Usage HUD vs CodexBar
Usage HUD vs CodexBar
CodexBar is a free, MIT-licensed Mac menu-bar meter. For most people it is the right tool. Usage HUD is $9 if you want a confidence label and a doctor on every number across Claude, Codex, Gemini, Grok, and Ollama. If CodexBar already works for you, you do not need this.
Side by side
| CodexBar | Usage HUD | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $9 launch through 30 Sep 2026, then $15. One-time. |
| License | MIT, open source | Paid personal license. Source private for now. |
| Where it lives | Mac menu bar | Mac menu bar |
| Claude Code windows | Coverage depends on your CodexBar build | Same usage endpoint as /usage. Does not refresh or change your token. |
| Codex | Strong. This is what it is for. | Local session logs, labeled as local telemetry, not billing. |
| Trust of the number | You see a reading | Official / high / medium / manual plus a one-line reason. Doctor explains when it is not reliable. |
| Ollama | If supported in your build | Exact token counts from local logs, today and rolling seven days. |
| Mac | See CodexBar’s own requirements | Apple silicon, macOS 14+. Signed and notarized. |
Who should pay $9
Only if you juggle more than Codex and you want to know whether a bar is official or stale. Pace verdicts and the doctor are the product. Coverage is not the product. CodexBar already covers more providers than most people will use.
Buy Usage HUD
$9 USD · one time · personal license through 1.x
Apple silicon Mac, macOS 14+. Signed and notarized.
After you pay: the next page is your notarized .zip. Open it on your Mac. 14-day refund by email.
Launch price through 30 Sep 2026, then $15. If CodexBar already works for you, you do not need this.
Related
CodexBar alternative (longer case) · Claude Code usage limit menu bar · CodexBar on GitHub · Usage HUD home
