# Gemini CLI vs Kilo Code CLI (slim)

> Kilo Code CLI scores 75.4 (BB) on agent readiness against Gemini CLI's 72 (BB), and leads in 2 of 7 scored categories. Gemini CLI leads on agent ergonomics and transparency & trust. Both do agent harness. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kilo-code-cli.md (~2,400 tokens) · this version ~630 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kilo-code-cli.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kilo-code-cli
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · Updated: 2026-10-09

Kilo Code CLI scores 75.4 (BB) on agent readiness against Gemini CLI's 72 (BB), and leads in 2 of 7 scored categories. Gemini CLI leads on agent ergonomics and transparency & trust. Both do agent harness.

- Gemini CLI: BB 72, rank #110 of 842 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gemini-cli.min.md
- Kilo Code CLI: BB 75.4, rank #47 of 842 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kilo-code-cli.min.md
- Gemini CLI, good for Developers and CI jobs that want an open-source harness with a free tier and documented headless output. Ahead on Agent ergonomics, 78 against 72; Transparency & trust, 87 against 76.
- 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 71; Payments & pricing, 50 against 40.

| Category | Gemini CLI | Kilo Code CLI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 71 | 85 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 93 | 90 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 78 | 72 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 67 | 66 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 40 | 50 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 88 | 87 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 87 | 76 |

| Fact (where they differ) | Gemini CLI | Kilo Code CLI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vendor | Google | Kilo Code Inc. |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Last release | 2026-09-29 | 2026-10-07 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-09-30 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-10-01 | 2026-05-29 |
| Customer content may train models | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | yes |
| Popularity | 107k stars | 28k stars, 33k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (2) | none |