155 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
155 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
# Cost Tracking
|
|
|
|
**Know what you're spending. No surprises.**
|
|
|
|
OpenRouter charges per token. Claudish can help you track costs across sessions.
|
|
|
|
> **Note:** Cost tracking is experimental. Estimates are approximations based on model pricing data.
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
## Enable Cost Tracking
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
claudish --cost-tracker "do some work"
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
This:
|
|
1. Enables monitor mode automatically
|
|
2. Tracks token usage for each request
|
|
3. Calculates cost based on model pricing
|
|
4. Saves data for later analysis
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
## View Cost Report
|
|
|
|
After some sessions:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
claudish --audit-costs
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Output:
|
|
```
|
|
Cost Tracking Report
|
|
====================
|
|
|
|
Total sessions: 12
|
|
Total tokens: 245,891
|
|
- Input tokens: 198,234
|
|
- Output tokens: 47,657
|
|
|
|
Estimated cost: $2.34
|
|
|
|
By model:
|
|
x-ai/grok-code-fast-1 $1.12 (48%)
|
|
google/gemini-3-pro-preview $0.89 (38%)
|
|
minimax/minimax-m2 $0.33 (14%)
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
## Reset Tracking
|
|
|
|
Start fresh:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
claudish --reset-costs
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
This clears all accumulated cost data.
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
## How It Works
|
|
|
|
Claudish tracks:
|
|
- **Input tokens** - What you send (prompts, context, files)
|
|
- **Output tokens** - What the model generates
|
|
- **Model used** - For accurate per-model pricing
|
|
|
|
Costs are calculated using OpenRouter's published pricing.
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
## Accuracy Notes
|
|
|
|
**Why "estimated"?**
|
|
|
|
1. **Pricing changes** - OpenRouter adjusts prices periodically
|
|
2. **Token counting** - Different tokenizers give slightly different counts
|
|
3. **Caching** - Some requests may be cached (cheaper or free)
|
|
4. **Special pricing** - Free tiers, promotions, etc.
|
|
|
|
For accurate billing, check your [OpenRouter dashboard](https://openrouter.ai/activity).
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
## Cost Optimization Tips
|
|
|
|
**Use the right model for the task:**
|
|
|
|
| Task | Recommended | Cost |
|
|
|------|-------------|------|
|
|
| Quick fixes | MiniMax M2 | $0.60/1M |
|
|
| General coding | Grok Code Fast | $0.85/1M |
|
|
| Complex work | Gemini 3 Pro | $7.00/1M |
|
|
|
|
**Avoid unnecessary context:**
|
|
Don't dump entire codebases when you only need one file.
|
|
|
|
**Use single-shot for simple tasks:**
|
|
Interactive sessions accumulate context. Single-shot starts fresh each time.
|
|
|
|
**Set up model mapping:**
|
|
Route cheap tasks to cheap models automatically. See [Model Mapping](../models/model-mapping.md).
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
## Real Cost Examples
|
|
|
|
**50K token session (typical):**
|
|
- MiniMax M2: ~$0.03
|
|
- Grok Code Fast: ~$0.04
|
|
- Gemini 3 Pro: ~$0.35
|
|
|
|
**Heavy 500K token session:**
|
|
- MiniMax M2: ~$0.30
|
|
- Grok Code Fast: ~$0.43
|
|
- Gemini 3 Pro: ~$3.50
|
|
|
|
**Monthly estimate (heavy user, 10 sessions/day):**
|
|
- Budget setup: ~$10-15/month
|
|
- Premium setup: ~$50-100/month
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
## Compare with Native Claude
|
|
|
|
For context, native Claude Code costs (via Anthropic):
|
|
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet: ~$18/1M input, ~$90/1M output
|
|
- Claude 3 Opus: ~$75/1M input, ~$375/1M output
|
|
|
|
OpenRouter models are often 10-100x cheaper for comparable tasks.
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
## OpenRouter Free Tier
|
|
|
|
OpenRouter offers $5 free credits for new accounts.
|
|
|
|
That's enough for:
|
|
- ~8M tokens with MiniMax M2
|
|
- ~6M tokens with Grok Code Fast
|
|
- ~700K tokens with Gemini 3 Pro
|
|
|
|
Plenty to evaluate if Claudish works for you.
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
## Next
|
|
|
|
- **[Choosing Models](../models/choosing-models.md)** - Cost vs capability trade-offs
|
|
- **[Environment Variables](environment.md)** - Configure model defaults
|