Openusage
Free macOS menu bar app to track AI coding tool usage and spending in real time.
OpenUsage fills a real gap for developers juggling multiple AI subscriptions — it's free, open source, and delivers a unified menu bar view of limits and spending. The local API is a standout for power users who want scriptable monitoring. The macOS-only limitation is its biggest hurdle, but if you're on Mac, it's a no-brainer. Recommended over any paid alternative for individual devs and small teams tracking Copilot, Codex, Cursor, Claude, and similar tools.
Verified 1d ago · liveness 75/100 · cite: rightaichoice.com/tools/openusage
- Developers using multiple AI coding assistants on macOS
- Indie makers who want to control subscription costs
- Open source enthusiasts who prefer transparent tools
- Power users needing scriptable usage data via local API
- Windows or Linux users (only macOS 15+)
- Non-developers who don't use AI coding tools
- Users needing real-time control (polls every 2 minutes)
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Skip OpenUsage if you use Windows or Linux, don't use AI coding tools, or need a web-based dashboard accessible from any device.
OpenUsage is completely free and open source — no paid tiers, no subscriptions. This makes it a no-brainer compared to any paid monitoring tool (e.g., $5-10/mo for similar SaaS). For individual developers and small teams, it's unbeatable value. The only cost is your time to set up plugins for unsupported providers.
In short
Openusage — Free macOS menu bar app to track AI coding tool usage and spending in real time. Best for Developers using multiple AI coding assistants on macOS, Indie makers who want to control subscription costs, Open source enthusiasts who prefer transparent tools. Free to use.
What's new in Openusage
Checked yesterdayAcross the latest 2 updates: 2 changelog entries.
What people actually say about Openusage — is it worth it?
We ran a structured research pass across product reviews, community discussions, and post-purchase forum threads to surface the patterns vendors won't publish themselves. Below: the recurring strengths, the hidden costs people mention most, and the cohort that consistently regrets adopting this tool.
20 mentions across 3 sources (Hacker News, YouTube, GitHub) · researched Jul 30, 2026.
- +Free and open source with no signup required.
- +Tracks multiple AI coding tools in one menu bar.
- +Color-coded progress bars for limits at a glance.
- +Local REST API for custom scripts and integrations.
- +Lightweight Swift/SwiftUI app with minimal resource usage.
- −Only compatible with macOS 15+; no official Linux support.
- −Limited community feedback and real-world validation.
- −52 open GitHub issues suggest ongoing stability challenges.
- −Requires manual setup for each supported AI tool.
- −No Windows support at all.
- • None, but requires macOS 15+ and manual configuration for each provider
Viability Score
How well maintained and how widely used is Openusage? Built from what the vendor actually publishes (docs, changelog, tutorials, integrations, pricing), whether the site is live, and how much real users discuss it. How we calculate this
Last calculated: August 2026
How we score →Key Features
- Real-time usage tracking for AI coding tools
- Session, weekly, and monthly limit monitoring
- Token usage and dollar spending display
- Reset timers for each subscription plan
- Plugin-driven provider system for extensibility
- Local REST API at localhost:6736
- JSON endpoints (/v1/usage, /v1/usage/claude)
- Color-coded progress bars for limit status
- Automatic updates every 2 minutes
- Native macOS app (Swift/SwiftUI)
- Open source (MIT license, 48 contributors)
- No account or signup required
- Multiple provider support: Cursor, Claude, Codex, Copilot, Devin, Grok, OpenRouter, Z.ai, Antigravity
- Menu bar display always visible
- Aggregated usage across all providers
About Openusage
OpenUsage is a free, open-source macOS menu bar app that tracks your usage and spending across multiple AI coding tools — Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Devin, Grok, OpenRouter, Z.ai, Antigravity, and more. It displays session limits, weekly resets, monthly token consumption, and dollar spend at a glance. A plugin-driven system lets you add new providers via community contributions. A local REST API at localhost:6736 exposes structured JSON endpoints (/v1/usage, /v1/usage/claude) for integrating into scripts, editors, or status lines. The app is built with Swift/SwiftUI, fully open source (MIT license), requires no account or signup, and runs on macOS 15+. Updates every 2 minutes keep you informed without digging through dashboards.
Behind the Verdict
OpenUsage solves a specific pain point: not knowing when you'll hit rate limits or how much you're spending across multiple AI coding assistants. For developers on macOS 15+, it's a lightweight, native solution that sits quietly in your menu bar. The plugin-driven provider system and open-source codebase mean the tool can grow with the ecosystem. We particularly like the local API — it lets you pipe usage data into your own dashboards, scripts, or editor status bars without any authentication. The color-coded progress bars (green/yellow/red) are intuitive at a glance. On the downside, it's macOS-only, so Windows and Linux users are out of luck. Some providers may not be tracked until a plugin is contributed. The free, open-source nature is a strength, but documentation is minimal (mostly the GitHub repo). For its intended audience — developers using multiple AI coding tools — OpenUsage is excellent, but it won't replace vendor dashboards for detailed analytics or billing history.
