Head to head · Agent harnesses · October 2026 research run
Conductor vs Kilo Code CLI
Kilo Code CLI scores 68 (B) on agent readiness against Conductor's 41.3 (E), and leads in every scored category. Both do agent harnesses.
Best agent harnesses and coding agents · All 1500 harnesses comparisons
Which one, for what
Best for Existing Conductor users planning their move before Cloud closes on 20 November 2026 and the local app winds down in early 2027.
Also in its favour
- No incidents deducted, where Kilo Code CLI loses 7 points for them
Watch for
No new downloads or sign-ups since 4 November 2026
Best for Developers who want an open-source terminal agent with per-tool permission rules, an optional sandbox and a choice of provider, and the same engine in VS Code and JetBrains.
Ahead on
- Reliability, 85 against 25
- Schema & documentation, 90 against 60
- Agent ergonomics, 72 against 55
- Security & auth, 64 against 45
- Payments & pricing, 50 against 0
- Maintenance & community, 87 against 58
- Transparency & trust, 76 against 53
Also in its favour
- Free to start without a card
- Open source
Watch for
Telemetry to PostHog is on by default, attaches the conda client ID since 7.8.10, and the privacy policy doesn't mention it
Why the edge
Each category where one leads by five points or more, with the reason behind each side's score from its assessment. The numbers are in the table below; this is what they stand for.
Reliability Kilo Code CLI +60
Conductor 25
Read as local software that is winding down. Installed from Conductor's own download, which stopped taking new users on 4 November 2026 (10). Closed source, so no public CI or issue tracker (0, 0). A dated changelog, newest 0.93.0 on 4 November (15). Version 0.93 (0). 10 + 0 + 0 + 15 + 0 = 25.
Kilo Code CLI 85
Local-package reading. @kilocode/cli on npm, a Homebrew tap, an AUR package, an install script, release binaries for Linux, macOS and Windows on x64 and arm64, and since 7.8.20 (27 October) a kilo-cli conda package on Anaconda.org (20). Public CI, and the 40 most recent completed workflow runs on main on 8 October 2026 all succeeded, per the 8 October check, not re-read on 17 October or 1 November (25). 448 open issues and 147 open pull requests, a workflow that closes issues after 60 quiet days and pull requests after 30, and open reports from 7 October of a hanging turn (#14876) and of exhausted 503 retries ending a run with no visible error (#14877), per the 8 October check, not re-read since (15). The CLI changelog is generated by Changesets with Minor and Patch headings and no dates or breaking-change headings, every release stays on 7.8.x whatever its heading, and 7.8.13 and 7.8.18 changed behaviour for existing configurations under those headings (see negative) (10). 7.8.18 on the npm latest tag on 1 November, past 1.0 (15). 20 + 25 + 15 + 10 + 15 = 85.
Payments & pricing Kilo Code CLI +50
Conductor 0
No new sign-ups since 4 November, free users can't upgrade, and no price is shown. No protocol, no published price, no open free tier, no onboarding (0).
Kilo Code CLI 50
No payment protocol (0). Scored on Kilo's paid options, as with Cline. Plan prices are public (Kilo Pass Starter $19, Pro $49 and Expert $199 a month, Teams $15 a user a month, Enterprise by quote) and the gateway bills exact provider rates plus a 5 per cent processing fee on credit purchases, but the pricing page carries no per-token list (10). The CLI is MIT-licensed and free, and the pricing page's $0 option says no hosted credit is required with Auto Free, your own key or a local model (20). Your own provider key or a local model works with no Kilo account, so an agent can install and run it without a sign-up (20). Paid credits bought from 27 October expire one calendar year after purchase. 0 + 10 + 20 + 20 = 50.
Schema & documentation Kilo Code CLI +30
Conductor 60
Harness reading. Docs for workspaces, review and merge, a Conductor API reference page linked from the docs (not read), and security and permissions pages (60).
Kilo Code CLI 90
Framework reading. A JSON Schema for kilo.jsonc at https://app.kilo.ai/config.json, an OpenAPI file for the kilo serve API at packages/sdk/openapi.json and a CLI reference generated from the command definitions (25). llms.txt on kilo.ai and on the docs, the second listing a raw Markdown address for every page (10). The sandboxing page says when to use the sandbox, what it does not protect and how it differs from permissions (16). Permissions are allow, ask or deny with glob rules, sandbox.network and --format are enums, though the schema served on 8 October had no sandbox key (13). Config and CI samples and exit codes 0, 1 and 124, but we found no reference for the records --format json writes (11). A versioned changelog and dated GitHub releases (15). Not re-read on 1 November apart from the changelog. 25 + 10 + 16 + 13 + 11 + 15 = 90.
