Roo Code

A model-agnostic open-source coding agent for VS Code; the extension shut down in May 2026.

Verified facts: 3 of 3
Alternatives ranked: 4
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

Roo Code has been discontinued. The extension was shut down on 15 May 2026; the team now builds Roomote.

About Roo Code

Roo Code was an open-source AI coding agent for VS Code, forked from Cline, that became popular for its customisable modes, including architect, code, debug and orchestrator, and its willingness to use more tokens for better results. It could read and write files, run terminal commands, use MCP servers and work with almost any model provider through your own API keys. Its team shut down the Roo Code extension, cloud and router services on 15 May 2026 to focus on Roomote, a separate cloud coding agent. The code remains available on GitHub, a community fork called ZooCode has carried on, and Roo's own documentation points users to Cline, the project it came from. Kilo Code, which built on Roo, is another actively maintained option. Listed here because many developers still search for it; don't adopt it for new work, since it no longer receives fixes or model updates from its original team.

Best for: Nobody starting fresh; existing users should migrate to Cline or Kilo Code.

What works

Code remains open source and forkable
Customisable modes for different kinds of work
Worked with nearly any model provider

Why people leave

Extension shut down in May 2026
No updates or fixes from the original team
Cloud and router services are gone

Top Roo Code alternatives

See all 4

1
Cline
The project Roo Code was forked from, and the migration path Roo recommends.
81.5
2
Claude Code
A commercial agent if you'd rather not manage API keys and forks.
66.7
3
Kilo Code
Builds on Roo's code and is actively maintained, with familiar modes.
62.6
4
OpenCode
Open-source and model-agnostic, if you're also open to the terminal.
59.6

Why people left Roo Code

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Roo Code: common questions

Is Roo Code free?

Yes. Roo Code is free, open-source software.

Is Roo Code open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at RooCodeInc/Roo-Code.

What platforms does Roo Code run on?

Roo Code is available for macOS, Windows and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Roo Code?

The highest-ranked Roo Code alternatives right now are Cline, Claude Code and Kilo Code. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 Roo Code alternatives

Roo Code facts

3 of 3 verified

Shutdown: 15 May 2026; Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.roocode.com(opens source in a new tab); “The Roo Code Extension was shut down on May 15th.”
Suggested alternatives: ZooCode fork and Cline; Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.roocode.com(opens source in a new tab); “If you're looking for an alternative, check out ZooCode (a fork started by the Roo Code community) and Cline (from where Roo Code originated).”
Model support: Model-agnostic; Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.roocode.com(opens source in a new tab); “It's powerful, customizable, and model-agnostic, with actual file system access, terminal control, and multi-step workflows.”