The Kiro alternative that doesn't lock you into AWS.

Kiro is Amazon's spec-driven agentic IDE. AIDEN does spec-driven development too — but works with Claude Code and Codex, runs on your machine, and costs $99 once instead of a cloud subscription.

Download AIDEN — free See AIDEN home

TL;DR

Kiro is Amazon's agentic IDE built around spec-driven development — it converts prompts into requirements, designs, and task lists before writing code. AIDEN shares the same philosophy: specs before code. The difference is the execution model. Kiro runs in the cloud and is tightly coupled to AWS Bedrock and Claude via Amazon's infrastructure. AIDEN runs on your desktop, uses your own Claude Code or Codex CLI installation, and adds parallel multi-agent orchestration, a kanban board, git worktrees, and auto-PRs that Kiro's current version doesn't offer.

Stick with Kiro when

You're already deep in the AWS ecosystem (Bedrock, CodeCatalyst, IAM).
You want event-driven Hooks that fire on file save or PR open.
You prefer a cloud-based agent that doesn't require a local CLI setup.

Switch to AIDEN when

You want spec-driven development without AWS lock-in.
You want multiple agents running in parallel on separate git branches.
You want a desktop app that uses your own Claude/Codex API keys at cost.
You want a $99 one-time payment instead of ongoing cloud usage fees.

Kiro vs AIDEN — side by side

Feature	Kiro	AIDEN
Interface	VS Code fork (cloud)	Purpose-built desktop workspace
Spec-driven workflow	Yes	Yes
Parallel multi-agent runs	No	Yes
Git worktrees per story	No	Yes
Kanban story board	No	Yes
Bring your own API key	Via AWS Bedrock	Direct — your Claude/Codex CLI
Cloud dependency	Requires AWS Bedrock	None — fully local desktop
Auto PRs with tests	No	Yes
Pricing	Cloud usage-based (Bedrock costs)	$99 one-time (launch)

A switcher's take

Kiro and AIDEN both believe specs should come before code — that's a real shared insight about how agentic development works best. The fork is in execution: Kiro routes everything through AWS infrastructure, which is powerful if you're building on AWS, but adds cost and cloud dependency for developers who just want to run Claude Code or Codex on their own machine. AIDEN is Kiro's philosophy, locally owned.

Kiro vs AIDEN — FAQ

Do Kiro and AIDEN both use Claude?

Yes, both use Claude — but differently. Kiro uses Claude via AWS Bedrock (Amazon's hosted API). AIDEN uses Claude via your locally installed Claude Code CLI, which means you're billed directly by Anthropic at standard API rates without AWS markup.

Does AIDEN support Kiro-style Hooks?

AIDEN handles workflow automation differently: instead of file-save hooks, agents run as first-class tasks on their own branches. Spec changes propagate through the kanban board and a new agent story, rather than event hooks.

Is AIDEN cheaper than Kiro?

Almost certainly yes for individual developers. Kiro's cost is AWS Bedrock usage (Claude API calls through Amazon's infrastructure with potential markup). AIDEN is $99 one-time; your only ongoing cost is the Anthropic or OpenAI API usage you'd be paying anyway.

Can I use AIDEN without an AWS account?

Yes. AIDEN has no AWS dependency. It runs on top of your locally installed Claude Code or Codex CLI — just standard Anthropic and OpenAI API access.

Stop chatting. Start shipping.

Try AIDEN free. Bring your existing Claude Code or Codex setup.

Download AIDEN — free