AI tools, scored for your job
Get paid to train AI
Overview How It Works Before & After Reviews Integrations Why This Tool FAQ Pricing Top 10 Get Alerts News
AI for Developers

Kiro — AI for Software Development

Agentic IDE built around specs, hooks and steering, with CLI, cloud sessions and persistent agents.

What is Kiro?

Kiro: Agentic IDE built around specs, hooks and steering, with CLI, cloud sessions and persistent agents. It has a free plan; paid plans start at $20/mo. Zekai's independent review scores it 7.6 out of 10. Best for spec-driven agent coding.

Facts checked 10 Nov 2026.

Best forAI for Developers
DifferentiatorSpecs, steering and hooks around agent work
Try Kiro
Free Plan Pro from$20/mo
Free plan verified · free AI tools for Developers
7.6 Zekai
Spec-driven AI IDE
AI for Software Development
Ease of Use
7.0
Accuracy
8.0
Value
7.0
Time Saving
8.0
SpecsHooksSteeringCloud agentsCLI
📊 Independently reviewed and scored. How we score →
✍️ Reviewed by Zekai Editorial Team · Updated November 10, 2026
🏷 Is this your tool? Claim this listing →

Zekai Verdict

What is it?
Kiro is an agentic AI engineering system with an IDE, CLI, web app, early-access mobile and Kiro Crew, a persistent agent app.
Best for
Developers who want spec-driven AI coding with review steps
Not ideal for
Free plan has only 50 credits
Price
Free plan · paid from $20/mo
Zekai Score
7.6/10
Visit official site ↗Compare alternatives →Why this score →
⭐ Today's SpotlightCSVBox★ 9.5/10Thinking Orbs★ 9.5/10Bloblings★ 9.5/10LiteLLM★ 9.5/10GitHub Copilot★ 9.3/10n8n★ 9.3/10Hugging Face★ 9.3/10Be the next sponsor →
Hand-scored by Zekai

Top AI for Software Development picks

#1CSVBox★ 9.5/10#2Thinking Orbs★ 9.5/10#3Bloblings★ 9.5/10
See all 131 AI tools for Developers →
⚡ Quick answer

Kiro is an agentic AI engineering system with an IDE, CLI, web and persistent agents. It uses specs, steering and hooks so agents plan and verify work before it ships.

CategoryAI code editor
Best forSpec-driven agent coding
Price from$20/mo
Free planyes
DifferentiatorSpecs, steering and hooks around agent work
Rating4
📖 About Kiro

Kiro is an agentic AI engineering system with an IDE, CLI, web app, early-access mobile and Kiro Crew, a persistent agent app. Agents plan, build, review and verify work on your machine or in the cloud.

How It Works

Your workflow, automated

1
Write a spec
Describe the feature and review the requirements, design and task list.
2
Let the agent build
Run tasks locally or in a cloud session, with hooks and steering applied.
3
Verify the result
Check test results and review the changes before merging.
Ready to automate your workflow with Kiro?
Try Kiro →
Real Impact

Before & After

❌ Before

AI coding agents jump straight into code and you find gaps in the requirements later.

✅ After

You agree requirements, design and tasks first, then verify the result.

AI Prompts

Prompts for Developers

Prompt 01 The SQL Query Generator with Schema Context
CREATE TABLE users ( id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, name VARCHAR(100), email VARCHAR(100) UNIQUE, created_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW() ); CREATE TABLE orders ( id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, user_id INTEGER REFERENCES users(id), amount…
Prompt 02 The MCP-Aware Database Migration Agent
(for interacting with the Prisma schema and CLI) *
Prompt 03 The Agentic E2E Test Runner
(for creating GitHub issues) Scenario: The "new user registration" feature has been deployed to the staging environment at
See all 16 AI prompts for Developers →
Social Proof

Trusted by professionals

Ease of Use
7.0
Accuracy
8.0
Value
7.0
Time Saving
8.0
Start Free Today →
Connects With

Kiro integrations

GitHub GitLab Slack Microsoft Teams MCP servers Open VSX extensions Agent Client Protocol
Setup complexity: Moderate
Kiro is an agentic AI engineering system with an IDE, CLI, web app, early-access mobile and Kiro Crew, a persistent agent app. Agents plan, build, review and verify work on your machine or in the cloud.
The decision

Is Kiro worth it?

Built for
Developers and engineering teams who want planning and verification built into their AI coding workflow.
Effort to adopt
Moderate
Who It's For

Why Software Development choose this tool

🎯
Built for
Developers who want spec-driven AI coding with review steps
In-Depth Overview
Kiro is aimed at developers who want the agent to plan before it writes code. Its specs feature captures requirements, design and tasks first, checks requirements for gaps, and verifies results with property-based tests. Steering enforces project standards, hooks run actions when the agent changes files or finishes tasks, and checkpoints and kiroignore help you control what the agent touches. Beyond the IDE, cloud sessions let long-running tasks continue after you close your laptop, workflows split long jobs into checked steps, and Kiro Crew runs persistent agents that watch your backlog, codebase or CI. Automations can run on a schedule, from Slack, or in headless CI. Memory keeps context across sessions and saves corrections as guidance. It connects to GitHub, GitLab, Slack and Microsoft Teams, and supports MCP servers, Agent Client Protocol and AGENTS.md. Pricing is credit based: Free gives 50 credits, Pro costs $20 per user per month for 1,000 credits, and extra credits are $0.04 each. That means heavy agent use needs a higher tier or add-on credits. The pages do not list operating systems or user counts, so confirm your platform before you roll it out.

