Sustainable free Opus 4.5 via ads. The only ad-supported frontier coding agent: $10/day grant covers ~2M input tokens or ~400K output tokens of Claude Opus 4.5—daily refresh, no credit card, no expiration.
Why This Tool
Most free AI coding tools have catch-22s: credits expire, previews end, or you get a lesser model. AMP’s ad-supported tier is different: predictable daily Opus 4.5 access that renews every 24 hours, no credit card required, no expiration anxiety.
The sustainable advantage:
- $10/day grant: Covers ~2M input tokens or ~400K output tokens of Opus 4.5
- Daily refresh: Quota resets every 24 hours—stackable if you plan ahead
- Non-intrusive ads: Banner ads only from DevTools companies (Axiom, Chainguard, Vanta)—no video pre-rolls
- No credit card: Unlike Kiro, you don’t need to hand over payment info
- No preview uncertainty: Unlike Antigravity, this isn’t a “terms may change” situation
The trade-off: Ads in your development environment. For some, this is unacceptable. For others, it’s a fair price for $200/month model access.
What You Get
Free Tier: Ad-Supported
Daily Grant: $10/day (resets every 24 hours)
| Model | Input Tokens | Output Tokens | Cost per 1M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.5 | ~2,000,000 | ~400,000 | $5 in / $25 out |
| GPT-5.2 | ~5,700,000 | ~2,000,000 | $1.75 in / $5 out |
| Claude Sonnet 4 | ~3,300,000 | ~1,400,000 | $3 in / $7 out |
| Fast models | ~10,000,000+ | ~5,000,000+ | $0.50-$1/1M |
What this means in practice:
- ~50-100 complex coding requests with Opus 4.5 per day (depending on output length)
- ~200-300 smaller tasks with Sonnet or GPT-5.2
- All agentic features included — Full edit-test-loop capabilities
- 200K context window — Full codebase awareness
- Thread sharing — Collaborate with team members
Best for: Developers who want sustainable, ongoing Opus 4.5 access without managing credits or worrying about preview terms changing. Heavy enough for daily professional use if you manage the quota.
Alternative: $10/Day Grant (Same Tier)
The free tier IS the $10/day grant—there’s no separate signup. The grant mechanics:
- Automatic model selection — AMP picks the right model for each task
- Smart mode — Uses Opus 4.5 for complex tasks, cheaper models for simple edits
- Rush mode — Faster, cheaper—good for straightforward edits
Best for: Users who trust AMP’s routing vs. manually selecting models.
The Ad-Supported Model: Innovation or Intrusion?
AMP’s ad-supported approach is unique in frontier AI coding tools—and controversial.
How the Ad Model Works
What you see:
- Banner ads at the bottom of the editor and CLI interface
- Advertisers are DevTools companies: Axiom, Chainguard, Vanta, WorkOS
- No code snippets shared with ad partners (confirmed by CEO Quinn Slack)
The math that makes it work:
- Direct Opus 4.5 API cost: ~$15-30/day for typical usage
- AMP’s ad-supported cost to you: $0 (ads subsidize the difference)
- Your attention value: ~$10-20/day to advertisers in the DevTools space
The Controversy
Privacy concerns (partially resolved):
| Issue | Original Policy | Current Policy (Jan 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Training data opt-in | Required for free tier | Removed — no longer required |
| Thread storage | Sourcegraph servers | Still required (for collaboration) |
| Enterprise use | Allowed | Disabled — compliance restriction |
Developer sentiment:
- Pro: “Kind of fascinating… could quickly become appealing once we collectively realize the untenable costs of true agentic coding” — Kaushik Gopal, Instacart Principal Engineer
- Con: “Ads in my IDE feels wrong. I pay to remove ads everywhere else—why would I invite them into my workflow?”
The verdict: The ad model is polarizing but functional. Training data opt-in removal (Jan 2026) addressed the biggest privacy concern. Enterprise teams still need paid workspaces.
Why It Matters for the Industry
AMP is testing a hypothesis: Can ad-supported models sustainably fund frontier AI access?
- If successful: Expect copycats. Free tiers could shift from “loss leader” to “ad-supported” across the industry.
- If failed: Validates subscription models. Proves developers won’t tolerate ads in professional tools.
Either outcome shapes how you access AI coding tools in 2026-2027.
The Setup
- Visit ampcode.com
- Select “Free Tier (Ad-Supported)”
- Sign up for free account (no credit card)
- Install VS Code extension or use web interface
- Daily $10 quota applied automatically
- Open a project and describe what you want:
"Add user authentication with JWT tokens" - AMP implements it autonomously
Time to first agentic workflow: 5 minutes
The Catch
Daily Limits Are Real
$10/day sounds generous until you hit it:
- Heavy Opus 4.5 sessions (long outputs) burn through quota fast
- Complex refactoring can consume 50-100K output tokens = $1.25-2.50
- 10-20 complex requests per day is realistic, not unlimited
Quota management required:
- Check remaining balance with
amp status - Switch to “rush” mode for cheaper tasks
- Plan intensive work across multiple days
Ads Are Present (Obviously)
Non-intrusive but there:
- Banner ads don’t interrupt workflow
- Still: you’re looking at ads while coding
- Alternative if you can’t tolerate ads: Antigravity (free, no ads, preview status)
Enterprise Restrictions
Free tier disabled for enterprise workspaces:
- Compliance teams can’t use ad-supported model
- Thread storage on Sourcegraph servers may violate policies
- Enterprise path: Paid workspaces only
Model Availability Caveats
Daily allocation means pacing:
- Morning Opus 4.5 binge → afternoon throttling to cheaper models
- Quota shared across all models (not per-model limits)
- Heavy users will hit the cap consistently
Competitive Positioning: How AMP Stacks Up
Free Tier Comparison
| Tool | Free Access | Model | Credit Card | Ads | Sustainability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMP | $10/day (~400K Opus out) | Opus 4.5 | No | Yes | Ongoing |
| Antigravity | Session-limited | Opus 4.5 | No | No | Preview (uncertain) |
| Kiro | 500 credits/month | Sonnet 4.5 only | Yes | No | 30-day expiry |
| OpenCode Zen | Unlimited* | Kimi k2.5 | No | No | Ongoing |
| Kilo Code | BYOK only | Your keys | No | No | Depends on your API |
Key differentiator: AMP is the only tool offering sustainable, ongoing Opus 4.5 access (the $200/month model) without subscription. The ad trade-off is explicit and functional.
