Amp vs Cosine (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Amp grades higher than Cosine: 2.4 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Amp grades higher on the free plan and platforms. Cosine grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Amp
Coding agent that runs in cloud machines it calls orbs
Cosine
Coding agent for terminal, desktop and cloud, with sovereign models
Which one is for you
Pick Amp if
- Fits if you want a coding agent on your own machine with your own model key
- Works for a team that wants shared threads and billing
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on Individual: orb minutes are capped at 45,000 a month
- Not for you if your Mac is older: the app needs Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later
- Watch out: the Gigawatt tier appears on the pricing page without a readable price
- Skip it if you need SCIM, audit logs or IP allowlisting without Enterprise, whose price is not published
Pick Cosine if
- Fits if you want a coding agent in the terminal with a choice of models
- Works for a developer who wants cloud agents and an air-gapped option
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try it free, as the cheapest plan is $19 a month
- Watch out: credits are used at different multipliers by model, so 4M credits is a moving target
- Not for you if you want a Windows or Linux desktop app, as the desktop page offers Mac only
- Watch out: the pricing page lists three tiers, the billing docs six, with different names
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAAmpFair | 1.8GPACosineWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CIndividual is $20 a month, just over the $19 where the cheaper quarter of AI agent tools ends; the free tier needs your own model keys. | BStarter is $19 a month for 4M credits, at the top of the cheaper quarter, but how far credits go depends on the model. |
| Free plan and trial | BHobby has no monthly fee: self-hosted orbs are free, but you bring your own model subscription or key, and Amp-hosted orbs are pay as you go. | FNo free plan or trial on the pricing page. |
| Features | CCloud and self-hosted orbs, your own models, automations and team workspaces, but SCIM, audit logs and IP allowlisting are Enterprise. | CCLI, desktop, cloud agents, swarm mode and model choice, but pages disagree on the tiers. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It is a coding agent with orbs, models and automations to set up. | CNo store rating on record. The CLI is the main way in and the docs cover install and sign-in. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps, with four integrations named; no API is on record. | CWeb, Mac, Windows and Linux with four integrations; the desktop page offers Mac only and there are no phone apps. |
| Best for | a coding agent with cloud and self-hosted orbs | a command-line coding agent with a desktop app |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Amp and Cosine. How we grade
Price against what you get
Amp starts at $20 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Cosine starts at $19 a month and scores 2.0.
Amp scores higher, and starts $1 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other AI agents on the chart, 13 score higher than Amp for less, and 11 score higher than Cosine for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
At a glance
| Amp | Cosine | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $20 per month (Megawatt tier) | $19 per month, including 4M credits |
| Free plan | Hobby: no monthly fee, pay as you go for Amp-hosted orbs, unlimited self-hosted orbs, and your own model subscription or key. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Amp Frontier Corporation | Cosine |
| Price read from | ampcode.com | cosine.sh |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Amp
- Orb minutes on the Individual tier are capped at 45,000 a month; when they run out you upgrade or buy more credits.
- The Gigawatt tier appears on the pricing page but its price is not shown in the page text, so it is not listed here.
- The Mac app requires Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later, per the download page.
- Enterprise pricing is not published, and SCIM, audit logs and IP allowlisting are Enterprise-only.
Cosine
- There is no free plan or free trial on the pricing page; the cheapest plan is $19 a month.
- Usage is billed in credits, and different models use them at different multipliers, so how far 4M credits goes depends on the model chosen.
- The pricing page lists three tiers, while the billing docs list six (Starter, Builder, Team, Scale, Professional and Enterprise) with different names for the $199 and $999 tiers.
- The desktop page offers a Mac download only; the CLI docs cover macOS (Apple Silicon only), Linux and Windows.
Key features
Amp
- Cloud orbs
- An orb is a cloud computer where an agent works remotely. Minutes are counted only while it runs and stop when it pauses while idle.
- Self-hosted orbs
- Orbs can run on your own infrastructure for free on Hobby, Individual and Teams, and they do not use orb minutes.
- Bring your own models
- You can use ChatGPT, Claude and other subscriptions or your own API keys with no Amp token fees; your provider's own limits and charges apply.
- Automations that wake threads
- In the vendor's demo video, a thread uses automations to wake itself on a schedule and check production logs.
- Team workspaces
- Workspaces share threads, portals, plugins and skills, with multiplayer, permissions and SAML/OIDC SSO.
- Apps on desktop and phone
- The download page lists apps for Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android for following agents away from your desk.
Cosine
- CLI coding agent
- The cos command runs the agent in a terminal alongside your editor and tests. Every agent turn is saved as a lightweight git commit, so changes can be undone.
- Desktop app
- A native app for working on local project folders, with plan review, diffs, and built-in browser and terminal panels. The product page offers a Mac download.
- Cloud agents
- Tasks can run in remote workspaces, each session in an isolated microVM, so long jobs continue after your laptop is closed. The site says 20 or more agents can run in parallel.
- Swarm mode and memory
- An orchestrator can spawn child agents that work in parallel, and project conventions persist across sessions.
- Model choice
- The model list includes Cosine's own Lumen models along with models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, each with a credit multiplier.
- Sovereign and air-gapped deployment
- For regulated organizations the company offers fully air-gapped, managed single-tenant and public cloud options.
Plans
Amp
Hobby$0
No monthly fee; Amp-hosted orbs are pay-as-you-go, self-hosted orbs are free, with no Amp token fees on your own keys.
Individual (Megawatt)$20
per month
45,000 minutes of orb time on Amp-hosted orbs, plus Amp credits for inference. A Gigawatt tier also exists; its price was not readable.
Teams$0
no extra charge for a workspace
Shared threads, portals and billing with SSO; each member stays on Hobby or a paid tier, and SSO needs one paid member.
EnterpriseCustom
Pooled credits with no paid seats, SCIM, audit logs, IP allowlisting, spend limits and custom orb pricing.
Cosine
Starter$19
per month, for 4M credits a month
For solo developers and side projects. Extra credits cost $6.50 per 1M.
Team$199
per month, for 47M credits a month
For growing teams. Extra credits cost $5.00 per 1M. The billing docs name this $199 tier Scale and list a $99 tier for 23M credits.
Enterprise$999
per month, for 240M credits a month
For highly regulated industries. Extra credits cost $4.50 per 1M. The pricing page also invites teams to ask about a more custom arrangement.
Ways to pay less
Amp
- Education
Megawatt for $10 a month for students and teachers
Students and teachers can get the Megawatt tier at $10 per month through the Education Discount.
Cosine
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Amp or Cosine?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Cosine is cheaper to start with: $19 a month, against $20 a month for Amp. Amp starts at $20 per month (Megawatt tier), and Cosine starts at $19 per month, including 4M credits.
Which has a free plan, Amp or Cosine?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Amp has a free plan. Cosine does not.
Which platforms do Amp and Cosine run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Amp lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app and macOS, Windows and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.