Key Use Cases

🧑‍💻
Plan before coding
Feature developer
Write a spec with requirements, design and tasks, then let the agent build against it.
Spec before code
🔁
Run recurring checks
Platform engineer
Schedule automations or use Crew agents to watch CI and act when work appears.
Runs on a schedule
👥
Share team knowledge
Team lead
Use shared memory and steering so agents follow team standards.
Shared standards
✓ Pros
Spec-first approach with property-based test checks
Works as IDE, CLI, web and Crew
Connects to GitHub, GitLab, Slack and Microsoft Teams
Supports MCP, ACP, AGENTS.md and Skills
Free plan available at $0
· Cons
Free plan has only 50 credits
Add-on credits cost $0.04 each
The pages do not list supported operating systems
Mobile is early access
⚡ Editorial Verdict

A good fit if you want structured, spec-first agent work with checks built in. Pricing is credit based and the Free plan has only 50 credits, so regular use means a paid tier.

See all 928 AI tools for Developers → Browse the AI Directory →
Questions & Answers

Frequently asked questions

How much does Kiro cost?

+
Free is $0 with 50 credits. Pro is $20 per user per month with 1,000 credits, Pro+ is $40, Pro Max is $100 and Power is $200 per user per month. Teams and enterprises are $20 per seat per month.

What is a spec in Kiro?

+
A spec captures requirements, design and tasks before coding starts, and results are verified afterwards.

Which models does Kiro use?

+
The pricing page lists Claude Sonnet 4.5 and open weight models on Free, and the homepage mentions Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, Qwen and an Auto option.

Does Kiro have a CLI?

+
Yes. The vendor lists a terminal-native CLI alongside the IDE, web and Crew.

Last reviewed:

Plans & Pricing

Kiro pricing and plans

Free
$0
50 credits per month with open weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5
Get Started Free
Pro
$20/mo
Start Pro Plan

Prices and features are updated regularly but can change at any time — always confirm on the official website. Some links on this page are affiliate links.

Software Development

Top 10 AI tools in this category

#1
L
LiteLLM
Score: 9.5
#2
B
Bloblings
Score: 9.5
#3
T
Thinking Orbs
Score: 9.5
#4
C
Claude Sonnet
Score: 9.3
#5
G
GitGlow
Score: 9.2
#6
L
LangSmith
Score: 9.1
#7
T
Together AI
Score: 9.1
#8
C
CoIsland
Score: 9.1
#9
O
Open WebUI
Score: 9.0
#10
C
Codync
Score: 9.0
← Previous toolKdeps★ 7.6/10Next tool →ACCELQ AI Test Automation★ 7.5/10
See all 131 AI tools for Developers →

Get Kiro deal alerts

Be the first to know when Kiro drops a new discount, adds features, or changes pricing.

Exclusive Kiro discount codes
New feature announcements
Best alternative picks when pricing changes
Zero spam — unsubscribe anytime
🎉
You're subscribed!
We'll notify you when Kiro has a new deal.
Keep reading

More on AI for Software Development

Free AI toolsAll Software Development toolsTool alternatives
Zekai Blog

Latest AI news

AI for Software Development
Self-Hosted vs Cloud AI Coding Costs in 2026
Nov 10, 2026
AI for Software Development
Best AI Programming Assistant Tools for Developers 2026
Oct 23, 2026
AI for Software Development
Is GitHub Copilot Free in 2026? Pricing and Access Guide
Oct 19, 2026
AI Directory

About Kiro

Full Description

Kiro is an agentic AI engineering system with an IDE, CLI, web app, early-access mobile and Kiro Crew, a persistent agent app. Agents plan, build, review and verify work on your machine or in the cloud.

Editorial Verdict

A good fit if you want structured, spec-first agent work with checks built in. Pricing is credit based and the Free plan has only 50 credits, so regular use means a paid tier.

Last reviewed:
Disclaimer
Zekai is an independent AI tools directory. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Kiro unless clearly stated. All product names, logos, and brands are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification purposes only. The information on this page — including pricing, features, and availability — is general information, may have changed since our last review, and is not professional advice. Zekai Scores and verdicts are our editorial opinion. Some outbound links are affiliate links that may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Spotted outdated or incorrect information? Request a correction →
Get paid to train AI →
‹ Previous Tool Contexte Tech › Next Tool Warp Terminal ‹ ›
All AI Tools A–Z →
Visit website ↗
Kiro7.6Try Kiro ↗Next tool →

See Zekai first in Google