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Real-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas Openusage actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
You write code daily with Cursor Ultra and Claude Team. You open OpenUsage from the menu bar to see both at a glance: Cursor Ultra (73% usage left, resets in 18 days) and Claude Team (100% session left, resets in 5 hours). You notice your Cursor API usage hit 0% and you've spent $364.04 extra. You adjust your coding habits to avoid overage charges.
Outcome: You avoid hitting rate limits and control your monthly AI spend without manually checking each vendor's dashboard.
You have team subscriptions for Copilot, Codex, and Claude. OpenUsage shows aggregated spend and limits. You see Claude Team has used 2.3B tokens in 30 days ($2.5K). You set a local script to ping the API and send a Slack alert when any tool reaches 80% of its limit.
Outcome: You proactively manage usage across tools, preventing budget overruns and ensuring the team doesn't get cut off mid-sprint.
You start using a new AI coding tool not yet supported. You fork the OpenUsage repo, add a plugin following the existing pattern, and submit a PR. The maintainers merge it within a week. Now your new tool's usage appears in the menu bar alongside others.
Outcome: You extend OpenUsage to cover all your tools, and the community benefits from your contribution.
Use Cases
- Monitor your Claude Team plan session limit from the menu bar to avoid interruptions during a coding session.
- Track API usage for Cursor Ultra and see when you're approaching the auto/extra usage cap.
- Check daily token spend for multiple AI tools (Codex, Claude, Copilot) in one place without opening dashboards.
- Pipe usage data into your own monitoring scripts via the local REST API at localhost:6736.
- Compare real-time spending across Claude, Codex, and Cursor to optimize subscription costs.
- Set up custom alerts by polling the API from a cron job or status bar widget.
Limitations
- OpenUsage currently only supports macOS 15+.
- It relies on plugin-driven provider implementations, so some newer or less common AI tools may not be tracked until a plugin is created.
- The beta version may have occasional bugs or incomplete features.
- Updates are every 2 minutes, so it's not real-time.
- Documentation is minimal outside the GitHub repo.
as of 2026-07-30
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Plans compared
For each published Openusage tier: who it actually fits, and what it adds vs. the previous tier. Cross-reference the cost calculator above for projected annual outlay.
OpenUsage (Stable)
$0
Ideal for
Developers who want a proven, stable tracking app for their AI coding tools. No cost, no signup.
What this tier adds
Stable channel; includes all core features, local API, and plugin support. Free, open source.
OpenUsage Beta
$0
Ideal for
Early adopters and contributors who want the latest features before stable release. Testers should expect occasional bugs.
What this tier adds
Beta channel (v0.7.7-beta.1 at time of writing); same core tracking and API but with experimental UI and provider updates.
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where Openusage's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
OpenUsage is completely free and open source — no paid tiers, no subscriptions. This makes it a no-brainer compared to any paid monitoring tool (e.g., $5-10/mo for similar SaaS). For individual developers and small teams, it's unbeatable value. The only cost is your time to set up plugins for unsupported providers.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of Openusage — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
For the stable version: download, open, grant menu bar permissions (macOS 15+), and it starts tracking supported providers immediately. Takes 2 minutes. For unsupported providers: you need to write or wait for a plugin. The plugin system is straightforward (Swift), but expect 1-2 hours if you're new to the codebase.
Integrations
Resources & Guides
Official links
Tools that pair well with Openusage
Common stack mates teams adopt alongside Openusage, with the specific reason each pairing earns its keep.
Featured Head-to-Head Comparisons
Openusage vs Voyage Ai
These tools serve completely different needs. Pick Voyage AI if you need high-accuracy embedding and reranking for enterprise RAG on domains like finance or legal—be prepared to talk to sales. Choose Openusage if you're a macOS developer juggling multiple AI coding assistants and need a free, open-source way to track your usage and spending from the menu bar.
Openusage vs Spider Cloud
If you're a developer using multiple AI coding tools on macOS and want to track usage & costs without leaving your menu bar, OpenUsage is the perfect free, open-source companion. But if your primary need is feeding web data into AI agents or RAG pipelines at scale, Spider Cloud's all-in-one API with Silk extraction and flat-rate Unlimited plan is the clear winner. Choose based on whether your bottleneck is monitoring AI spend or acquiring structured web data.
Openusage vs Temporal Ai
Choose Temporal AI if you need a rock-solid backend to make AI agents or microservices survive crashes, retries, and failures—it's the infrastructure behind OpenAI's reliability. Pick Openusage if you're a macOS developer juggling multiple AI coding tools and want a free, real-time dashboard to avoid hitting limits or overspending. They solve completely different problems: one builds resilient systems, the other tracks usage.
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