R 
Roo Code
An open-source VS Code agent with configurable modes and custom rules.
NOT REALLY
why this verdict
Keep it — Anthropic has not replaced it
Anthropic's version overlaps, but does not finish the dev tools job, so this one is still worth keeping open.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- Vendor-native agents bundled into model subscriptions. Anthropic, March 1, 2025 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers not the job editorial call
- Parts of it. The job still needs the tool to get finished.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 2 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: Cline and Kilo Code.
- What the call is worth nothing to cancel
- No paid entry tier tracked, so there is no subscription to cancel.
Reason composed from the fields above missing: announcement linked recorded: free replacement listed recorded: two or more escape hatches
- Threatened by
- Anthropic
- Since
- March 1, 2025
- List price
- free
- Per year
- —
The backstory
Roo Code forked Cline and pushed harder on customisation: architect, code and debug modes, per-mode models, and rules files that shape behaviour. Its survival argument is control — pick your own model per task and pay API rates — against subscriptions that decide for you.
Escape hatches
C 
Cline The upstream project.
cline.bot open_in_new K 
Kilo Code Another fork with merged features.
kilocode.ai open_in_new C 
Claude Code Less setup, flat price.
claude.com open_in_new2 of 3 replacements have a usable free tier.
