Headroom changes what your coding agent is sent, compressing bulky tool output to use fewer tokens. Cost Doctor changes nothing: it shows you which session is costly and why, so you can fix the cause.
| Headroom | Cost Doctor | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Sits between you and the agent and compresses inputs such as tool output and logs | Reads the logs after the fact and reports |
| Touches your sessions | Yes, that is how it works | No, read-only |
| Price | Monthly subscription, from $3 a month billed annually, higher for larger plans | $19 once, 14-day free trial |
| Tools covered | Claude Code and Codex | Claude Code and Codex |
| Shows which session is the problem | Not its focus | Yes |
| Plan limits with a run-out forecast | Not its focus | Yes |
| Alerts when a check fails or a session stalls | No | Yes |
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 Headroom if
- Your sessions are full of long command output and logs, and you want that shrunk automatically.
- You are comfortable with a tool that rewrites what the agent sees.
Choose Cost Doctor if
- You want to understand where the tokens go before changing anything.
- Your cost comes from overhead loaded at the start, long history or subagents, which compression of tool output does not address.
- You prefer to pay once.
They do different jobs and can be used together: one reduces what is sent, the other shows you what is left and where it came from.
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.