What is AI Cost Bar?
AI Cost Bar is a macOS application designed to help users estimate and control their Large Language Model API costs directly from the menu bar. It supports all major LLM providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepSeek, and Azure OpenAI deployments, offering instant calculations without needing to navigate pricing pages or create complex spreadsheets.
The tool features customizable pricing models, multi-provider cost comparisons, and automatic updates to stay current with the latest pricing changes. It integrates seamlessly into development and product workflows, providing accurate cost estimates for prototypes, features, and A/B testing based on input/output token counts.
Features
- Instant Cost Calculations: Get immediate API cost estimates directly from your menu bar without navigating pricing pages
- Multi-Provider Support: Compare costs across popular LLM providers including GPT-4o, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, and Azure OpenAI deployments
- Customizable Pricing Models: Add custom pricing for enterprise contracts, regional pricing, or specific use cases
- Always Up to Date: Pricing data automatically syncs from servers to stay current with latest provider pricing changes
- Effortless Workflow Integration: LLM cost calculation is always just a click away in your macOS menu bar
Use Cases
- Developer debugging and optimization of AI pipelines
- Product manager feature planning and budget justification
- Agency/consultant quoting for client projects
- Cost comparison between different LLM models
- Prototype and A/B testing cost estimation