Maintenance & community Kilo Code CLI +29
Conductor 58
0.93.0 on 4 November 2026 (30). Several dated releases in 90 days, per the changelog index (20). Discord, a subreddit and email for support (8). Closed app, no package or CI to read (0). 30 + 20 + 8 + 0 + 0 = 58. The local app gets new models and critical fixes only until early 2027.
Kilo Code CLI 87
7.8.18 on the npm latest tag (tag of 26 October 2026), with 7.8.25 on the rc tag (28 October) (30). 51 v7 release tags from 4 August to 28 October 2026, among them 7.8.13 to 7.8.25 since the 17 October check (20). Issue replies weren't re-read. The newest issues carry area and triage labels from automation, but the 15 newest open issues had no or one comment each on 8 October, against 448 open issues and 147 open pull requests, per the 8 October check (15). @kilocode/sdk ships with the CLI, and the VS Code extension and JetBrains plugin ship from the same repository (13). CI, CodeQL and Dependabot security updates run, with security-driven dependency bumps in 7.8.18 and 7.8.20 (9). 30 + 20 + 15 + 13 + 9 = 87.
Transparency & trust Kilo Code CLI +23
Conductor 53
Closed service with terms and privacy pages (15). The transition notice says when Cloud data deletion begins (20 November) and that all user data is deleted when the app shuts down in early 2027 (20 of 30). Dated shutdown notice (15 of 20). SOC 2 report on a trust portal, subprocessors not read (10 of 20). 15 + 20 + 15 + 10 = 60.
Kilo Code CLI 76
MIT, with opencode's copyright kept in the licence file (30). The privacy policy (29 May 2026, re-read on 1 November) names Kilo Code Inc. as controller, says data is stored in the United States and lists Stripe, OpenRouter, model providers, AppsFlyer and Sentry, but it doesn't mention the CLI's PostHog telemetry. PRIVACY.md in the repository is dated March 2025 and is silent on telemetry too. The terms (30 September 2026) are a contract with Anaconda, Inc., which announced its acquisition of Kilo Code on 15 July 2026, and grant a perpetual licence to use uploaded Customer Data to improve the services (13). kilo console is marked deprecated with no removal date, and updated terms apply after 30 days. No written deprecation policy found (8). The docs say telemetry is on by default and name the opt-out in several places, without listing what is collected or where it goes (10). 30 + 13 + 8 + 10 = 61.
Security & auth Kilo Code CLI +19
Conductor 45
Closed app. Telemetry and data handling weren't read beyond the transition notice (10 of 30). A security and permissions page (10 of 20). No prompt-injection guidance found (5). No audit log found (5). SOC 2 Type II report at trust.conductor.build (15 of 20). 10 + 10 + 5 + 5 + 15 = 45.
Kilo Code CLI 64
Harness reading of the framework checklist. 30 for what leaves the machine by default, 20 for approvals and sandboxing, 15 for prompt-injection posture, 15 for audit and 20 for the security programme. Telemetry is on by default and goes to PostHog in the United States, the source links the machine identifier to the account email after a Kilo sign-in, and since 7.8.10 (14 October) it also attaches the conda client ID when ~/.conda/aau_token exists (see negative). It is turned off with experimental.openTelemetry or KILO_TELEMETRY_LEVEL. Provider keys stay on the machine (14). Shell commands ask by default outside a built-in allow list, reads of .env files and paths outside the project ask, and edits inside the project run without asking. An operating-system sandbox (Seatbelt on macOS, Bubblewrap on Linux, none on Windows) limits writes and blocks the network, refuses to run when it can't be enforced, and is off by default. --auto approves everything not explicitly denied. Since 7.8.13 a custom agent's own edit denies no longer bind the subagents it starts (15). The sandboxing page covers prompt injection and its limits, project config can't weaken the sandbox, and {env:VAR} is resolved only in trusted config. 7.8.16 (22 October) stopped running shell expressions found in MCP prompt text (see negative) and restricted MCP OAuth URLs to HTTP(S), and 7.8.18 stopped following cross-origin redirects for MCP HTTP and OAuth requests (11). Session export, kilo stats and OTLP export of traces and logs, with audit logs on the Enterprise plan (12). A valid security.txt (expires 2026-12-31, re-read on 1 November), a disclosure policy that cites HackerOne's standards and safe harbour, CodeQL in CI and no published repository advisories, though 7.8.16's MCP prompt fix appeared only as a changelog line. NVD lists CVE-2026-8766 and CVE-2026-8765 (both low, through 7.0.47, published 17 May 2026, the second a path traversal in the opt-in server's file diff route) and says the vendor didn't respond, and SECURITY.md still says the CLI has no sandbox (12). 14 + 15 + 11 + 12 + 12 = 64.
