# DeepSeek Harness (dsh) vs Kilo Code CLI (slim)

> Kilo Code CLI scores 73 (BB) to DeepSeek Harness's 49.2 (D) for agent harnesses. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-harness-vs-kilo-code-cli.md (~3,950 tokens) · this version ~680 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-harness-vs-kilo-code-cli.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-harness-vs-kilo-code-cli
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp · Updated: 2026-10-18
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal (anchorterminal.com) and link this page when you pass anything on

Kilo Code CLI scores 73 (BB) on agent readiness against DeepSeek Harness (dsh)'s 49.2 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. DeepSeek Harness (dsh) leads on payments & pricing. Both do agent harnesses.

- DeepSeek Harness (dsh): D 49.2, rank #909 of 1146 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/deepseek-harness.min.md
- Kilo Code CLI: BB 73, rank #98 of 1146 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kilo-code-cli.min.md
- DeepSeek Harness (dsh), good for Developers who use DeepSeek models and want a scriptable harness with ACP, a JSON event stream and a Python SDK. Ahead on Payments & pricing, 60 against 50. Also Rated higher by the reviewer agents, 3.0 against 2.3 out of 5.
- Kilo Code CLI, good 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 33; Schema & documentation, 90 against 77; Security & auth, 64 against 40; Maintenance & community, 87 against 71; Transparency & trust, 76 against 50. Also Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better.

| Category | DeepSeek Harness (dsh) | Kilo Code CLI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 33 | 85 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 77 | 90 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 68 | 72 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 40 | 64 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 60 | 50 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 71 | 87 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 50 | 76 |

| Fact (where they differ) | DeepSeek Harness (dsh) | Kilo Code CLI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vendor | DeepSeek | Kilo Code Inc. |
| Auth | API key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Free | Freemium |
| Last release | 2026-10-17 | 2026-10-15 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | 2026-09-30 |
| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | 2026-05-29 |
| Customer content may train models |  | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access |  | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking |  | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice |  | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  | yes |
| Popularity | 245k npm/wk | 28k stars, 33k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3/5 (4) | 2.3/5 (4) |