Aider vs AmpUpdated 2026-03-16

SUMMARY

Aider (CLI) uses markdown configuration while Amp (CLI) uses markdown. They differ on 2 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.

FEATURE COMPARISON

FeatureAiderAmp
Config formatmarkdownmarkdown
Hierarchy support
Global config
Project config
Subdirectory scoping
File inclusion / imports
Ignore file.aiderignore
IDE integrationCLICLI
Schema / structureFree-form (Markdown)Free-form (Markdown)
Git committed
EncodingUTF-8UTF-8

FILE MAPPING

PurposeAiderAmp
Settings / configuration.aider.conf.ymlsettings.json
Project instructionsCONVENTIONS.mdAGENTS.md

SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES

Aider
CONVENTIONS.md
markdown
# Project Conventions

## Language
- TypeScript strict mode, no `any` types
- Prefer const over let, never use var
- Use template literals over string concatenation

## Architecture
- Feature-based folder structure under src/features/
- Each feature exports through an index.ts barrel file
- Shared utilities go in src/lib/

## Error Handling
- Use Result<T, E> pattern for expected failures
- Throw only for programmer errors
- Always log errors with structured context

## Testing
- Colocate tests next to source files (*.test.ts)
- Use factories for test data, not fixtures
- Integration tests in __tests__/ directories

Amp
AGENTS.md
markdown
# Agent Instructions

## Project Context
Go microservices monorepo using Bazel for builds.

## Build & Test
- Build all: bazel build //...
- Test all: bazel test //...
- Integration tests: docker compose up -d && bazel test //integration/...
- Lint: golangci-lint run ./...

## Code Conventions
- All services follow standard layout in /cmd and /internal
- Use structured logging with slog
- Error wrapping with fmt.Errorf("op: %w", err)
- See @docs/api-style-guide.md for API conventions

## Cross-Repo References
- Shared proto definitions in sourcegraph/proto
- Common Go libraries in sourcegraph/lib

## Security
- Never log sensitive data (tokens, passwords, PII)
- All external inputs must be validated
- Use parameterized queries for database access

KEY DIFFERENCES

1. Hierarchy support

Aider: Not supported. Amp: Supported.

2. Ignore file

Aider: .aiderignore. Amp: Not supported.

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Aider, configure .aider.conf.yml. If you use Amp, configure AGENTS.md. Many projects include config files for multiple tools so each team member can use their preferred editor.

PORTABILITY TIP

sync-instructions.sh
bash
# Maintain a single source of truth:
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md CLAUDE.md
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md .cursorrules
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md AGENTS.md

SEE ALSO

agentconfig.ing2026-03-16COMPARE(1)