Lull vs Kickbacks: keep more of what your agent earns.
Kickbacks pioneered paying developers for their coding agent's idle time, and it's a solid product. Lull takes the same idea further — a bigger revenue share, an open-source client you can actually audit, and real payouts everywhere (UPI in India, USD worldwide). Here's the honest breakdown.
Side by side
Both show one labeled sponsor line in your AI coding agent's spinner while it thinks. The differences are in the deal.
| Lull | Kickbacks | |
|---|---|---|
| Your revenue share | 70% | 50% |
| Source code | Open-source (Apache-2.0) — auditable | Proprietary (source not published) |
| Payouts | UPI in India + USD worldwide | US-oriented (no UPI) |
| Reads your code? | Never — and you can verify it in source | Closed client — can't audit |
| Works with | Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, VS Code | Claude Code, Codex, VS Code |
| The ad | One labeled line in the spinner, gone after | Ad in the loading spinner |
Comparison based on information publicly stated on kickbacks.ai as of June 2026 (including its stated 50% developer revenue share). Lull figures reflect our launch terms. We think Kickbacks is a good product — this page is to help you choose what fits you.
Why developers pick Lull
Same idle seconds, a better deal on three things that matter.
Keep more
You keep 70% of what your impressions earn, versus the 50% Kickbacks states. On identical sponsor spend, that's 40% more in your pocket.
See the code
Lull's client is open-source under Apache-2.0. Read it, fork it, confirm it never touches your code. With a closed client, you're trusting a black box.
Get paid anywhere
UPI in India, USD worldwide via Stripe. India-first, but a developer anywhere can actually collect — no points, no gift cards, no payout you can't withdraw.
Common questions
Is there an open-source alternative to Kickbacks?
Yes — Lull. It does the same core thing (pays you for your AI coding agent's idle time via a labeled sponsor line in the spinner) but its client is open-source under Apache-2.0, so you can audit exactly what it does. Kickbacks does not publish its source.
Does Lull or Kickbacks pay developers more?
Lull pays developers 70% of the revenue their impressions earn. Kickbacks states it pays 50%. On the same sponsor spend, Lull's higher share means more for you.
Which one supports UPI and international payouts?
Lull pays out via UPI in India and in USD worldwide via Stripe, so developers anywhere can collect. Kickbacks is US-oriented and doesn't advertise UPI — which matters if you're coding from India.
Do both work with Claude Code and Cursor?
Both support Claude Code, Codex and VS Code. Lull also targets Cursor. In every case the sponsor line lives inside the agent's existing spinner or status bar — no extra window.