Quick answer
Amazon Q Developer - Amazon Q Developer's Free tier allows 50 agentic requests a month. Kiro Free allows 50 credits a month, with access to open weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5. Amazon Q Developer Pro costs $19 per user per month. Kiro Pro costs $20.
How the free tiers compare
Amazon Q Developer Free includes 50 agentic requests a month for chat and agentic coding in the IDE or CLI, plus 1,000 lines of code a month for Java upgrades. IDE limits apply to AWS Builder ID users. Kiro Free includes 50 credits a month, and a credit is a unit of work. Complex prompts can cost more than 1 credit. Unused credits do not roll over on Kiro.
Amazon Q Developer vs Kiro free tier, side by side
| Amazon Q DeveloperFTV 47 | KiroFTV 34 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free allowanceA request and a credit are different units. | 50 agentic requests per month | 50 credits per month |
| Models on Free | Latest Claude models | Open weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5 |
| Other free features | 1,000 lines of code per month for Java upgrades, and help in the AWS console | Credits cover prompts, spec refinement, task execution and agent hooks |
| Where it runs | IDE, CLI and AWS console | IDE and CLI |
| First paid plan | Pro - $19/user/mo | Pro - $20/user/mo, 1,000 credits |
| Extra usage | Pro adds extra lines of code for Java upgrades at $0.003 each | Add-on credits at $0.04 each |
After you outgrow the free tier
Amazon Q Developer has two tiers. Pro costs $19 per user per month and gives 4,000 lines of code a month per user, pooled at account level, for Java upgrades. Kiro has four paid plans: Pro at $20 for 1,000 credits, Pro+ at $40 for 2,000, Pro Max at $100 for 5,000 and Power at $200 for 10,000. New Kiro Pro users get 500 trial credits to use within 12 months.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Amazon Q Developer | Kiro |
|---|---|---|
| Team of five on the first paid plan | $95/mo for 5 users at $19 | $100/mo for 5 users at $20 |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Amazon Q Developer when…
- You work in the AWS console and want help there.
- You need Java upgrade transformation.
- You want a flat $19 per user Pro plan.
Pick Kiro when…
- You want spec-driven coding in one environment.
- You want add-on credits at $0.04 each.
- You want a ladder of paid plans from $20 to $200.
Bottom line
Pick Amazon Q Developer for AWS console help and Java upgrades. Pick Kiro for spec-driven coding with a clear credit ladder.
Read the full listings: Amazon Q Developer and Kiro. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.