Kite
UnclaimedAn AI-powered coding assistant designed to help developers write code faster.
Visit WebsiteTL;DR - Kite
- AI-powered code completion tool for Python and JavaScript that supported 16+ editors
- Reached 500,000 monthly active developers but shut down in 2021
- Pioneered the AI coding assistant category later dominated by GitHub Copilot and Cursor
Pricing: Free forever
Best for: Individuals & startups
4.2/5 across review platforms
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Pioneered AI code completion before GitHub Copilot
- Supported a wide range of editors and IDEs
- Local processing option preserved code privacy
- Python type inference was genuinely useful
- Free for individual developers
Cons
- Shut down in 2021, no longer available or supported
- Limited language support beyond Python and JavaScript
- Could not find a sustainable revenue model
- Completion quality below what GPT-based tools later achieved
- Team Server enterprise product never gained traction
Ratings Across the Web
4.2(135 reviews)
Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more
Key Features
AI-powered code completions using machine learningPython and JavaScript language supportVS Code, IntelliJ, PyCharm editor integrationsSublime Text, Atom, and Vim supportJupyter notebook integrationPython type inference from usage dataInline documentation and function signaturesLocal code indexing for privacyKite Team Server for enterprise useMulti-line code completions
Pricing Plans
Free (Individual)
$0
- AI code completions
- All editor integrations
- Python type inference
- Inline documentation
- Local code indexing
Team Server
Custom (discontinued)
- Team-wide code intelligence
- Private codebase indexing
- Enterprise deployment
- Admin controls
What is Kite?
Kite was an AI-powered code completion tool that provided intelligent suggestions while developers typed in their editor. It used machine learning trained on open-source code to predict completions for Python, JavaScript, and other languages. Kite supported integrations with VS Code, IntelliJ, PyCharm, Sublime Text, Atom, Vim, and Jupyter notebooks. A key feature was Python type inference from real-world usage data, plus inline documentation lookup. Kite reached 500,000 monthly active developers but shut down in 2021 after failing to find a sustainable business model, as individual developers proved unwilling to pay for code completion tools. GitHub Copilot launched shortly after and succeeded in the same space.
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Kite FAQ
Is Kite still available?
No. Kite shut down in 2021 and is no longer available for download or use. The company ceased operations after being unable to find a sustainable business model, as individual developers proved unwilling to pay for code completion tools.
What happened to Kite?
Kite reached 500,000 monthly active developers but could not monetize the product. The team discovered that individual developers do not pay for tools, and the enterprise product (Kite Team Server) never gained enough traction. The company shut down in late 2021.
What are alternatives to Kite?
GitHub Copilot is the most direct successor, offering AI-powered code completion across many languages and editors. Other alternatives include Cursor (AI-first code editor), Codeium (free AI completions), Amazon CodeWhisperer, and Tabnine.
Why did Kite fail while GitHub Copilot succeeded?
Kite used older ML models with limited training data, while Copilot launched with OpenAI Codex trained on vastly more code. Copilot also had GitHub's distribution advantage and launched when developers were more receptive to AI tools. Copilot proved developers would pay $10/month for sufficiently capable AI completion.
Source: kite.com