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

Amp and Grok Build both compete as terminal-native AI coding agents, but they optimize different strengths. Amp is a Sourcegraph-line agentic CLI aimed at precise changes in large repositories via codebase intelligence. Grok Build is xAI's terminal-first coding agent with planning controls, subagents, worktree-aware automation, and headless output. Scores below come only from existing aicoolies reviews: Amp overall 85, speed 87, privacy 83, developer experience 84 (tested 2026-03-25); Grok Build overall 82, speed 84, privacy 72, developer experience 80 (tested 2026-05-28). This page does not claim a new head-to-head re-test.

analyzed by Raşit Akyol September 17, 2026

Ampwinner Grok Build

Amp reviewGrok Build review

Verdict

Amp is the better default for terminal-first developers who want the dated Score v1 lead on overall, speed, privacy, and DX (tested 2026-03-25). Grok Build is the better fit when you want an xAI terminal agent with subagents and worktree-aware automation (overall 82, tested 2026-05-28). Neither score set is a fresh dual re-test; both dates belong on the live page. Our pick: Amp.

community face-off

Who do you use in production?

2 community upvotes

Amp 50% (1)Grok Build 50% (1)

What each product actually is

Amp's published review frames a terminal-native agent that reasons about large repositories before editing — precision as the product thesis, not spray-and-pray patches. Related web/IDE-connected surfaces may appear in current product marketing; the Score v1 artifact remains the large-repo CLI story.

Grok Build's review frames a shell-native xAI agent: TUI and headless prompts, planning controls, subagents, permission rules, and parallel implementation attempts with worktree awareness. It is less of an OpenAI-style multi-surface desk and more of a terminal automation stack for SuperGrok / X Premium+ or xAI API buyers.

Scoreboard with dates (no re-test)

Amp (tested 2026-03-25): overall 85, speed 87, privacy 83, developer experience 84 (v0.9.4).

Grok Build (tested 2026-05-28): overall 82, speed 84, privacy 72, developer experience 80 (v0.9.4).

Amp leads every published Score v1 dimension in these two reviews. Both dates belong on the live page; do not collapse them into a fake matched session. On the related Codex vs Grok Build page, Score v1 overall still favors Grok Build while the editorial winner is Codex for multi-surface breadth — that is a different axis from this Amp comparison.

Workflow — large-repo precision vs parallel shell automation

Choose Amp when the daily loop is terminal-first edits against complex systems and you want the dated Score v1 lead on overall and speed (85 / 87, tested 2026-03-25). The Amp review's "tool to beat for large codebases in the shell" framing is the fit signal.

Choose Grok Build when you want xAI-native terminal automation with subagents and worktrees, and you accept an earlier-stage upside profile (overall 82, tested 2026-05-28). Peer pages Amp vs Codex and Codex vs Grok Build already map the OpenAI corner of the triangle; this page closes the Amp ↔ Grok edge.

Ecosystem and billing posture

Amp is a commercial freemium CLI with monthly usage tiers and pay-as-you-go options described in the catalog. Grok Build interactive access is described as included with SuperGrok or X Premium+, with headless/programmatic paths on metered xAI API usage. Cite catalog summaries; do not invent new plan math.

Ecosystem is the hard filter: Sourcegraph/Amp commercial stack vs xAI subscriptions and API. Score v1 does not replace that buying constraint.

Who should pick which — and the winner guide

Pick Amp if you want the Score v1 overall lead (85 vs 82) and a code-intelligence terminal agent for large repos. Pick Grok Build if xAI terminal agents with subagent/worktree parallelism are the constraint.

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. 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	✓ Recommended	✓ Recommended
Last Verified	Sep 17, 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, 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. The early beta exposes subagent controls, worktree mode, headless JSON output, best-of-N parallel attempts, sandbox profiles, and experimental memory. 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. 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: ✓ Recommended
Last Verified: Sep 17, 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, 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: ✓ Recommended
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. The early beta exposes subagent controls, worktree mode, headless JSON output, best-of-N parallel attempts, sandbox profiles, and experimental memory. It fits developers comparing Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI for local agentic workflows with deeper parallel execution.

More comparisons

Codex vs Grok Build — OpenAI Multi-Surface Agent or xAI Terminal CLI?

Codex and Grok Build both compete as AI CLI / coding agents, but they start from different stacks. Codex is OpenAI's coding agent across the Codex app, editor, terminal, and cloud tasks — often used to delegate multi-step work, run parallel agent workflows, and review results in ChatGPT-connected surfaces. Grok Build is xAI's terminal-first coding agent for planning, editing, testing, and reviewing from a local CLI, with subagent controls and worktree-aware automation. Scores below come only from existing aicoolies reviews: Codex overall 80, speed 72, privacy 68, developer experience 79 (tested 2026-03-25); Grok Build overall 82, speed 84, privacy 72, developer experience 80 (tested 2026-05-28). This page does not claim a new head-to-head re-test. Grok Build still leads the dated Score v1 overall and speed columns; the editorial winner below is the OpenAI multi-surface fit, not a claim that Codex beat those Score v1 totals.

Codex Grok Build

Amp vs Cline — Terminal Code Intelligence or Open-Source VS Code Agent?

Amp and Cline both deliver agentic coding help, but they live in different shells. Amp is a multi-surface coding agent with a strong terminal/CLI path: local Runners, remote Orbs, Dial modes (low / medium / high / ultra), multi-model routing, shared threads, and IDE-connected follow-up across web and apps. Cline is an Apache-2.0 open-source coding agent runtime for VS Code (also desktop/CLI/SDK surfaces in current vendor marketing) that reads and edits files, runs commands, and asks for explicit approval unless you enable auto-approve, on a bring-your-own-key / open-model path. Scores below come only from existing aicoolies reviews — both tested 2026-03-25: Amp overall 85, speed 87, privacy 83, developer experience 84; Cline overall 84, speed 78, privacy 88, developer experience 86. This page does not claim a new head-to-head re-test. Keep both dates explicit in the live body.

Amp Cline

Amp vs Codex — Terminal Code Intelligence or OpenAI Multi-Surface Agent?

Amp and Codex both compete on the AI CLI / coding-agent shelf, but they start from different stacks. Amp is Sourcegraph's terminal-native agentic coding tool, built to navigate and change large repositories with codebase intelligence. Codex is OpenAI's coding agent across the Codex app, editor, terminal, and cloud tasks, with ChatGPT-plan managed surfaces and API-key paths for CLI, SDK, and IDE workflows. Scores below come only from existing aicoolies reviews — both tested 2026-03-25: Amp overall 85, speed 87, privacy 83, developer experience 84; Codex overall 80, speed 72, privacy 68, developer experience 79. This page does not claim a new head-to-head re-test.

Amp Codex

Grok Build vs OpenCode — xAI Parallel Terminal Agent or Open-Source CLI?

Grok Build and OpenCode both run as terminal-first agentic coding tools, but they optimize for different constraints. Grok Build is xAI’s commercial CLI with plan mode, subagents, worktree-aware automation, and parallel implementation attempts. OpenCode is an MIT-licensed terminal agent from the SST team with a polished TUI, broad provider support, and no software license fee. This comparison is for developers choosing between an xAI-native automation lane and an open, provider-agnostic CLI. Hands-on evidence for the scores below comes from existing aicoolies reviews: Grok Build was tested on 2026-05-28 (v0.9.4); OpenCode was tested on 2026-09-05 (v0.9.8). This page does not claim a new head-to-head re-test.

Grok Build OpenCode

Sources & verification

Verification dates are editorial checks. Routine CMS saves and automatic updatedAt timestamps do not advance them.