrade using social login or AWS Builder ID. Checked 2026-10-25; prices change, so confirm on the vendor's page. ### What license is Kiro under? Its license: Proprietary. Read from the project's own pages on 2026-10-25. ## What we have not verified - Release date (none published on the pages we read; the date shown is the day we first covered this entry) - Quality of generated specs and code (not tested) - Supported OS list (not read) ## Sources - [Kiro](https://kiro.dev/) (fetched 2026-10-25) - [Kiro pricing](https://kiro.dev/pricing/) (fetched 2026-10-25) - [Amazon Q Developer](https://aws.amazon.com/q/developer/) (fetched 2026-10-25) ## How to cite Agentic Weekly, "Kiro: what's new, verdict & setup", last updated 2026-10-25, https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/kiro Keep the Reported or Tested label when you quote the verdict.