DevConsensus
Comparisons / GitHub Copilot vs Kiro
AI coding tools · HN opinions Nov 2025 – Nov 2026

GitHub Copilot vs Kiro: what developers actually say

Based on 697 opinions on Hacker News from developers who discussed these two, most of them first-hand users.

GitHub Copilot
42%
approval · 659 opinions · 535 developers
last 90 days: 38%
Kiro
59%
approval · 38 opinions · 30 developers
last 90 days: –

B has the higher approval score, 59% against 42% for A, but that rests on only 38 opinions from 30 authors. A has much more data: 659 opinions from 535 authors, 501 firsthand. A's complaints cluster on code quality (93 negative against 38 positive) and reliability (54 against 14), and its cost mentions lean negative (80 against 60); B's cost mentions are 3 positive and 1 negative, too few to weigh. No comment in either set states a direct A versus B preference, so the pick turns on sample size and which complaints matter to you.

Choose GitHub Copilot if

  • Want the larger evidence base, 659 opinions from 535 authors
  • Need Copilot inside VS Code for chat and parallel agent work
  • Accept weak code quality marks for broad IDE coverage

Choose Kiro if

  • Accept a small sample of 38 opinions for a 59% approval score
  • Want spec-driven task runs with no autonomy complaints in the data
  • Care most about UX, where mentions run 8 positive to 3 negative

Where each one wins and loses

PraiseComplaintsA = GitHub CopilotB = Kiro
Cost & pricing
A
80
60
B
1
3
Code quality
A
93
38
B
3
2
UX
A
50
48
B
3
8
Reliability
A
54
14
B
4
2
Usage limits
A
31
20
Autonomy
A
13
24
B
4
Speed
A
16
13
Customization
A
12
13

Side by side

GitHub CopilotKiro
Approval
42%
59%
Last 90 days38%–
Opinions65938
First-hand users50126
TypeIDE extensionAI IDE
Made byGitHubAWS
WebsiteVisit ↗Visit ↗

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