Quick Verdict
Both are commercial — polished UX, paid support, but vendor dependency.
Pricing
| Cursor | AmpCode | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $20-200/mo | Pay-as-you-go (free tier ~$10/day) |
| Open source | No ❌ | No ❌ |
| Best for | Daily interactive coding | Unconstrained agentic coding with multi-model routing |
Open Source vs Commercial
The open source vs commercial debate matters more for coding agents than most tools because your agent has access to everything.
Cursor is built for daily interactive coding. It’s a commercial product with $20-200/mo pricing. SWE-bench: 91.2%
AmpCode is built for unconstrained agentic coding with multi-model routing. It’s a commercial product with Pay-as-you-go (free tier ~$10/day) pricing.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Cursor | AmpCode |
|---|
Pros & Cons
Cursor
Pros:
- Best editor experience
- Fast inline editing
- Composer for multi-file
Cons:
- Closed source
- VS Code fork lock-in
AmpCode
Pros:
- Multi-model routing
- Unconstrained token usage
- Free daily credits
Cons:
- Pay-as-you-go costs unpredictable
- Free tier closed to new signups
Verdict
Both are commercial — polished UX, paid support, but vendor dependency.
Cursor is recommended for: Everyday interactive development and quick edits AmpCode is recommended for: Maximum capability, variable billing
For a full overview of all 15 agents, see the Complete Guide to AI Coding Agents.