Kiro
AWS's spec-driven agentic IDE — you write the spec, the agent builds to it.
Hands-on test: scheduled
| Vendor | AWS (Amazon) |
|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes — 50 credits/mo, incl. Claude Sonnet 4.5 |
| Entry paid plan | $20/mo (Pro, 1,000 credits) |
| Form | Standalone IDE, CLI, web |
| Platforms | Windows · macOS · Linux · Kiro CLI · Web |
| Official site | https://kiro.dev |
Kiro is Amazon's entry, and it works differently: instead of chatting loosely with an agent, you start from requirements and design documents — specs — that the agent then implements against. It is the official successor to Amazon Q Developer and ships as a desktop IDE (built on Code-OSS), a CLI and a web surface.
Kiro is also the most explicit meter in this set: every plan is denominated in credits, and the overage price is published ($0.04 per credit). Its free plan is small — 50 credits a month — but unusually includes access to a frontier model, Claude Sonnet 4.5.
Kiro pricing
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 credits/mo |
| Pro | $20/mo | 1,000 credits/mo |
| Pro+ | $40/mo | 2,000 credits/mo |
| Pro Max | $100/mo | 5,000 credits/mo |
| Power | $200/mo | 10,000 credits/mo |
Additional credits beyond a plan's allowance cost $0.04 each, per the official pricing page.
Prices read from the official pricing page on October 22, 2026. Vendors in this category change pricing often — check the official page before buying.
Free tier in detail
Kiro Free — $0.
- 50 credits per month
- Access to open-weight models plus Claude Sonnet 4.5 within the credit budget
- Sign in with a social account or an AWS Builder ID
- New users also receive 500 bonus credits for the first month (per third-party coverage), and the vendor's pricing page advertises a $20 credit toward a first upgrade
The official pricing page does not mention a credit-card requirement for the free plan.
Features and form
- Spec-driven workflow: requirements, design and task lists are first-class artifacts the agent works from
- The official successor to Amazon Q Developer
- Published per-credit overage price ($0.04) — the most explicit metering in this set
Who Kiro suits
- Developers who plan before they code and like spec-first workflows
- AWS-centric teams
- Free-tier users who want access to a frontier model (Claude Sonnet 4.5) inside a small budget
Our hands-on test
Scheduled — we run every tool through the same frozen benchmark repo and score it with unit tests; results will appear here.
Pros and cons
Based on published product data (official pricing pages and documentation), not on hands-on use. Hands-on findings will be added here when the benchmark runs complete.
Pros
- Free plan includes a frontier model (Claude Sonnet 4.5)
- Metering is fully published, including the overage rate
- Spec-driven approach is unique among the eight tools here
Cons
- 50 free credits a month is the smallest metered budget in this set
- A newer ecosystem than the incumbent tools
- How far 50 credits goes depends on the size of the tasks you run
Frequently asked questions
Is Kiro free?
Yes. Kiro Free costs $0 and includes 50 credits per month, with access to open-weight models plus Claude Sonnet 4.5. Sign-in is via a social account or an AWS Builder ID, and the pricing page does not mention a credit-card requirement.
How much does Kiro cost?
Pro is $20/month (1,000 credits), Pro+ $40/month (2,000), Pro Max $100/month (5,000) and Power $200/month (10,000). Additional credits cost $0.04 each. Prices read from Kiro's official pricing page on October 22, 2026.
What is a Kiro credit?
Kiro meters agent work in credits: each interaction consumes credits depending on its size and the model used. Every plan — including the free plan's 50 — is a monthly credit budget, and overage is billed at $0.04 per credit on paid plans.
Is Kiro the replacement for Amazon Q Developer?
Yes. Kiro is AWS's spec-driven agentic IDE and the official successor to Amazon Q Developer, which is why Q Developer is not profiled separately in this set.