Pick Amp if…
you want agents that keep working in the cloud while you're away and you'd rather use the ChatGPT, Claude or API access you already pay for.
Cursor is an AI-first code editor, a VS Code fork, now sold only inside X's Grok/Premium subscription. Amp is a coding agent rather than an editor: it runs threads on remote "orbs" you can steer from the web, a terminal or your phone. The sharpest difference is models. Amp's free Hobby tier lets you plug in your ChatGPT or Claude subscription or your own API keys with no Amp token fees; Cursor's Plus tier is Grok-only, and on Premium, Claude and GPT are billed separately at API list price.
Pick Amp (free, or $20/mo for Megawatt) if you already pay for ChatGPT, Claude or API keys and want long-running cloud agents. Pick Cursor ($8/mo for Plus, $30/mo for Premium) if you want agentic editing inside a full editor and are fine with Grok models or paying API prices for others.
| App | Free tier | Paid from | Top plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amp | Yes | $20/mo | $200/mo | Developers who want long-running cloud agents and already pay for ChatGPT, Claude or API keys they can plug in |
| Cursor | Yes | $8/mo | $200/mo | Developers who want agentic multi-file editing and don't mind buying it bundled with a Grok/X chat subscription |
Monthly prices in US dollars before tax, from each vendor's official pricing (US list price; weekly-billed plans converted to a monthly figure). Updated November 2, 2026
| Amp | Cursor | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Coding agent on remote orbs (web, terminal, phone) | AI code editor (VS Code fork) |
| Free tier | Bring your own subscriptions/keys; self-hosted orbs free | Limited agent and chat requests |
| Model access | Your ChatGPT, Claude or API keys, no Amp token fees | Plus: Grok only; Premium: Claude/GPT at API list price |
| Entry paid plan | Megawatt $20/mo: monthly credits, 750 hrs small orb time | Plus $8/mo: Cursor plus Grok Chat, Voice, Imagine |
| Cloud agents | Core product; hosted or self-hosted | From Premium $30/mo, plus Bugbot reviews |
| Top individual plan | Gigawatt $200/mo: 1,000 hrs large orb time | Ultra $200/mo: 50x Plus usage |
you want agents that keep working in the cloud while you're away and you'd rather use the ChatGPT, Claude or API access you already pay for.
you want multi-file agentic editing inside an editor, and a Grok/X bundle with chat, voice and image tools is a plus rather than a cost.
They do different jobs. Amp is a cloud coding agent with bring-your-own models; Cursor is an editor with agents built in. If you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT, Amp's free tier lets you use them without an extra subscription.
Not on Plus, which is Grok-only. On Premium and above, Claude and GPT are available but billed separately at API list price.
The Hobby tier is free: you connect your own ChatGPT, Claude or other subscriptions or API keys, and self-hosted orbs are free. Amp-hosted orbs on Hobby are pay-as-you-go.
How we choose: prices come from each vendor's official pricing page and are re-checked every week. We take no affiliate fees, so rankings aren't for sale.