MeterTab vs Usage for Claude
I build MeterTab, so treat this as a comparison written by a competitor. I have stuck to facts on the two App Store listings that you can check in about thirty seconds, and there is a section below on where Usage for Claude is the better pick.
These two are much closer than most pairs in this category. Both are native Apple apps, both put a Claude usage meter in the menu bar, both have an iPhone app, a Watch app and widgets, both sync over your own iCloud, both warn you at thresholds, and both now surface Anthropic's service status. Usage for Claude got there first - it shipped in November 2025, about eight months before MeterTab.
Three real differences: which OS versions you need, how the money works, and whether your agents can do anything with the number.
Side by side
| MeterTab | Usage for Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum macOS | 14.0 Sonoma | 15.0 Sequoia |
| Minimum iOS | 17.0 | 26.2 |
| Minimum watchOS | 10.0 | 26.4 |
| How you pay | One purchase, $19.99, unlocks everything on Mac, iPhone and Watch | Free app; App Store lists a $17.99 "Dashboard Full History" unlock plus $0.99 and $5.99 monthly Pro tiers |
| Any subscription? | No, never | Monthly tiers are listed among its in-app purchases |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | Free tier; check the listing for current trial terms |
| Providers tracked | 9 - Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Anthropic & OpenAI APIs, OpenRouter, Gemini, Groq, Together | Claude |
| Works without a Mac | No - the Mac is the source, phone and watch mirror it | Yes - you can sign in directly on iPhone |
| Multiple Claude accounts | No | Yes - account switcher across Mac, iPhone and Watch |
| Interface for your agents | MCP server over stdio - get_budget, should_continue, get_service_status, spend_by |
Local HTTP endpoint (added in 2.6) |
| Can stop a tool call | Yes - Claude Code PreToolUse hook denies when depleted | No |
| Per-worktree / per-subagent attribution | Yes | No |
| Real billed dollars via your own key | Yes - Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter | No |
| Service status from Anthropic | Yes | Yes |
| iCloud sync, widgets, complication | Yes | Yes |
| On the App Store since | July 2026 | November 2025 |
| Ratings | Not enough yet | 4.8 from 4 ratings |
Check the OS requirements and the in-app purchase list yourself on either listing: scroll to Information for "Compatibility", and to In-App Purchases for the price list. Both are public.
Where Usage for Claude is the better choice
1. You don't have a Mac, or you don't want the Mac to be the source
This is the big one. MeterTab's architecture is Mac-first: the Mac parses the logs and sends a small summary to your phone and watch. No Mac, no MeterTab. Usage for Claude lets you sign in directly on the iPhone and get the full dashboard there. If you use Claude mostly on the web and on your phone, MeterTab is the wrong app for you.
2. You have more than one Claude account
Usage for Claude has a proper account switcher across all three platforms. MeterTab tracks one. If you juggle a personal plan and a work plan, that is a daily annoyance MeterTab will hand you and theirs will not.
3. You want the one with a track record
It has been on the App Store since November 2025 and has real ratings from real users. MeterTab shipped in July 2026 and has none yet. That is a fair thing to weigh, and I would rather say it here than have you find it out on the listing.
Where MeterTab is the better choice
You are not on the newest OS
Usage for Claude 3.0 requires macOS 15, iOS 26.2 and watchOS 26.4. MeterTab requires macOS 14, iOS 17 and watchOS 10. If you are on an older Mac, or you keep your phone a release or two behind, one of these apps installs and the other does not. This is on both App Store listings and takes ten seconds to confirm.
You use more than Claude
Most people who burn through a Claude window also have Codex or Cursor open. MeterTab totals nine providers in one gauge, shows where the tokens went by model, and can pull real billed dollars from Anthropic, OpenAI or OpenRouter with your own API key. Usage for Claude is a Claude app and is good at being one.
You want your agents to act on the number, not just read it
Usage for Claude added a local HTTP endpoint so your own tooling can read your usage - a real feature, and more than most of this category ships. MeterTab goes a step further in two ways:
- MCP, not HTTP. MeterTab's server runs inside the app over stdio, so there is no listening port and no key to leak, and your agent discovers the tools itself instead of you writing glue. Add it once and Claude Code can call
should_continuemid-task. - A hook that denies. Reading a budget is advice an agent can ignore. MeterTab installs a Claude Code PreToolUse hook that refuses the tool call when your window is spent or a dollar ceiling you set is breached. How that works.
You pay once and that is the end of it
MeterTab is a single $19.99 non-consumable that unlocks Mac, iPhone and Watch under one Apple ID, with a 14-day trial and no card. There is no subscription and there will not be one. Usage for Claude's App Store listing shows a $17.99 history unlock alongside monthly tiers - a legitimate model, and one some people specifically want to avoid on a utility. Prices change; the listing is authoritative, not me.
What I am not going to claim
That the other app is bad. It isn't - it is the most mature thing in this category on the App Store, it does several things MeterTab does not, and the overlap between us is large. If Claude is your only AI tool, you own a recent Mac and iPhone, and you have two accounts to watch, install theirs. If you want one meter across every provider, on an OS you already have, that your agents can query and that can put the brakes on a runaway session, that is the one I built.
MeterTab's gauge, threshold notifications and four providers are free forever. Pro is $19.99 once for Mac, iPhone and Watch.
Download on the App StoreEverything here was checked on 3 August 2026 against the public App Store listings for MeterTab 1.2.2 and Usage for Claude 3.0. Prices and requirements change - check the listings. If I have something wrong, email me and I will correct it.