Coding agent (CLI) · Amp (Sourcegraph)

Amp

Closed-source coding agent with a terminal CLI plus web and phone apps. Each thread can run in a cloud 'orb' machine that keeps working after you disconnect, and a coordinator called Puck launches other agents.

Reviewed by the Termdex team · facts checked 2026-10-28 against 6 vendor sources · how we check

Official site

Amp review

Amp is a closed-source terminal coding agent with web and phone apps. It has a free Hobby tier and paid plans from $20 a month. We read the vendor's pages in October 2026. We did not run an independent test.

Who it is for

Developers who want a hosted coding agent they can start from a phone and leave running remotely.

What stands out

Install with the shell script from ampcode.com, or `npm install -g @ampcode/cli`. The CLI runs on Mac, Linux, WSL and Windows. Separate macOS, iOS, iPadOS and Android apps and a web app share threads.

Each thread can run in a cloud machine the docs call an orb, which keeps working after you disconnect. `amp --no-tui` runs headless for servers and CI; an SDK and MCP support are published.

A setting called the Dial (low, medium, high) picks the model. You can link a ChatGPT subscription or bring your own keys.

Price and licence

Hobby is free, with pay-as-you-go hosted orbs and unlimited self-hosted ones. Individual is $20 a month with Megawatt and Gigawatt tiers; the Gigawatt price is not shown. Teams add nothing to member tiers; Enterprise is custom. Every tier accepts your own keys or ChatGPT or Claude subscriptions, with no Amp token fees. Seen 28 October 2026.

Where it falls short

Sign-in is required, and the full CLI docs are behind login.
Hosted-orb use is metered, with no credit or overage amounts shown. We could not confirm any Hobby model credits.
The vendor says it keeps no backward compatibility, so details may change.
The public pages say nothing on local models, sandboxing or SSH. They list no editor extension.

Alternatives

See terminal coding agents. Claude Code is also closed source. OpenCode is open source and lets you bring your own models.

Facts: platforms, price and licence

platforms: macOSLinuxWindowsiOSAndroidWebCLI installs on Mac/Linux/WSL, Windows and via Homebrew; separate macOS, iOS, iPadOS and Android apps and a web app. Agents run in cloud 'orbs' or on your own machine. Current docs list no editor extension (the VS Code extension was reported by a third party as being shut down; not confirmed by Amp pages).
price: FreemiumPricing page (seen 2026-10-28): Hobby free (pay-as-you-go for Amp-hosted orbs, unlimited self-hosted orbs); Individual $20/mo (tiers named Megawatt and Gigawatt, 45,000 orb minutes shown; Gigawatt price not shown); Teams no extra charge on top of member tiers; Enterprise custom. All tiers say you can use your own keys or ChatGPT/Claude subscriptions with no Amp token fees. The page does not state per-token prices or whether Hobby includes free Amp-provided model credits, and no ads are mentioned.
source: ProprietaryLicence: Proprietary (Amp Terms of Service)

Amp features

✓ yes MCP
✓ yes Multi-agent
✓ yes Headless / CI
? not verified Sandbox
? not verified Local models
✓ yes Your own API key
? not verified Git worktrees
? not verified SSH

✓ documented · – absent or not in its feature list · ? not verified

Amp strengths

Same agent and threads across CLI, web, macOS, iOS and Android, with notifications and follow-up from a phone
Headless 'amp --no-tui' for servers and CI, plus a published SDK and MCP support
Each agent gets its own cloud environment (orb), or you can run self-hosted orbs free
Accepts your own API keys or ChatGPT/Claude subscriptions without Amp token fees

Amp weak points

Proprietary and account-bound: sign-in is required, and the full CLI docs are behind login
Hosted-orb usage is metered (minutes and credits) and the public pricing page leaves credit and overage amounts unspecified
Fast-moving by its own statement ('no backward compatibility'), so features and prices change; the old ad-supported free tier appears to be gone
No documented support for local models or OS-level sandboxing in the public pages read

Who Amp is for

best for: Developers who want a hosted, multi-device coding agent they can start from a phone and leave running remotely.
look elsewhere if: Anyone who needs open-source code, fully offline use with local models, or fixed predictable pricing.

Lists that include Amp

Sources and what we could not verify

Checked 2026-10-28. Prices and features change; the vendor's page is the authority.

ampcode.com — product description, install command, --no-tui headless use, platforms, MCP, subagents mention
ampcode.com/pricing — tiers, $20/mo Individual, BYOK and subscription use, free self-hosted orbs
ampcode.com/manual — orbs, Puck, apps on macOS/iOS/Android, CLI, MCP, SDK, plugins sections in docs nav
ampcode.com/news/npm-package-changes — npm packages renamed to @ampcode/cli and @ampcode/sdk; single-file executable
www.npmjs.com/package/@ampcode/cli — CLI release date 2026-10-27, license text (c) Sourcegraph Inc.
ampcode.com/about — company self-description as an independent agent research lab

Not verified

Legal vendor name: licence file says Sourcegraph Inc.; About page names no entity
Local models, sandbox, git worktrees, SSH: not stated on public pages (CLI docs require sign-in), left null
Whether the free Hobby tier includes any Amp-provided model credits
Editor extension status: only third-party reports (Kilo Code blog) that the VS Code extension was discontinued