Amp Free
FreemiumFree, ad-free agentic coding with GPT-5.5, Opus 4.8 & fast models for VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf & CLI.
By Tanmay Verma, Founder · Last verified 06 Jul 2026
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Added 6d ago
77/100Safe BetIn short
Amp Free — Free, ad-free agentic coding with GPT-5.5, Opus 4.8 & fast models for VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf & CLI. Best for Individual developers wanting free access to frontier coding agents, Tinkerers exploring agentic workflows without financial commitment, Developers who prefer CLI-first or TUI-heavy tools. Free to use.
Is Amp Free actually worth it?
LiveSee what real users actually say. We scan live discussions, reviews and complaints across the web and hand you an honest verdict — in under a minute.
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Editorial Verdict
Best for
Individual developers wanting free access to frontier coding agentsTinkerers exploring agentic workflows without financial commitmentDevelopers who prefer CLI-first or TUI-heavy toolsTeams evaluating Amp before purchasing paid tierHobbyists building side projects
Not ideal for
Teams needing guaranteed uptime and scalability (capacity cap)Users requiring a full graphical user interface (TUI-heavy)Enterprises needing SLA-backed supportProfessionals on tight deadlines who can't tolerate wait times
Amp Free delivers genuinely capable agentic coding at zero cost—no ads, same models as paid. The 'full' capacity cap is the catch, but for exploring agentic workflows without spending a dime, it's exceptional. For guaranteed uptime, consider Amp's paid tier or GitHub Copilot free tier (GPT-4o).
Skip Amp Free if Skip Amp Free if you need guaranteed uptime, a graphical user interface, or enterprise-grade support—the capacity cap and CLI focus make it a poor fit for deadline-critical or GUI-dependent workflows.
Compare with: Amp Free vs Wix Studio AI, Amp Free vs HeadshotGenerator.io
Last verified: July 2026
What's new in Amp Free
Checked 2 days agoAcross the latest 5 updates: 5 feature updates.
FeatureBlog·6 days agoNewest
More Orb Sizes — pick CPU and memory for remote agent orbs
Users can now choose CPU and memory configurations for orbs running Amp agents remotely.
FeatureBlog·7 days ago
Putting an Agent in an Orb — agents on headless remote machines
Amp's codebase now supports running agents on headless remote machines via orbs.
FeatureBlog·20 days ago
Read Bigger Threads — Amp reads arbitrary-length threads
Amp can now read and answer questions about threads of any size.
FeatureBlog·21 days ago
Custom Agents — plugins can create and run agents
Plugins can now create agents, run them once, and maintain conversation threads.
FeatureBlog·23 days ago
A Faster Librarian — 3x faster, 43% cheaper
Librarian tool is 3x faster and 43% cheaper than before.
What independent users actually report about Amp Free
We ran a structured research pass across product reviews, community discussions, and post-purchase forum threads to surface the patterns vendors won't publish themselves. Below: the recurring strengths, the hidden costs people mention most, and the cohort that consistently regrets adopting this tool.
60 mentions across 4 sources (Hacker News, Product Hunt, Bluesky, Lemmy).
49% positive51% critical
Recurring strengths
- +Free daily credits give real access to frontier models.
- +Multi-model orchestration optimizes cost and speed.
- +Subagents like Oracle and Code Review extend capabilities.
- +Works across VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, JetBrains, CLI.
- +Threads system allows saving and sharing complex sessions.
Recurring frustrations
- −Frequent capacity caps block free user access.
- −New applications have been closed due to demand.
- −Forced to switch tools when Amp Free is full.
- −Ads in free tier (despite 'ad-free' claims) may appear.
- −Ergonomics differences from Claude/Copilot are jarring.
Patterns worth knowing
Capacity caps frustrate users who rely on the free tier for daily coding.
Seen on Hacker News
Amp Free offers impressive value with free access to frontier models.
Seen on Hacker News, Bluesky, Product Hunt
Users mix Amp Free with other tools (Claude, Codex) as a backup.
Seen on Hacker News, Bluesky
Learning curve
beginnerProductive in ~5 minutes
Hidden costs people mention
- • Excessive usage on paid tier can generate large bills (usage-based).
- • Free tier may show ads even though called 'ad-free'.
Viability Score
77/100
Safe BetHow likely is Amp Free to still be operational in 12 months? Based on 4 signals — momentum (how recently it shipped), wrapper dependency, revenue model, and web presence.
momentum
55
funding runway
80
website health
90
wrapper dependency
100
Last calculated: July 2026
How we score →Key Features
- Multi-model orchestration: GPT-5.5, Opus 4.8, fast models
- Three agent modes: deep, smart, rush
- Subagents: Oracle, Librarian, Painter, Code Review
- Librarian subagent ~3x faster, 43% cheaper (June 2026)
- Thread save, share, archive (up to 271 rounds)
- Plugin system for custom agents and skills
- Orbs: run agents on headless remote machines (configurable CPU/memory)
- Custom agent creation via plugins
- Diff review and staging (June 2026)
- Read arbitrary-length threads (June 2026)
- Proof of Human passkey authentication
- Image generation via Painter subagent
- MCP tool loading
- Supports VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, JetBrains, Neovim, Zed, CLI
- AGENTS.md support for project-level guidance
About Amp Free
FreemiumIntermediateAPI availableCLI · Plugin · Desktop · Web
Amp Free is the entry tier of Amp, a coding agent that orchestrates multiple frontier models (GPT-5.5, Opus 4.8, fast models) to autonomously reason, edit code, and tackle complex tasks—all with zero ads. Designed for developers who want no-cost access to cutting-edge AI assistance, it works inside VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Neovim, JetBrains IDEs, Zed, and via CLI. Key features include three agent modes: deep (extended reasoning for tough problems), smart (unconstrained state-of-the-art model, now Opus 4.8), and rush (fast, low-token GPT-5.5 for simple tasks). Subagents like Oracle, Librarian (3x faster, 43% cheaper as of June 2026), Painter, and Code Review expand capabilities. Threads let you save, share, and archive interactions like version control for conversations. Recent updates add the ability to run agents on headless remote machines inside 'orbs' (configurable CPU/memory), custom agents via plugins, and diff review/staging. Amp Free is 'full'—meaning limited availability due to capacity constraints—but ad-free and on par with paid tiers in model access. For hobbyists and evaluators willing to tolerate occasional throttling, it's an unmatched free option.
