AI cost guides and free tools
Free cost tools
- LLM token counterPaste a prompt, get an approximate token count and list-rate cost. Runs in your browser — free, no signup.
- LLM API cost calculatorEstimate OpenAI and Claude spend from tokens. Shareable ?model=&in=&out= links — free, no signup.
- OpenAI vs Claude cost comparerSide-by-side GPT vs Claude cost for the same token profile. Shareable ?oa=&cl=&in=&out= links.
- Monthly AI spend projectorTurn daily request volume into a rough monthly budget number. Shareable URL included.
- Multi-model batch cost estimatorRank several OpenAI and Claude models for one shared batch token profile.
- AI API spike risk estimatorEstimate extra cost on a spike day vs baseline, plus a suggested Scout threshold.
Reference & calculator landings
- LLM API pricing cheat sheetLinkable OpenAI + Claude $/1M token reference table — cite rates, then estimate or monitor.
- AI API spend alert cheat sheetScout thresholds, sync cadence, and what spend alerts cannot stop.
- AI API spend kill switchScout emails after sync — it does not cut traffic. Pair with rate limits or your own gateway.
- OpenAI API cost calculatorKeyword landing into the free OpenAI/Claude token cost calculator.
- GPT vs Claude pricingCompare OpenAI and Anthropic list rates for the same token profile.
- AI API monthly budget calculatorProject monthly API spend from daily request volume before traffic is live.
- LLM API pricing indexMethodology-backed OpenAI and Anthropic rate data with CSV and JSON downloads.
Provider and alternative guides
- Track OpenAI API Spend in One Dashboard →
- AI API Cost Tracker: What to Measure →
- LLM Cost Monitoring: Practical Framework →
- Track Anthropic Claude API Costs →
- Why Did My AI API Bill Spike? →
- Helicone Alternative for Cost Tracking →
- Langfuse Alternative for API Spend →
- OpenRouter Cost Tracker & Alerts →
- Track Google Gemini API Costs →
- Track Cursor AI API Costs →
- Azure OpenAI Cost Tracker →
- AWS Bedrock Cost Tracker →
- Team AI Spend Tracking — By Project or Developer →
- TrackCost Alternative for AI Spend →
- Portkey Alternative for API Spend →
- LiteLLM Alternative for Cost Alerts →
- OpenMeter Alternative for AI API Spend →
- Vantage Alternative for AI API Costs →
- LangSmith Alternative for API Spend →
- PromptLayer Alternative for Spend →
- Braintrust Alternative for API Spend →
- CloudZero Alternative for AI API Spend →
- Datadog LLM Observability Alternative for Spend →
- TruLens Alternative for API Spend →
- Phoenix (Arize) Alternative for API Spend →
- AI API Spend Kill Switch vs Scout Alerts →
Editorial guides
- What Is TryTokka? (Not TikTok — AI Spend Tool)Searched trytokka and saw ToreTokka, TikTok, or a crypto firm? TryTokka tracks AI API spend. Those other brands are unrelated.
- How to Avoid Surprise AI API BillsA $300 invoice rarely starts as a $300 charge. It starts as a forgotten batch job nobody was watching. Here's how to actually catch it early.
- How to Monitor Anthropic Claude API CostsThe Anthropic Console shows your Claude spend — but only your Claude spend. Here's how to actually see it alongside everything else you're paying for.
- OpenAI vs Anthropic Billing: What Each ShowsBoth dashboards are fine on their own. The problem shows up the moment you use both providers in the same project.
- How to Track Cursor AI API Costs (BYOK & Sub)Cursor's BYOK mode means your AI coding costs can come from multiple places at once. Here's how to see all of it in one number.
- How to Track Google Gemini API CostsGemini is the odd one out: its costs are buried inside your broader Google Cloud bill, not a dedicated AI dashboard. Here is how to actually see them.
- How to Track AI API Costs Across a TeamOne developer watching one dashboard is easy. A team sharing four providers across a dozen keys is where AI spend quietly gets out of hand. Here is how to get one number everyone trusts.
- TryTokka vs TrackCost vs Helicone: Which Fits?The AI cost tracking space now has half a dozen tools. Here is an honest breakdown of the main options and who each one is actually built for.
- How to Track OpenRouter API CostsOpenRouter already spans hundreds of models — but its spend still lives in one dashboard, drawn from a prepaid balance that can run dry mid-job. Here is how to stay ahead of it.
- How to Track OpenAI API Spend Without Daily ChecksOpenAI's own dashboard works, but it only tells you what you already spent. Here's how to actually stay ahead of it.
- Best AI API Cost Tracker for Indie Devs in 2026Most "AI cost" tools are built for enterprise FinOps teams with a budget line for tooling. Here's what actually fits a one-person side project.
- How to Reduce AI API Costs Without Changing CodeYou probably don't need GPT-4o for every request. Here's how to find which models are costing you the most and what to switch to.
- Why Did My AI API Bill Spike? Investigate FastA spend spike on its own tells you nothing. The question is which model drove it, and how far above normal it went.
- OpenAI Spend Alerts vs TryTokka: What DiffersOpenAI's alerts are useful. They're also incomplete. Here's exactly what they cover — and what they can't.
Product setup walkthrough: How to use Scout →