VS Code is the editor you already know. Kiro is built on the same foundation — but it changes how you work.

Kiro is a fork of VS Code. Your extensions, themes, keybindings, and settings carry over directly. If you've spent years customizing VS Code, you won't lose any of that.

The difference isn't the editor. It's what happens when you write code.

Kiro treats AI as part of development, not an add-on.

Specs — Instead of one big prompt, you describe what you want. Kiro turns it into requirements, a design document, and a task list. You review before code gets written.

Steering files — Save your project's standards, architecture decisions, and naming conventions. The agent follows them consistently across sessions.

Hooks — Agents trigger on events like file save. Auto-generate tests when a function is created. Update docs when an API changes.

VS Code's Agents window is catching up. It lets you run multiple agent sessions and choose between Copilot, Claude, and Codex. But it still feels like an add-on to the classic editor.

VS Code: Free. Copilot is $10/month.

Kiro: Free tier gives you 50 credits. Pro is $20/month for 1,000 credits. Credits don't roll over.

For heavy daily use, Pro Max at $100/month gives 5,000 credits.

Switch to Kiro if: You work on complex, multi-file features. You want structured planning before implementation. You're on AWS and want native integration.

Stay on VS Code if: You do mostly manual coding with occasional AI help. You hate spec overhead. You want the widest extension ecosystem.

Kiro isn't "VS Code with better AI." It's a different philosophy: plan first, build second.

That's powerful for big features. It's overkill for quick fixes.

Try the free tier. If the spec workflow clicks, upgrade. If it feels heavy, stick with VS Code and Copilot.