Amazon Q Developer
Amazon Q Developer is AWS's coding assistant for IDE plugins, a CLI agent, and the AWS console. AWS announced on 2026-06-29 that Amazon Q Developer is being renamed Kiro. Until the product URL changes, this catalog keeps the live name and the live $0 / $19 table.
This is not GitHub Copilot and not Claude Code. It is the AWS-flavored assistant, including an AWS-account-aware CLI.
Key Features
- IDE + CLI + console: VS Code and JetBrains plugins, a local CLI agent, and console help.
- Two paid meters: a Free tier and Amazon Q Developer Pro at $19 / month.
- CLI agent: The pricing page still describes a local CLI that can read/write files and call AWS APIs.
- Security reviews: Pro copy includes code reviews and scans. Confirm the current inclusion list on the pricing page.
- Rename in progress: Treat "Kiro" as the incoming brand, not a second SKU we verified independently.
Use Cases
- AWS shops that want an assistant that already knows IAM, CDK, and the account.
- CLI-first agents that should call AWS APIs from the terminal.
- Teams comparing Copilot vs a first-party AWS tool.
Limitation: we did not re-verify SWE-bench scores or "17 years of AWS data" as current marketing. Java/.NET transformation and other add-on lines should be read on the live pricing page, not copied from the old article.
Pricing
aws.amazon.com/q/developer/pricing on 2026-08-17:
| Plan | Price | Notes from that page |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Limited agentic requests. Commercial-region account required for some features. |
| Pro | $19 / user / month | Higher limits, access to advanced models, security reviews / scans. |
Getting Started
- Open the Q Developer page.
- Install the IDE plugin or the CLI.
- Sign in with an AWS Builder ID or IAM Identity Center, as the page instructs.
- Confirm whether your console already says Kiro before you train users on the old name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it still called Amazon Q Developer?
Yes, on the 2026-08-17 product and pricing URLs. AWS has announced a rename to Kiro.
Is Pro still $19?
Does it replace Copilot?
Only if you want the AWS-account-aware path. Copilot remains the GitHub-native suite.
Alternatives
- GitHub Copilot: IDE + cloud agent on GitHub.
- Claude Code: Terminal-first Anthropic agent.
- Kimi Code CLI: Moonshot terminal agent if you are not on AWS.
Tips
- Quote $0 / $19 from the AWS pricing page, not third-party blogs.
- Mention the Kiro rename so readers do not think they found a new product.
- Confirm transformation add-ons. They were not the core of this refresh.
Conclusion
Amazon Q Developer is still the live AWS coding assistant at $0 and $19, with a public rename to Kiro already announced. Start at the pricing page, then compare GitHub Copilot if you live in GitHub instead of the AWS console.
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