CodeBurn and WakaTime vs SessionWatcher: AI Coding Costs

CodeBurn: the cost breakdown

CodeBurn (MIT, about 11,300 GitHub stars) reads the session files your AI coding tools write to disk (its README lists 41 coding tools, Claude Code, Codex and Cursor among them), prices every token and shows the result in a terminal dashboard (npx codeburn), a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, a browser view, a macOS menu bar item with today's spend, a Windows tray app and a GNOME extension. It splits spend by tool, model, project, git branch, task and pull request, compares models on your own history, and its optimize command lists what costs tokens without earning them, with an option to apply the fix and undo it later. codeburn quota and the Capacity Dock read live limits for Claude, Codex, Gemini, Copilot, Kimi and Antigravity, and opt-in Guard hooks warn a Claude Code session past $5 and stop it at $15 (both amounts are yours to change). It has no account, no API key, no proxy and no paid tier.

WakaTime: coding time and AI adoption, for teams

WakaTime is a hosted dashboard fed by editor plugins, including a Claude Code plugin that needs your WakaTime API key. Its pricing page describes an AI dashboard with adoption, estimated spend by model, per-model usage, and AI-generated versus human-written code, across tools such as Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot and Codex. That starts at Premium ($14 a month). The Team plan ($21 per developer a month, up to 100 developers) adds team-wide AI adoption and estimated spend and unlimited team dashboards, and Business ($24 per developer a month) adds SSO and SCIM. A free plan keeps one week of history.

SessionWatcher: the limit before it hits

SessionWatcher keeps each tool's 5-hour and weekly windows, reset times and pace in the Mac menu bar or the Windows 11 taskbar, for 20 tools, and notifies you at 70% and 90% of a limit (or every 10%) and when it resets. It also estimates tokens and cost per tool and keeps 7, 30 or 90 days of daily usage, but it does not break cost down by project, and it has no team dashboard. Pro adds several Claude and Codex accounts side by side, and the iPhone and Apple Watch companion (TestFlight beta) shows the same limits away from your desk.

Side by side

	CodeBurn	WakaTime	SessionWatcher
Main job	Where AI coding money went, and how to waste less	Coding time and AI adoption, for you or a team	How close each plan limit is, and when it resets
Price	Free, MIT; no paid tier	Free plan; Basic $9, Premium $14 a month; Team $21 and Business $24 per developer a month	Paid one-time or yearly; 7-day trial
Where the data lives	Your computer; no account	Your WakaTime account (hosted dashboard)	Your computer; no account
Tools	41 coding tools, read from their local session files	Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot and Codex named for the AI dashboard	20, read from their logins and logs
Cost breakdown	By tool, model, project, branch, task and pull request	Estimated spend by model (Premium and up)	Estimated tokens and cost per tool and day
Live plan limits	Yes, for Claude, Codex, Gemini, Copilot, Kimi and Antigravity	Not stated on its pricing page	Yes, for every supported tool that has limits
Warnings	Claude Code spend caps (Guard); daily budget alerts on Linux	Not stated	At 70% and 90% of a limit by default, or every 10%, and on reset
Always in view	Mac menu bar (today’s spend), Windows tray, GNOME panel, screen-edge dock	Web dashboard	Mac menu bar, Windows 11 taskbar
Teams	No accounts or team view; combines your own devices on a local network	Team dashboards and team-wide AI adoption (Team plan)	Per-seat licences (Pro for Teams, Macs only for now); no admin view
Several accounts	Several Claude config folders	Not applicable	Several Claude and Codex accounts (Pro)
iPhone and Apple Watch	Not stated	Not stated	Companion app in TestFlight beta

CodeBurn and WakaTime columns: their own README, docs and pricing page, checked October 6, 2026; we did not install or test them. WakaTime prices are the monthly list prices; yearly billing is cheaper. SessionWatcher column: our facts page.

Which one to use

“What did this feature cost me, and what is wasting tokens?” CodeBurn.
“How much does my team use AI, and what does it cost us?” WakaTime's Team plan, or your providers' own admin consoles (see AI coding usage tracking for teams).
“Am I about to hit my Claude or Codex limit, and when does it come back?” SessionWatcher, on a Mac or a Windows PC.
Both cost and limits: CodeBurn and SessionWatcher side by side. They read local data independently and do not interfere.

SessionWatcher

Know the limit before it stops you.
Twenty tools, Mac and Windows.

Native app for the Mac menu bar and the Windows taskbar. Track Claude, Codex and 18 more tools' usage, costs, and rate limits in real time.

★★★★★Trusted by developers daily

“Fast, simple, and does exactly what it should. Definitely worth it.”

@nicojerome on GitHub

Prices go up Nov 1, midnight Paris time. Prices go up Nov 1

Download Free for Mac

macOS 14+. Free for 7 days, no credit card.

Download free: 7-day trial, no card

For Mac (macOS 14+). Claude Code and everything in Pro are included. Nothing is charged when it ends.

Rather buy now? Claude Code alone is $6.99 one-time →

FinderFileEditViewGoWindowHelp

Mon Jan 1 12:00 AM

A word on the cost figures

All three show estimates. CodeBurn prices tokens from LiteLLM's list, refreshed daily; WakaTime labels its figure estimated spend; SessionWatcher multiplies token counts by list prices. On a Claude Pro or Max or a ChatGPT plan the usage is included in what you already pay, so these numbers are a way to compare work, not a bill. For API billing, the provider's console is the authority; see how much Claude Code costs.

Pricing

CodeBurn is free. WakaTime's AI dashboard starts at $14 a month, and team features at $21 per developer a month. Solo is $6.99 and the Bundle is $14.99, both one-time. Pro is $59 one-time ($79 from November 1, Paris time) or $24 a year. Pro for Teams, for companies buying for their developers, is $40 per seat a year and covers Macs for now. Every SessionWatcher purchase has a 14-day refund window.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to see what AI coding costs per project?

CodeBurn. It is free and open source, reads the session files your tools already write, and breaks the estimated cost down by tool, model, project, git branch, task and pull request. SessionWatcher shows estimated tokens and cost per tool and per day, not per project.

How do I track AI coding usage across a team?

WakaTime’s Team plan ($21 per developer per month on its pricing page) adds team-wide AI adoption and estimated spend and team dashboards, for up to 100 developers. Each developer installs WakaTime’s editor or Claude Code plugin with an API key. SessionWatcher has no team dashboard: Pro for Teams is per-seat licensing, and each developer sees their own usage on their own machine.

Does CodeBurn show my Claude and Codex limits?

Partly. Its quota command and its Capacity Dock read live limits for Claude, Codex, Gemini, Copilot, Kimi and Antigravity, and its Guard hooks can warn or stop a Claude Code session past a dollar amount you set. SessionWatcher is built around limits instead: a live readout of each tool’s 5-hour and weekly windows in the Mac menu bar or Windows taskbar, with notifications at 70% and 90% and on reset, for 20 tools.

Is the cost these tools show my real bill?

No. CodeBurn prices tokens with LiteLLM’s price list, WakaTime calls its figure estimated spend, and SessionWatcher estimates cost from token counts. On a Pro or Max subscription your usage is included in the plan, so the provider’s billing page is the only authority on what you pay.

Can I use CodeBurn and SessionWatcher together?

Yes. They read different things and do not conflict: CodeBurn for the cost breakdown after the fact, SessionWatcher for the limit that is about to stop you. Solo is $6.99 and the Bundle is $14.99, both one-time. Pro is $59 one-time ($79 from November 1, Paris time) or $24 a year. The 7-day trial unlocks all of Pro with no card.