Trial
Roo Code (formerly Roo Cline) is a VS Code extension that forked Cline to move faster and add multi-mode agentic workflows. With 1.2M+ installs, 22K+ GitHub stars, and a cloud agent tier, it sits between Cline (controlled, human-in-the-loop) and Kilo Code (marketplace-first) in the open-source VS Code agent ecosystem.
Why It's in Trial
Roo Code has substantial, verified adoption and adds concrete capabilities over its Cline lineage that teams repeatedly cite as reasons to switch:
- Custom Modes + Mode Gallery: The standout feature. Define specialized AI personas with tailored instructions and scoped tool permissions — e.g. an Architect Mode that can't write files, or a Debug Mode that can't modify production configs. The community Mode Gallery lets teams share and install pre-tested configurations
- Diff-based editing: Roo only outputs changed lines (not full file rewrites), cutting token costs by ~30%. Teams report up to 75% savings when combining diff editing with planning modes
- Model-per-mode routing: Set heavy reasoning models (DeepSeek R1, Claude Opus) for planning modes and smaller models (Qwen-2.5-Coder) for code execution — optimising cost vs. capability per task
- Cloud Agents (Roo Cloud): Delegate tasks to Roo Cloud from the web, Slack, or GitHub without tying up your local machine
- ~80% shared codebase with Cline: The comparison is about the 20% that differs. Roo invested in autonomy and multi-mode workflows; Cline invested in MCP marketplace and CLI 2.0
Relationship to Cline and Kilo Code
All three projects share code and regularly pull updates from each other. The fork landscape:
| Tool | Focus | Custom Modes | Cloud | Token savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cline | Human-in-loop control | ❌ (Plan/Act toggle) | ❌ | No |
| Roo Code | Autonomy + mode system | ✅ + Mode Gallery | ✅ | ~30% (diff editing) |
| Kilo Code | Marketplace ecosystem | ✅ | ✅ (KiloClaw) | No |
Key Characteristics
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Interface | VS Code extension |
| License | Open source |
| Underlying model | Any provider — model-per-mode routing |
| Pricing | Free (BYOK) / Roo Cloud (team tier) |
| Sandbox | VS Code environment + Roo Cloud (optional cloud execution) |
| Provider | RooCodeInc |
| Website | roocode.com |
| GitHub | RooCodeInc/Roo-Code |