Amp vs Grok Build — Code-Intelligence CLI or xAI Terminal Agent?

Amp and Grok Build both compete as terminal-native coding agents, but they optimize different desks. Amp is Sourcegraph’s agentic coding tool for local and remote threads — codebase-aware edits plus Orbs remote machines and Dial mode switching. Grok Build is xAI’s terminal-first coding agent with TUI/CLI controls, subagents, worktrees, headless runs, and cross-session Memory. Use Amp when you want Sourcegraph-line code intelligence plus Orbs/Dial workflows. Use Grok Build when you want an xAI-native shell agent. Existing aicoolies Scores: Amp overall 85, speed 87, privacy 83, developer experience 84 (Score date 2026-03-25); Grok Build overall 82, speed 84, privacy 72, developer experience 80 (Score date 2026-05-28). Choose on product shape and ecosystem fit first; the scoreboard is secondary review evidence with those dates.

analyzed by Raşit Akyol September 17, 2026 updated September 28, 2026

Ampwinner Grok Build

Amp reviewGrok Build review

Verdict

Prefer Amp when you want Sourcegraph-line code intelligence with Orbs and Dial as the current remote/mode surface. Prefer Grok Build when you want an xAI terminal agent with subagents, worktrees, and Memory. Score references stay as published: Amp overall 85 (Score date 2026-03-25); Grok Build overall 82 (Score date 2026-05-28). Product shape decides; the scoreboard is secondary. Our pick: Amp.

Quick Comparison

Feature	Amp	Grok Build
Pricing	Amp pricing (vendor_documented, as-of 2026-09-17): free Hobby tier with all product features, pay-as-you-go orbs or free own Runners, and BYOK / linked ChatGPT (and other) subscriptions with no Amp token fees or limits on non-Enterprise tiers. Self-hosted orbs (your own compute via amp orb provider) are free for individuals and teams; Enterprise workspaces pay standard orb pricing for them from October 29, 2026. Optional Individual plans: Megawatt $20/month and Gigawatt $200/month, each bundling included agent usage and orb minutes (vendor Individual cards describe ~45,000 minutes of orb time). Teams workspaces add sharing and pooled credits at no extra workspace fee; members can sit on Hobby, Megawatt, or Gigawatt. Enterprise is custom (SCIM, audit/network controls, pooled credits, priority support).	Commercial AI coding agent by xAI. Interactive terminal CLI access is included with SuperGrok ($30/mo) or X Premium+ ($40/mo) subscriptions. Headless and programmatic access is available via metered pay-as-you-go xAI API token billing.
Pricing Model	Freemium	Paid
Platforms	CLI (macOS, Linux, WSL), VS Code	CLI for macOS, Linux, and Windows via bash/WSL-style install; supports interactive TUI and headless single-prompt runs.
Open Source	No	No
Telemetry	Clean	Clean
Status	Active	Active
Editorial Pick	—	—
Last Verified	Oct 22, 2026	Aug 26, 2026
Description	Amp is a multi-model coding agent for terminal, web, macOS/iOS, and IDE-connected workflows. Vendor docs describe the same agent and threads across surfaces, with remote Orbs (incl. self-hosted), local Runners, Dial modes (low / medium / high / ultra), shared threads, MCP, plugins, and BYOK / linked ChatGPT subscriptions. Pricing spans a free Hobby tier, optional Megawatt ($20/mo) and Gigawatt ($200/mo) Individual plans, no-extra-charge Teams workspaces, pay-as-you-go credits, and Enterprise.	Grok Build is xAI’s terminal-first coding agent for planning, editing, testing, and reviewing code from a local CLI. It exposes subagent controls, worktree mode, headless JSON output, best-of-N parallel attempts, sandbox profiles, and cross-session Memory (/memory, /dream) for durable project conventions and facts. It fits developers comparing Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI for local agentic workflows with deeper parallel execution.

