Comparison
JP the Cat vs ccusage — trackers compared
How JP the Cat and ccusage compare as AI coding usage trackers — the honest facts, side by side.
| Attribute | JP the Cat | ccusage |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $12.99 one-time (+$9.99/Mac) | Free (open source) |
| Theme | light | n/a |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Form factor | menu bar | CLI |
| Shows | real $ (Claude) + official % / notional $ (Codex) | real $ cost |
| Providers | Claude Code + Codex live, 60 more on roadmap | Claude Code (Codex via plugins) |
JP the Cat
Light-themed, honest-provenance meter that computes real dollar cost correctly (fixes the ccusage #899 cache under-bill) and labels notional Codex figures. Price: $12.99 one-time (+$9.99/Mac). Shows: real $ (Claude) + official % / notional $ (Codex).
ccusage
The dominant free CLI. Prices all cache-creation at the single 5-minute rate (issue #899), under-billing 1-hour cache writes by ~60%. Price: Free (open source). Shows: real $ cost.
Common questions
- Is JP the Cat or ccusage better?
- They serve different needs — JP the Cat shows real $ (Claude) + official % / notional $ (Codex), ccusage shows real $ cost. The table lays out the facts so you can choose.