Amp vs Claude Code
Amp is built for running many agents at once, and it is the only product here that can bill against a ChatGPT or X subscription you already pay for.
Updated August 28, 2026 · Independent comparison — Amp, Claude Code are separate products.
Amp
Parallel agents in cloud orbs
Amp sells parallel agents running in cloud 'orbs': Megawatt at $20 (750 orb hours plus $20 of agent usage) and Gigawatt at $200 (1,000 xxlarge orb hours plus $200 of agent usage), with an unconstrained pay-as-you-go path and $10/month education pricing on the honour system. Its most unusual feature is that it can consume a linked ChatGPT or X Premium+/SuperGrok subscription, charging no Amp token fee on top and using that subscription's own limits instead. A human may hold at most two subscriptions.
Claude Code
Anthropic's first-party coding agent
Claude Code is Anthropic's first-party coding agent, running as a CLI, as IDE extensions and inside claude.ai. It is proprietary — the public repository is not OSI-licensed. It runs on a Claude Pro or Max subscription or on a pay-as-you-go API key, and it can be pointed at third-party models by aiming ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL at a lab coding-plan key from Z.ai, Alibaba or Moonshot. On a subscription its quota is shared with claude.ai chat, so conversation and coding compete for the same 5-hour and weekly pools.
Bottom line
Amp is built for running many agents at once, and it is the only product here that can bill against a ChatGPT or X subscription you already pay for. Choose Amp if running many agents in parallel is your actual workflow, not an occasional need; choose Claude Code if you want the strongest single-agent editing quality.
Pricing
| Feature | Amp | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Price/mo | Megawatt $20 · Gigawatt $200 · Education $10 | Included with Claude Pro ($20) or Max ($100/$200); or API pay-as-you-go |
| Intro promo | None published | Via the Pro annual plan |
| Billing shape | Mixed — orb hours plus agent usage, or unconstrained pay-as-you-go | Quota on a subscription, or per-token on an API key |
Models & Context
| Feature | Amp | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Models included | Frontier models through Amp, or through a linked ChatGPT or X Premium+ subscription | Claude family; third-party labs via ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL and a coding-plan key |
| Context window | Not published | 200K on individual plans |
Limits & Overage
| Feature | Amp | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Limits (5h / weekly / monthly) | 750 orb hours + $20 of agent usage (Megawatt); 1,000 xxlarge orb hours + $200 (Gigawatt) | Shared with claude.ai chat on a subscription; none on an API key |
| What happens past the cap | Add paid credits until the monthly replenish, or move to the unconstrained path | Wait for reset, upgrade, or enable usage credits at API rates |
| Parallel-agent friendly | Yes — parallel agents in orbs is the core pitch | Limited on a subscription — every terminal shares one pool |
Access & Lock-in
| Feature | Amp | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Host agents & IDEs supported | Amp agent and orbs; a team workspace can pay for members' subscriptions | CLI, IDE extensions, claude.ai |
| Gives you an API key | BYOK on the unconstrained path | Yes on the API path; the subscription itself does not mint one |
| Can drive a third-party agent | Uniquely reversed — Amp can consume a linked ChatGPT or X Premium+ seat with no Amp token fee | It is the harness — but the subscription cannot drive a different one |
| Payment / region friction | Refund is the current month minus actual usage; maximum two subscriptions per human | Cards; tax extra |
Verdict at a glance
| Feature | Amp | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Running many agents at once, optionally on a subscription you already pay for | The strongest first-party agentic coding harness |
Parallelism and billing
| Feature | Amp | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Built for parallel agents | Yes — orbs are the core abstraction | No — terminals share one pool |
| Can consume another vendor's subscription | Yes — linked ChatGPT or X Premium+, no Amp token fee | ✗ |
| Included allowance | 750 orb hours + $20 usage (Megawatt) | Whatever your Claude plan grants |
| Subscriptions per person | Maximum two | One |
| Refund policy | Current month minus actual usage | Per Anthropic's terms |
The Verdict
Choose Amp if...
- ✓Running many agents in parallel is your actual workflow, not an occasional need
- ✓You already pay for ChatGPT or X Premium+ and want Amp to use that seat with no extra token fee
- ✓Cloud orb hours — 750 on Megawatt, 1,000 xxlarge on Gigawatt — are what you need
- ✓You want an unconstrained pay-as-you-go path with BYOK when the subscription runs out
- ✓A team workspace paying for members' subscriptions fits how you are organised
Choose Claude Code if...
- ✓You want the strongest single-agent editing quality
- ✓You want it local, in your terminal, against your working tree
- ✓You are already paying for Claude Pro or Max and the agent is included
- ✓You want to point it at GLM, Qwen or Kimi coding-plan keys via ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL
- ✓One agent doing one thing well beats many agents doing several things
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Amp and Claude Code?
Amp sells parallel agents running in cloud 'orbs': Megawatt at $20 (750 orb hours plus $20 of agent usage) and Gigawatt at $200 (1,000 xxlarge orb hours plus $200 of agent usage), with an unconstrained pay-as-you-go path and $10/month education pricing on the honour system. Claude Code is Anthropic's first-party coding agent, running as a CLI, as IDE extensions and inside claude.ai.
How much do Amp and Claude Code cost?
Amp: Megawatt $20 · Gigawatt $200 · Education $10. Claude Code: Included with Claude Pro ($20) or Max ($100/$200); or API pay-as-you-go. See the pricing table above for full plan details.
Should I choose Amp or Claude Code?
Choose Amp if running many agents in parallel is your actual workflow, not an occasional need. Choose Claude Code if you want the strongest single-agent editing quality.
1DevToolOne window, every agent you're paying for
Whichever seat wins here, you end up locked to one vendor's harness — and most of these subscriptions are contractually barred from driving anything else. 1DevTool runs Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cline, OpenCode and Gemini CLI side by side in persistent terminals, so you can put each subscription behind the agent it's actually licensed for and switch between them without switching windows. It adds an HTTP client, a 13-engine database client and an embedded browser too. One-time $29, no subscription.