Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Amp vs Grok Build vs Zed
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Developers and engineering teams working on large codebases who want agents running in the background, not tied to their laptop.
Pick it if: Developers who already pay for an X Subscription or Grok and want a Claude Code-style agent included in it.
Pick it if: Developers who want a fast editor and already pay for Claude or another AI provider.
Overview
| Attribute | Amp | Grok Build | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A coding agent that keeps working on remote machines after you close your laptop. | xAI's open-source terminal coding agent, included in every paid X Subscription plan. | A fast, free, open-source code editor that runs Claude Code and other AI agents inside it. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $8/mo | $10/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Amp | Grok Build | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.3Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 5.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Amp | Grok Build | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | – |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | – | Yes |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | – | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 13/ 17 | 9/ 17 | 11/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Amp | Grok Build | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | HobbyOur pick Free Developers with their own model subscription or keys. | X Subscription Plus $8/mo Trying Grok Build alongside Grok and X Premium. | PersonalOur pick Free Almost everyone. |
Megawatt $20/mo Individuals who want Amp to host the machines. | X Subscription PremiumOur pick $30/mo Developers who use Grok most days. | Pro $10/mo People who want Zed's hosted AI without managing keys. | |
Gigawatt $200/mo Heavy users running many big jobs. | Super / Ultra $100/mo or $200/mo Heavy users running agents all day. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams that need spending and access controls. | |
Enterprise Custom Large companies with security and compliance needs. | xAI API Pay as you go CI pipelines and people who prefer paying per use. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Start on Hobby and link a ChatGPT or Claude subscription you already pay for. Move to Megawatt at $20 a month only when you want Amp to host the machines so tasks run while you're away. Teams can create a workspace at no extra charge. | If you already pay for X, try it on the plan you have. Premium at $30 a month is the sensible level for regular coding, but if you're choosing a coding agent from scratch, Claude Code or Codex are the safer picks today. Plans changed on 12 October 2026, so check x.ai before you buy. | Personal. If you have Claude Pro, run Claude Code inside Zed and you are done. Pro only makes sense if you want Zed's built-in assistant and edit predictions without setting up API keys. |
Key features
| Attribute | Amp | Grok Build | Zed |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Amp | Grok Build | Zed |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Amp | Grok Build | Zed |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Amp, Grok Build or Zed?
Zed scores highest overall in our ratings (Amp 4.0/5, Grok Build 3.5/5 and Zed 4.3/5). Amp is best for running several coding tasks in the background at once and working on big, messy codebases. Grok Build is best for X Subscription users who want a coding agent included and Trying Grok models on real coding work. Zed is best for Running Claude Code inside an editor and speed on big projects.
Which is cheaper, Amp, Grok Build or Zed?
Amp: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Grok Build: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $8/mo. Zed: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/mo.
Which is easier to use, Amp, Grok Build or Zed?
Zed rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Developers who want a fast editor and already pay for Claude or another AI provider.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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