Ampwinner

Pricing: Amp pricing (vendor_documented, as-of 2026-09-17): free Hobby tier with all product features, pay-as-you-go orbs or free own Runners, and BYOK / linked ChatGPT (and other) subscriptions with no Amp token fees or limits on non-Enterprise tiers. Self-hosted orbs (your own compute via amp orb provider) are free for individuals and teams; Enterprise workspaces pay standard orb pricing for them from October 29, 2026. Optional Individual plans: Megawatt $20/month and Gigawatt $200/month, each bundling included agent usage and orb minutes (vendor Individual cards describe ~45,000 minutes of orb time). Teams workspaces add sharing and pooled credits at no extra workspace fee; members can sit on Hobby, Megawatt, or Gigawatt. Enterprise is custom (SCIM, audit/network controls, pooled credits, priority support).
Pricing Model: Freemium
Platforms: CLI (macOS, Linux, WSL), VS Code
Open Source: No
Telemetry: Clean
Status: Active
Editorial Pick: —
Last Verified: Oct 22, 2026
Description: Amp is a multi-model coding agent for terminal, web, macOS/iOS, and IDE-connected workflows. Vendor docs describe the same agent and threads across surfaces, with remote Orbs (incl. self-hosted), local Runners, Dial modes (low / medium / high / ultra), shared threads, MCP, plugins, and BYOK / linked ChatGPT subscriptions. Pricing spans a free Hobby tier, optional Megawatt ($20/mo) and Gigawatt ($200/mo) Individual plans, no-extra-charge Teams workspaces, pay-as-you-go credits, and Enterprise.

Grok Build

Pricing: Commercial AI coding agent by xAI. Interactive terminal CLI access is included with SuperGrok ($30/mo) or X Premium+ ($40/mo) subscriptions. Headless and programmatic access is available via metered pay-as-you-go xAI API token billing.
Pricing Model: Paid
Platforms: CLI for macOS, Linux, and Windows via bash/WSL-style install; supports interactive TUI and headless single-prompt runs.
Open Source: No
Telemetry: Clean
Status: Active
Editorial Pick: —
Last Verified: Aug 26, 2026
Description: Grok Build is xAI’s terminal-first coding agent for planning, editing, testing, and reviewing code from a local CLI. It exposes subagent controls, worktree mode, headless JSON output, best-of-N parallel attempts, sandbox profiles, and cross-session Memory (/memory, /dream) for durable project conventions and facts. It fits developers comparing Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI for local agentic workflows with deeper parallel execution.

AmpAmp pricing Amp alternatives
Grok BuildGrok Build pricing Grok Build alternatives

What each product actually is

Amp centers large-repo agentic edits with a commercial freemium desk that now spans local threads and remote Orbs. Dial selects capability modes; Orbs run unsupervised remote agents you can still steer.

Grok Build centers an xAI shell loop: plan/edit/test/review in the CLI/TUI with subagents, worktree-aware automation, and Memory notes that persist across sessions.

Current surfaces (vendor-documented)

Amp (since the 2026-03-25 score date): Agents in Orbs (remote unsupervised machines; Jun 2026); event-driven Orbs via webhooks (Jul 2026); Dial customization — tune builtin modes and place custom plugin agents on the Dial (Sep 2026); custom agents via Plugin API. Pricing posture on aicoolies already covers Megawatt/Gigawatt/orbs — keep catalog language unless vendor pages diverge at PATCH time. Sources: https://ampcode.com/news/agents-in-orbs · https://ampcode.com/news/event-driven-orbs · https://ampcode.com/news/build-your-own-dial · https://ampcode.com/docs/orbs/getting-started

Grok Build (since the 2026-05-28 score date): Memory — background durable notes with /memory and /dream (Sep 2026); continued CLI UX — /workflow pause/stop, fuller bash output, headless timeouts, hooks/dashboard/MCP hardening. Sources: https://x.ai/news/grok-build-memory · https://x.ai/build/changelog

Scoreboard (from existing reviews)

Amp (Score dated 2026-03-25): overall 85, speed 87, privacy 83, developer experience 84.

Grok Build (Score dated 2026-05-28): overall 82, speed 84, privacy 72, developer experience 80.

These figures come from the existing aicoolies reviews for each tool. On those published totals Amp leads across overall, speed, privacy, and developer experience. Prefer fit and current product surfaces (Orbs/Dial vs Memory / shell workflow); use the table as supporting Score references with the dates above.

Workflow

Choose Amp for codebase-intelligent local threads plus remote Orbs and Dial modes. Choose Grok Build for xAI terminal sessions with subagents, worktrees, and Memory.

Ecosystem and billing

Amp: freemium Megawatt/Gigawatt-style tiers + orb usage (catalog). Grok Build: SuperGrok / X Premium+ interactive CLI + metered xAI API headless. Cite catalog/vendor; no invented plan math.