Roo Code: what developers actually say
We read every Hacker News comment from Nov 2025 – Nov 2026 that gave a real opinion on Roo Code. 15 of the 17 opinions come from people who say they use it themselves.
Developers give Roo Code 79% approval across 17 opinions from 9 authors, and 15 of those opinions are firsthand. Customization is the clearest strength, with 3 positive mentions and no negatives. UX and reliability each draw 2 positive and 1 negative mention. Monthly approval swung from 25% in December 2025 to 100% in January 2026 and 60% on 5 opinions in April 2026, and two comments describe the project as retired.
Pick it if
- Want to customize prompts and tools (3 positive mentions, no negatives)
- Prefer agent modes over plain plan and act
- Want to switch model providers mid-task and keep your setup
Look elsewhere if
- Need a project with active maintenance; two comments call it retired
- Want a broad VS Code experience; one user found it limited and frustrating
- Apply complex diffs with weaker models; one user reported looping
Strengths and weaknesses
Each row counts opinions that mentioned the topic. Bars to the right of the line are praise, bars to the left are complaints.
How opinion has moved
Not enough monthly data for a trend yet.
What developers say
Praise
Complaints
Summaries are paraphrased. Each links to the original comment.
FAQ
Is Roo Code worth it?
The data gives it 79% approval across 17 opinions, with customization as its strongest aspect. Two comments say the project was retired, so confirm its current status before adopting it.
Is Roo Code better than Cline?
Two comments preferred Roo Code over Cline, citing more customization of prompts and tools. Two others preferred it over Kilo Code. No comment named a preferred alternative to Roo Code.
Does Roo Code work well in VS Code?
UX mentions split 2 positive to 1 negative. One user called the VS Code experience limited and frustrating, while another said it worked there while the Codex extension froze.