Score by category
| Category | Weight this run | Conductor | Kilo Code CLI | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | 16%20 | 25 | 85 | Kilo Code CLI +60 |
| Performance | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13%16.2 | 60 | 90 | Kilo Code CLI +30 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13%16.2 | 55 | 72 | Kilo Code CLI +17 |
| Security & auth | 14%17.5 | 45 | 64 | Kilo Code CLI +19 |
| Payments & pricing | 10%12.5 | 0 | 50 | Kilo Code CLI +50 |
| Task success | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7%8.8 | 58 | 87 | Kilo Code CLI +29 |
| Transparency & trust | 7%8.8 | 53 | 76 | Kilo Code CLI +23 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -7 | |
| Total | E 41.3/100 | B 68/100 |
Facts side by side
| Fact | Conductor | Kilo Code CLI |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |
| Vendor | Conductor (joining Meta) | Kilo Code Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports | ||
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Paid | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary. A closed-source Mac app and hosted Conductor Cloud under Conductor's terms | MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-11-04 | 2026-10-26 |
| Terms last updated | not read yet | 2026-09-30 |
| Privacy policy last updated | not read yet | 2026-05-29 |
| Customer content may train models | not read yet | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not read yet | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not read yet | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not read yet | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not read yet | yes |
| Popularity | none | 28k stars, 33k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 2.3/5 (4) |
How the scores have moved
Conductor
No score change since it was listed.
Verdicts
Conductor
Conductor ran parallel coding agents on the Mac, and Meta is acquiring it. It has taken no new users since 4 November 2026, Cloud turns read-only on 13 November and shuts down on 20 November, and the local app winds down in early 2027, when all user data is deleted.
Kilo Code CLI
Shell commands ask before running by default, and an optional operating-system sandbox blocks writes outside the workspace and outbound network. Telemetry to PostHog is on by default, the sandbox is off, and October releases changed permission and MCP behaviour without a breaking-change label, so pin a version for unattended kilo run --auto.
Before you call either
Conductor
- Export your data from Settings, Account, Export data before 20 November 2026
- Move Cloud workspaces to your Mac with Transfer to local before 13 November
- Plan a move off the local app before early 2027; see the agent-harnesses category for alternatives
Kilo Code CLI
- Set
sandbox.enabledto true in the globalkilo.jsoncbeforekilo run --auto.--autoapproves every permission request not explicitly denied - Set
experimental.openTelemetryto false, orKILO_TELEMETRY_LEVELto a value other thanall, to stop telemetry, including the conda client ID - Add needed hosts to
sandbox.allowed_hostsin global config. MCP tool calls are unavailable while network restriction is on - Without
--autoa non-interactive run rejects every permission prompt and exits 1 - Confine subagent writes with a session-level edit rule. Since 7.8.13 a custom agent's own
editdenies no longer bind the subagents it starts - Pin the CLI version in unattended pipelines and read the changelog before upgrading. Behaviour changes ship under 7.8.x patch versions
Questions
Which is better for AI agents, Conductor or Kilo Code CLI?
Kilo Code CLI scores 68 (B) on agent readiness against Conductor's 41.3 (E), and leads in every scored category.
Are Conductor and Kilo Code CLI open source?
No open-source release is listed for Conductor. Kilo Code CLI is open source (MIT).
