Amp gives every coding agent its own computer. That one design choice, which Amp calls orbs, is why its agents can work for hours, wake themselves to check a rollout, and keep going after the developer has logged off.
Key Takeaways
- An independent lab now. — Amp spun out of Sourcegraph as Amp Frontier Corporation on December 2, 2025, and says it is profitable.
- One machine per agent. — Each agent gets an orb, a hosted or self-hosted machine, so threads keep running, wake themselves on schedules and pick up Linear issues.
- Bring your own model. — Since September 2026 Amp is free when you bring your own compute and model keys or subscriptions, including a Claude plan. Megawatt is $20 a month with 45,000 orb minutes.
What does Amp do?
Amp started inside Sourcegraph and became an independent company, Amp Frontier Corporation, on December 2, 2025. Its co-founders include Quinn Slack, Beyang Liu and Thorsten Ball.
The product centres on orbs: a machine per agent, hosted by Amp or self-hosted. The 2026 release notes show where that goes: Amp became free to use with your own compute and model keys (September 13), added support for using a Claude subscription (October 10), took issue assignments from Linear (October 19), shipped self-hosted orbs (October 22) and an Android app (October 27), and added macOS machines so an orb can build and test iOS and Mac apps (October 29).
How does Amp score?
WTF Radar scores four criteria from 1 to 5, using published vendor documentation rather than benchmarks or hands-on tests: how far the agent runs without a person (autonomy), what reviewers and admins can constrain (control), how many places it works (integration), and whether the price of real usage is published (pricing clarity). Total: 15/20.
| Criterion | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomy | 5/5 | Agents run on their own orbs, schedule their own wake-ups, take Linear assignments and follow up on PRs. |
| Control | 3/5 | Enterprise lists SCIM, audit logs, network and MCP access controls; the vendor says it will not check every procurement box. |
| Integration | 4/5 | CLI, macOS app, web, Android, Linear and GitHub; self-hosted orbs and runners. |
| Pricing clarity | 3/5 | Hobby and Megawatt prices published; other tiers need the interactive page or sales. |
How much does Amp cost?
As published in November 2026 (Amp):
| Tier | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby | Free | Pay-as-you-go hosted orbs; unlimited self-hosted orbs; bring your own keys |
| Megawatt | $20/mo | 45,000 minutes of Amp-hosted orb time; custom portal domains |
| Teams | No extra charge | Shared threads, SSO, pooled credits, shared BYOK and model routing |
| Enterprise | On request | SCIM, spend limits, audit logs, network and MCP controls, IP allowlisting |
A higher Gigawatt tier exists; its price is shown only in the interactive page. Model usage is separate: Amp charges no token fees on your own keys or subscriptions.
Who is Amp for?
- Fits: teams that want long-running agents on isolated machines, with the option to run those machines on their own infrastructure and their own model contracts.
- Look elsewhere: procurement-heavy enterprises that need a stable feature set (Amp says plainly that it changes as the frontier moves), or teams that want step-by-step approval in the editor (Cline).
What are the Amp alternatives?
- Factory: managed cloud computers for Droids with admin-set autonomy.
- Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf): local and cloud agents on one board.
- Cline: open source, bring your own key, runs headless in CI.
- Devin or Cursor background agents: the comparison for cloud agents.
Related questions
- Which coding agents keep working in the background?
- What does agent autonomy actually cost? (partner site CTAIO)
- Where do humans stay in the loop in an agentic software lifecycle? (partner site CTAIO)
- Devin or Cursor background agents for cloud work?
Sources
- Amp, Amp Frontier Corporation (Dec 2, 2025).
- Amp, News, Pricing and About (fetched Nov 3, 2026).
What is Amp?
Amp is a coding agent and development environment from Amp Frontier Corporation, which spun out of Sourcegraph on December 2, 2025. Each agent thread can run on its own machine, called an orb, so work continues after you close your laptop.
What is an Amp orb?
An orb is the machine an Amp agent runs on. Orbs can be hosted by Amp, billed in minutes, or self-hosted on your own infrastructure for free. Because the agent has its own machine, it can run long tasks, wake on a schedule, and, if you grant it, reach production systems through scoped credentials.
How much does Amp cost?
As published in November 2026: the Hobby tier is free, with pay-as-you-go for Amp-hosted orbs and unlimited self-hosted orbs. Megawatt is $20 a month and includes 45,000 minutes of Amp-hosted orb time. Teams has no extra charge per workspace, and Enterprise is priced on request. Model costs are separate: you bring your own keys or subscriptions, with no Amp token fees.
Is Amp still part of Sourcegraph?
No. Amp became a separate company, Amp Frontier Corporation, on December 2, 2025. Its co-founders include Sourcegraph's Quinn Slack and Beyang Liu.
Ready to Find the Right AI Tools?
Browse our data-driven rankings to find the best AI tools for your team.