Best DeepSeek Usage Trackers for macOS
DeepSeek does not work like Claude Code or Codex, and that changes what is worth tracking. There is no five-hour window and no weekly cap. You hold prepaid credit, every request draws it down, and the thing that hurts is discovering the balance hit zero in the middle of a task.
So the useful question is not “what percentage have I used” but “how fast is this falling, and how much is left”. Here is what each option can answer.
The DeepSeek platform console
The official console is authoritative and free. It shows your balance, your spend, and a usage history, and it is the right place to top up credit or check an invoice. Its limitation is the same as every dashboard: you have to open it. That works when you are curious and fails when you are deep in a task, which is exactly when a balance running out costs you the most.
DIY API scripts
DeepSeek exposes balance and usage through its API, so a short script plus a cron job can print your balance wherever you want it. If you enjoy this, it is genuinely fine and costs nothing.
Two honest caveats. You are maintaining it, and provider APIs change without warning. And a script tends to answer once, on a schedule, rather than sitting in front of you – so it tells you the balance was fine an hour ago, not that it is falling unusually fast right now.
SessionWatcher in the menu bar
SessionWatcher keeps the figures in the macOS menu bar and refreshes them in the background. For DeepSeek that means your balance, paid and granted credit separately, tokens today and this month, spend this month, request count, and your cache hit rate.
The cache hit rate is the one worth calling out. DeepSeek prices cached input well below fresh input, so a workflow that keeps missing the cache costs noticeably more for identical work. That number is invisible in most setups and it is the one most likely to change what you do.
It is not free: DeepSeek is part of Pro at $59 one-time, or $24 per year. It needs an API key, stored in the macOS Keychain, and it is switched off until you add one. If DeepSeek is the only tool you use, the console is probably enough. The case for Pro is having DeepSeek, Claude Code, Codex and twelve others in one place instead of four dashboards.
Common questions
- Does DeepSeek have a rate limit to track?
- Not in the way Claude Code or Codex do. DeepSeek is prepaid: you hold a credit balance and each request draws it down, so there is no five-hour window or weekly cap to count against. What matters instead is how fast the balance is falling and how much is left, which is why SessionWatcher shows DeepSeek as a balance and spend figure rather than a percentage bar.
- What can SessionWatcher actually see for DeepSeek?
- Your balance, split into paid and granted credit, plus tokens used today and this month, spend this month, request count, and your cache hit rate. The cache figure is the one people underrate: DeepSeek prices cached input far below fresh input, so a low hit rate is usually the difference between a cheap month and an expensive one.
- Do I need an API key?
- Yes. DeepSeek usage is only readable through your account, so SessionWatcher asks for a key once and stores it in the macOS Keychain. It is off by default until you add one. Nothing is uploaded: the app queries DeepSeek from your Mac and displays the answer.
- Is DeepSeek included in the $6.99 licence?
- No. DeepSeek is part of Pro, which is $59 one-time or $24 per year. Pro also covers every other supported tool, multi-account tracking, and up to five Macs. A single-tool licence at $6.99 covers one of the menu-bar tools rather than the full set.
- Can I watch DeepSeek alongside Claude Code and Codex?
- Yes, and that is the usual reason people want it. SessionWatcher tracks fifteen tools in one menu bar, so a DeepSeek balance sits next to your Claude Code five-hour window and your Codex weekly cap without opening three dashboards.
SessionWatcherWatch your DeepSeek balance without opening a dashboard
Native macOS menu bar app. Track Claude and Codex usage, costs, and rate limits in real-time.
“Fast, simple, and does exactly what it should. Definitely worth it.”
@nicojerome on GitHub
macOS 14+. 7-day Bundle trial. No credit card.
