ccusage is a free command line tool that reports how many tokens you used. Cost Doctor is a paid Mac menu bar app that tells you which session is the problem, why, and when something has failed. Plenty of people will want ccusage and nothing else.
| ccusage | Cost Doctor | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Command line tool | Mac menu bar app |
| Price | Free, open source | $19 once, 14-day free trial |
| Reads local logs, no upload | Yes | Yes |
| Tools covered | Claude Code, Codex and more than a dozen others | Claude Code and Codex |
| Reports | Daily, weekly, monthly and per-session tables, on request | Today, the last 7 and 30 days and this month, always visible |
| Plan limits and when they reset | Not its focus | Yes, with a forecast of when you run out |
| Says what to do about a costly session | No, it reports the numbers | Yes: compact, trim overhead, or cut subagents |
| Alerts when a check fails or a session stalls | No | Yes, with a red screen frame |
What the other tool does and costs is taken from its own page, as checked in November 2026. Tools change; check their page for the current details.
Choose ccusage if
- You are happy in a terminal and want numbers when you ask for them.
- You use tools beyond Claude Code and Codex.
- You want something free.
Choose Cost Doctor if
- You want the answer in front of you without running a command.
- You want to be told which session to compact and which one started too large.
- You leave agents running and need to know the moment a check fails.
They read the same log files and do not conflict. You can run both.
See it on your own sessions
Cost Doctor is a Mac menu bar app that reads the logs Claude Code and Codex already write. It names the session that is using your tokens, says why, and turns your screen red when a check fails while an agent sits waiting. Nothing leaves your Mac.
Download the free trialHow it works14 days free, no account. Then $19 once, plus tax where it applies. For Apple silicon and Intel Macs on macOS 13 or later.