Amp review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Coding agent that runs in cloud machines it calls orbs
Black Friday: is there a Amp sale?
Amp report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for a coding agent with cloud and self-hosted orbs
Amp is a coding agent that runs in cloud or self-hosted orbs, on web, Mac, Windows, Linux and phones. Hobby has no monthly fee, with pay-as-you-go orbs and your own model keys. Individual is $20 a month for 45,000 orb minutes, and the Mac app needs Apple silicon and macOS 26.
Who Amp is for
- 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
Who Amp is not for
- 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
Why Amp gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyIndividual 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.
- BFree plan and trialHobby 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.
- CFeaturesCloud and self-hosted orbs, your own models, automations and team workspaces, but SCIM, audit logs and IP allowlisting are Enterprise.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. It is a coding agent with orbs, models and automations to set up.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps, with four integrations named; no API is on record.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Amp's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/amp#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/amp.svg" alt="Amp: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Amp stands among AI agents
Amp's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 61 of the 101 other AI agents we grade, and level with 8.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 82 of 101) and worst on features (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $22.13 for the category: 20 of the 65 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 13 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 102 AI agents we grade, cut by the letter each got. Amp’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 17 of 101, level with 56
- BFree plan and trialAbove 82 of 101, level with 13
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 101, level with 67
- CEase of useAbove 14 of 101, level with 78
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 20 of 101, level with 71
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 70 AI agents. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Amp, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Amp you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $240 a year.
What you could not
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- Several people working in it at the same moment.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on and roles and permissions.
What this rests on. Amp’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Amp?
Amp is a coding agent and development environment from Amp Frontier Corporation. Agents run in cloud computers the vendor calls orbs, or on your own runners, and keep working after you close your laptop. There are desktop and phone apps for following threads, and you can use model subscriptions or API keys you already have.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Amp pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Amp has a free plan, and paid plans start at $20 per month (Megawatt tier).
- Starts at
- $20 per month (Megawatt tier)
- 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.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | $20per 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 | $0no 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. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Pooled credits with no paid seats, SCIM, audit logs, IP allowlisting, spend limits and custom orb pricing. |
Read from ampcode.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Amp before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- EducationMegawatt for $10 a month for students and teachers
Students and teachers can get the Megawatt tier at $10 per month through the Education Discount.
Stated on ampcode.com
Works with
Amp alternatives
- Amp vs Factory
Free plan · from $20/mo
- Amp vs Jules
Free plan
- Amp vs Devin
Free plan · from $20/mo
- Amp vs OpenHands
Free plan · from $500/mo
- Amp vs goose
Free
Common questions
Is Amp open source?
Amp is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.