Other comparisons with Conductor or Kilo Code CLI
- Agent Zero vs Conductor
- Agent Zero vs Kilo Code CLI
- Aider vs Conductor
- Aider vs Kilo Code CLI
- Amp vs Conductor
- Amp vs Kilo Code CLI
- Antigravity CLI vs Conductor
- Antigravity CLI vs Kilo Code CLI
- Auggie CLI vs Conductor
- Auggie CLI vs Kilo Code CLI
- AXLR vs Conductor
- AXLR vs Kilo Code CLI
- Claude Code vs Conductor
- Claude Code vs Kilo Code CLI
- Cline vs Conductor
- Cline vs Kilo Code CLI
- Conductor vs Crush
- Conductor vs Cursor CLI
- Conductor vs DeepSeek Harness (dsh)
- Conductor vs dsh-superagent (DeepSeek)
- Conductor vs Devin
- Conductor vs Droid CLI
- Conductor vs Pi
- Conductor vs Emdash
- Conductor vs Gemini CLI
- Conductor vs GitHub Copilot CLI
- Conductor vs goose
- Conductor vs Harness²
- Conductor vs HarnessRouter
- Conductor vs Jules
- Conductor vs Junie CLI
- Conductor vs Kimi Code CLI
- Conductor vs Kiro CLI
- Conductor vs Letta
- Conductor vs mini-swe-agent
- Conductor vs MiniMax Code
- Conductor vs Mistral Vibe CLI
- Conductor vs Muse Code
- Conductor vs OpenAI Agents API
- Conductor vs OpenAI Codex
- Conductor vs OpenCode
- Conductor vs OpenHands
- Conductor vs OpenMausBot
- Conductor vs Orca
- Conductor vs Paseo
- Conductor vs Prime Agent
- Conductor vs Qoder CLI
- Conductor vs Qwen Code
- Conductor vs Mirror CLI
- Conductor vs Rovo Dev CLI
- Conductor vs Sculptor
- Conductor vs T3 Code
- Conductor vs Traycer
- Conductor vs Unstoppable
- Conductor vs Verdent
- Conductor vs Vibe-Trading
- Conductor vs Warp (Warp Agent CLI and the Oz Agent API)
- Crush vs Kilo Code CLI
- Cursor CLI vs Kilo Code CLI
- DeepSeek Harness (dsh) vs Kilo Code CLI
- dsh-superagent (DeepSeek) vs Kilo Code CLI
- Devin vs Kilo Code CLI
- Droid CLI vs Kilo Code CLI
- Pi vs Kilo Code CLI
- Emdash vs Kilo Code CLI
- Gemini CLI vs Kilo Code CLI
- GitHub Copilot CLI vs Kilo Code CLI
- goose vs Kilo Code CLI
- Harness² vs Kilo Code CLI
- HarnessRouter vs Kilo Code CLI
- Jules vs Kilo Code CLI
- Junie CLI vs Kilo Code CLI
- Kilo Code CLI vs Kimi Code CLI
- Kilo Code CLI vs Kiro CLI
- Kilo Code CLI vs Letta
- Kilo Code CLI vs mini-swe-agent
- Kilo Code CLI vs MiniMax Code
- Kilo Code CLI vs Mistral Vibe CLI
- Kilo Code CLI vs Muse Code
- Kilo Code CLI vs OpenAI Agents API
- Kilo Code CLI vs OpenAI Codex
- Kilo Code CLI vs OpenCode
- Kilo Code CLI vs OpenHands
- Kilo Code CLI vs OpenMausBot
- Kilo Code CLI vs Orca
- Kilo Code CLI vs Paseo
- Kilo Code CLI vs Prime Agent
- Kilo Code CLI vs Qoder CLI
- Kilo Code CLI vs Qwen Code
- Kilo Code CLI vs Mirror CLI
- Kilo Code CLI vs Rovo Dev CLI
- Kilo Code CLI vs Sculptor
- Kilo Code CLI vs T3 Code
- Kilo Code CLI vs Traycer
- Kilo Code CLI vs Unstoppable
- Kilo Code CLI vs Verdent
- Kilo Code CLI vs Vibe-Trading
- Kilo Code CLI vs Warp (Warp Agent CLI and the Oz Agent API)
- Clawboo vs Conductor
- Clawboo vs Kilo Code CLI
- CLI Manager vs Conductor
- CLI Manager vs Kilo Code CLI
- Conductor vs Harness
- Conductor vs Paperclip
- Conductor vs Parallax
- Harness vs Kilo Code CLI
- Kilo Code CLI vs Paperclip
- Kilo Code CLI vs Parallax
Machine-readable
- This page as Markdown
/compare/conductor-vs-kilo-code-cli.md· slim.min.md· JSON.json(or sendAccept: text/markdown) - Each listing in full
/api/v1/tools/conductor.json·/api/v1/tools/kilo-code-cli.json - From a terminal
anchor compare conductor kilo-code-cli(the CLI) - Over MCP
compare_tools {"a": "conductor", "b": "kilo-code-cli"}at/mcp, no key