vs Paid Alternatives
| Tool | Monthly Cost | Opus 4.5 | Key Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMP (daily max) | $0 | ~400K tokens/day | Free, sustainable |
| Claude Pro | $20/mo | Limited | Official Anthropic, no ads |
| Claude Max | $200/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited Opus 4.5, no ads |
| Cursor Pro | $20/mo | Via API | Full IDE experience |
| Cursor Business | $40/mo | Via API | Team features |
Break-even analysis:
- If you use <400K Opus 4.5 output tokens/month → AMP is cheaper than Claude Pro ($20)
- If you use >12M Opus 4.5 output tokens/month → Claude Max ($200) is cheaper
- Most developers: AMP covers 80-90% of needs for $0
When to Choose What
Choose AMP if:
- You want ongoing Opus 4.5 without subscription
- You can tolerate banner ads
- Your usage is sporadic (<$10/day equivalent)
- You value thread sharing/collaboration
Choose Antigravity if:
- You can’t tolerate any ads
- You accept preview status uncertainty
- You want Google’s ecosystem
Choose Claude Pro if:
- You need enterprise compliance
- Ads are a non-starter
- You want official Anthropic support
Choose Claude Max if:
- You consistently exceed $10/day usage
- Unlimited Opus 4.5 is essential
- Cost is secondary to workflow
Where Next
Hit your daily $10 limit? → Switch to rush mode for cheaper processing → Antigravity — Free Opus 4.5 with different limits (no ads) → OpenCode Zen — Free Kimi k2.5 (different model, no ads) → Upgrade to Claude Pro ($20/mo) for predictable unlimited
Want no ads at all? → Antigravity — Free Opus 4.5, no ads (public preview) → OpenCode Zen — Free Kimi k2.5, no ads (different model) → Claude Pro ($20/mo) — Official, no ads
Need more control over implementation? → OpenCode Zen — Direct model access, you steer every change → Claude Code — Terminal-native, direct Anthropic access
Want VS Code native integration? → Cursor — $20/mo, full IDE experience, no ads → Kilo Code — BYOK mode for flexibility
Enterprise/compliance requirements? → Claude Pro/Max — Enterprise-grade terms → Self-hosted options — Full control, BYOK
Best Use Cases
Perfect for:
- Refactoring mature codebases (Opus 4.5 excels here)
- Adding features to existing projects
- Test-driven development (AMP writes tests + implementation)
- Learning from AI implementation patterns
- Daily coding with predictable Opus 4.5 access
- Teams who want thread sharing without setup
Not ideal for:
- Greenfield projects (too many decisions to automate)
- Highly specific implementation requirements
- Real-time pair programming feel
- Users who can’t tolerate any ads
- Enterprise environments (compliance restrictions)
- Consistently heavy usage (>400K output tokens/day)
The Free Tier Landscape: February 2026
Your options for Opus 4.5-level reasoning:
| Option | Cost | Model | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMP | $0 | Opus 4.5 | Ads, $10/day |
| Antigravity | $0 | Opus 4.5 | Preview status |
| Kiro | $0 | Sonnet 4.5 only | 500 credits, 30 days |
| OpenCode Zen | $0 | Kimi k2.5 | ~95% of Opus capability |
The reality: You can get frontier-level AI coding without paying—but each option has trade-offs. AMP’s trade-off is ads for sustainability. That’s a viable choice for many developers.
Related Resources
Value & Pricing:
- Free Frontier Stack — Complete free tier guide with all options
- Smart Spend Guide — When to upgrade from free to paid
- Compare Models — Budget, mid-range, premium tier breakdowns
Alternative Tools:
- Antigravity — Free Opus 4.5 without ads (preview)
- OpenCode Zen — Free Kimi k2.5, no ads
- Kiro — 500 credits for Sonnet 4.5 (no Opus on free)
- Kilo Code — BYOK mode
Model Deep Dives:
- Claude Opus 4.5 — Capabilities and benchmarks
- Kimi k2.5 — Alternative free tier model
Industry Analysis:
- Kimi k2.5 Pricing Strategy — Why free tiers exist and where they’re heading
- Codex vs Claude vs Kimi Comparison — Agent tool landscape
Last verified: February 3, 2026
Sources: ampcode.com/manual, ampcode.com/chronicle, tessl.io/blog/amp-ad-model