Behind the Verdict
Amp Free is one of the most generous free coding agent offerings available. You get ad-free access to GPT-5.5, Opus 4.8, and fast models, with three agent modes, subagents, threads, and even orbs for remote execution. The subagent system (Oracle, Librarian, Painter, Code Review) is genuinely unique—Librarian got 3x faster and 43% cheaper in June 2026. Recent improvements like diff review/staging, custom agent plugins, and arbitrary-length thread reading add real depth. The catch: Amp Free is 'full'—limited capacity means you may face wait times or be unable to sign up. The CLI/TUI focus may not suit everyone, and there's no published SLA. For hobbyists, tinkerers, and teams evaluating Amp, it's a no-brainer. But if you need guaranteed uptime or a GUI, look elsewhere.
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Real-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas Amp Free actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
Hobbyist developer exploring agentic coding
You want to fix TypeScript errors and add a dark mode toggle to your side project without spending money.
Outcome: You install Amp CLI, run 'Fix all TypeScript errors' in your project—Amp deep mode iterates until all errors are resolved. Then you prompt 'Add dark mode toggle to this React component'—smart mode generates the code and applies it. All within the free tier, no ads.
Team lead evaluating Amp for the team
You need to test Amp's subagent system on real codebase tasks before recommending a paid purchase.
Outcome: You use Amp Free to run Oracle on API design review, then use 3 subagents to convert CSS to Tailwind. The team documents findings via thread sharing. The free tier provides full fidelity—if capacity issues arise, you know to budget for paid.
DevOps engineer automating CI/CD tasks
You want to run an Amp agent on a headless remote server as part of your pipeline without cost.
Outcome: You create an orb with chosen CPU/memory, attach it to your CI pipeline, and Amp Free runs automated code fixes and test repair on each build. The agent reports back via thread archive.
Use Cases
- Fix all TypeScript errors in a file automatically with one command.
- Run tests and fix failures iteratively using deep mode.
- Add dark mode toggle to a React component with a prompt.
- Plan real-time chat architecture without writing code using smart mode.
- Convert CSS files to Tailwind using 3 subagents concurrently.
- Review API design and suggest improvements using Oracle.
- Run an agent on a headless remote machine via orbs for CI/CD tasks.
- Create a custom agent via plugin for a specialized workflow.
Models Under the Hood
GPT-5.5Claude Opus 4.8fast models
as of 2026-07-06
Limitations
- Amp Free is 'full'—meaning capacity is limited and new users may be unable to sign up until slots open.
- There are no explicit rate limits published, but being free, priority is likely lower than paid tiers.
- The CLI and TUI focus means no full-featured GUI.
- Long threads may incur higher costs even on free tier (though you have token usage, the free tier may have caps not disclosed).
as of 2026-07-06
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Annual total
Free
Over 12 months
Effective monthly
Free
Billed monthly
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Plans compared
For each published Amp Free tier: who it actually fits, and what it adds vs. the previous tier. Cross-reference the cost calculator above for projected annual outlay.
Free
$0/mo
Ideal for
Hobbyist developers, tinkerers, and teams evaluating Amp—tolerate occasional capacity throttling for zero cost.
What this tier adds
Starting tier: $0/mo, ad-free, full model access but limited capacity (may face wait times).
Paid
Not disclosed
Ideal for
Professional developers and teams needing unlimited capacity with no wait times.
What this tier adds
Upgrade from Free: unlimited capacity and priority access; same features as Free tier, price not disclosed.
Integrations
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where Amp Free's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
Amp Free is unmatched among free coding agents: $0/mo for GPT-5.5, Opus 4.8, and fast models with subagents and orbs. GitHub Copilot free tier offers GPT-4o with limited completions. For unlimited capacity and no wait, Amp's undisclosed paid tier is the upgrade.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of Amp Free — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
VS Code/Cursor/Windsurf users: ~5 minutes via terminal (curl install, sign in, run 'amp'). Neovim/JetBrains: ~10 minutes for plugin installation. No configuration needed—start prompting immediately.
Switching to or from Amp Free
How to bring data in from common predecessors and how to get it back out — written for the switcher, not the buyer.
Migrating in
- →From GitHub Copilot free tier: Install Amp CLI and sign in—parallel use is possible during evaluation.
- →From Cursor free trial: Export your project, install Amp CLI, and run Amp—no project migration needed.
Migrating out
- ↗To GitHub Copilot free tier: Stop using Amp; no data export needed for code—threads can be archived as markdown.
- ↗To Cursor Pro: Continue using the same VS Code/Cursor editor; Amp can coexist with other extensions.
Resources & Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools that pair well with Amp Free
Common stack mates teams adopt alongside Amp Free, with the specific reason each pairing earns its keep.
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