Kiro vs Sourcegraph Cody (2026)
Updated March 10, 2026
Overview
Kiro is AWS's agentic coding tool, with an IDE, CLI, and web app that turn prompts into specs, designs, and task lists before writing the code.
Cody is Sourcegraph's AI coding assistant that understands your entire codebase. It uses Sourcegraph's code graph to provide context-aware code completions, explanations, and refactoring across massive codebases. Cody supports multiple LLM backends and works in VS Code, JetBrains, and the web.
Key features
Core capabilities each platform advertises.
- Spec-driven development: requirements, design, and task lists before code
- Hooks that run tasks like tests and doc updates in the background
- Steering files shared across IDE, CLI, and web
- Models from Anthropic, OpenAI, and open-weight providers, plus Auto mode
Strengths and tradeoffs
What each tool does well, and the limitations to keep in mind.
Pros
- Free plan with 50 credits a month
- Spec-driven workflow produces requirements and designs, not just code
- Choice of Claude, GPT, and open-weight models, with Auto mode
- Available as an IDE, CLI, web app, and mobile app
Cons
- Credit multipliers vary by model, so cost per task can be hard to predict
- Unused monthly credits don't roll over
- Free plan is limited to open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5 with rate limits
- Enterprise sign-in runs through AWS IAM Identity Center
Pros
- Free tier with unlimited autocompletion
- Affordable Pro plan at USD 9/month
- IDE integration across popular platforms
- Strong codebase context awareness
Cons
- Pro and Free tiers being discontinued mid-2025
- Transitioning to new Amp product
- Uncertainty around product roadmap
- Enterprise customers only path forward
Kiro or Sourcegraph Cody — which should you choose?
Choose Kiro if you wantChoose if you want
- Planning a new feature as a spec before any code is written
- Running background checks like unit tests on every change
- Working across an IDE, terminal, and browser with shared project rules
- Rolling out an AI coding tool to teams already on AWS
Choose Sourcegraph Cody if you wantChoose if you want
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