Amp vs IBM Bob
Amp
ampcode.comIBM Bob
bob.ibm.comSide by side
| Figure | Amp | IBM Bob |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $20/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 6 | 7 |
| Spec score · AI Coding Assistants | 9.1 (#12) | 7.9 (#67) |
| Coding agent | Yes | Yes |
| Chat assistance | Yes | Yes |
| Codebase indexing | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Supported IDEs | VS Code,Cursor,Windsurf,Zed,Neovim; deprecated JetBrains integration | IBM Bob IDE |
| Terminal access | Yes | Yes |
Plans
Amp
- Megawatt$20 a month
- GigawattPrice not published
- HobbyFree
- TeamsFree
- Individual (Megawatt/Gigawatt)$20 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
IBM Bob
- TrialPrice not published
- Pro$20 a month
- Pro+$60 a month
- Ultra$200 a month
- Java Modernization$20 a month
- IBM i$40 a month
- IBM ZPrice not published
In their own words
Amp
Amp is a coding agent and development environment for work across local machines, cloud orbs, and connected runners. An orb is a cloud machine created for a thread, where the agent can use a project, tools, and plugins. Amp offers chat assistance, codebase indexing, and terminal access, and uses different models for different tasks, including GPT-5.6 and Claude Fable 5.1. Its CLI connects to VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Zed, and Neovim; the JetBrains integration is deprecated. Threads can be saved and shared, with workspace threads shared with the team by default. GitHub integration can clone private repositories, push branches, open pull requests, and read CI status subject to the connected account’s access. Amp supports local and remote MCP servers. In Slack, users can send requests to a personal Puck by mentioning @Amp. Amp lists a free Hobby plan for public and private repositories and a Megawatt plan at $20 a month, including 45,000 minutes of orb time and unlimited public and private repositories. Amp says it does not offer self-hosted deployment, though users can bring their own model-provider API keys.