# [004] The other side: AI coding usage trackers / mobile companions for coding agents (watching Claude Code and Codex quotas, remote control and notifications) are already crowded and barely make money > Source: https://stringers.io/en/o/004.html (Stringers / 什么值得做, generated 2026-11-08) > Stringers answers one question every day: what small product can one or two people build in a few months and actually make money from. Numbers come from 15 databases we collect daily, each with source and date. > For agents: these verdicts and the underlying databases (verified revenue, App Store / Google Play charts, ad libraries, GitHub, Product Hunt…) are queryable live over MCP — tools today / hot / products / directions / direction / data. Setup: https://github.com/komako-workshop/stringers (the user logs in at stringers.io → "配置 agent" to get a personal URL). Site index: https://stringers.io/llms.txt > Apps like this look prominent on charts, which makes them easy to misread as opportunities. [Home](https://stringers.io/worth/) / [004] # The other side: AI coding usage trackers / mobile companions for coding agents (check Claude Code and Codex quotas, remote control and notifications) are already crowded and barely make money. Closed Inspiring (the other side) · looks hot but already crowded First seen 2026-10-31 · last updated 2026-11-02 Status Closed (don't enter) Why this is written up These apps are very visible on charts, so they're easy to misread as opportunities. In practice, free open-source alternatives are the default, and the vendors are building usage displays themselves. Confidence High. What would overturn this: a companion app earning over $10k in 30 days as an indie, or Anthropic / OpenAI tightening the API so the open-source versions break. ## Evidence Grouped by store. Each group starts with the charts that can be graphed (real curves, data dates below the chart), then the scanner's original notes and source links. ### App Store1 evidence items · 2 products with curves [Limits: AI Usage Tracker](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/limits-ai-usage-tracker/id6783130074) Pranav Karthik Mruthyunjayan App Store · launched 2026-07-14 · US store rating 45 · charted in 11-08 of 64 stores Best category chart rank · by store US store Japan Brazil Data 2026-10-28 → 2026-11-08 (12 days, 12 observations). Lower rank is higher; gaps mean it wasn't charted that day Ratings count · US store Data 2026-10-28 → 2026-11-08 (12 days, 12 observations). Apple doesn't publish download counts; rating growth is a proxy for downloads. [Nowdex](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nowdex/id6791450777) Tao Nan Lu App Store · launched 2026-07-20 · US store rating 16 · charted in 11-08 of 18 stores Best category chart rank · by store US store China South Korea Data 2026-10-28 → 2026-11-08 (12 days, 12 observations). Lower rank is higher; gaps mean it wasn't charted that day Ratings count · US store Data 2026-10-28 → 2026-11-08 (12 days, 12 observations). Apple doesn't publish download counts; rating growth is a proxy for downloads. - App Store (all stores, 2026-10-31): at least 20 companion apps with usage / tokens / Claude / Codex in the name are charted, and several made the Top Grossing chart in the developer tools category across multiple stores: Limits: AI Usage Tracker (6783130074, debuted July) has charted in 56 stores, #56 Top Grossing in developer tools in the US, with only 43 ratings; Nowdex (6791450777) in 19 stores; Vicoa (a mobile IDE for Claude Code and Codex) in 38 stores; Happy: Codex & Claude Code App has 1,051 ratings; UsageNow and TokenMaxxer are new this October. The bar for Top Grossing in the developer tools category is low, so charting doesn't mean the revenue is substantial. ### Indie product revenue (TrustMRR)2 evidence · 5 products with curves [Nowdex - Check AI limit on your phone](https://trustmrr.com/startup/nowdex) TrustMRR · 30-day revenue $1,349 (−3%) Monthly revenue (verified by payment platform) 2026-08 → 2026-11 (4 pts). Light bars = current month, not yet complete Daily revenue (UTC day) Data 2026-09-29 → 2026-11-06 (39 days, 39 observations). Single-day swings are big, so look at the trend in the monthly breakdown above. [Headroom](https://trustmrr.com/startup/headroom) extraheadroom.com TrustMRR · 30-day revenue $3,068 (+6%) · MRR $2,233 · 251 subscriptions Monthly revenue (verified by payment platform) 2026-04 → 2026-11 (8 pts). Light bars = current month, not yet complete Daily revenue (UTC day) Data 2026-09-29 → 2026-11-06 (39 days, 39 observations). Single-day swings are big, so look at the trend in the monthly breakdown above. [ClaudeUsageBar](https://trustmrr.com/startup/claudeusagebar) claudeusagebar.com TrustMRR · 30-day revenue $39 (−48%) Monthly revenue (verified by payment platform) 2025-11 → 2026-11 (12 pts). Light bars = current month, not yet complete Daily revenue (UTC day) Data 2026-09-29 → 2026-11-06 (39 days, 39 observations). Single-day swings are big, so look at the trend in the monthly breakdown above. [SessionWatcher](https://trustmrr.com/startup/sessionwatcher) sessionwatcher.com TrustMRR · 30-day revenue $1,645 (-31%) · MRR $238 · 119 subscriptions Monthly revenue (verified by payment platform) 2025-11 → 2026-11 (13 pts). Light bars = current month, not yet complete Daily revenue (UTC day) Data 2026-09-29 → 2026-11-06 (39 days, 39 observations). Single-day swings are big, so look at the trend in the monthly breakdown above. [QuotaRing](https://trustmrr.com/startup/hicupertiny) quotaring.app TrustMRR · 30-day revenue $0 (+0%) Daily revenue (UTC day) Data 2026-09-29 → 2026-11-06 (39 days, 39 observations). Single-day swings are big, so look at the trend in the monthly breakdown above. - indie (as of 10-30,30-day revenue): Nowdex $1,597 (highest in this group), Headroom (a menu bar app that helps cut Claude Code costs) $3,409, MRR $2,072; ClaudeUsageBar $39 (−60%); ShowMyTokens, QuotaRing, and ClockedCode are each $0. - indie (11-01 core): Headroom (extraheadroom.com) $2,962, 232 subscriptions, listed for sale at $199,999 (about 5.6× annualized revenue); SessionWatcher (sessionwatcher.com) $1,298 (−52.6%), 118 subscriptions, listed for sale at $49,900; Nowdex (iOS usage viewer, $5.99 one-time purchase) $1,410; QuotaRing (quotaring.app) $0; ClaudeUsageBar $39 (−56%). ### GitHub2 evidence · 1 products with curves [steipete/CodexBar](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar) GitHub · created 2025-11-16 · 23,052 stars · 7 days +138 Show usage stats for OpenAI Codex and Claude Code, without having to login. Stars Data 2026-08-25 → 2026-11-08 (76 days, 16 observations). Points before 10-28 come from deeply / archive backfill, not every day has one - GitHub: the free open-source steipete/CodexBar has 22,899 stars; Claude-Usage-Tracker has 3,721 stars; claude-swap has 4,270 stars; there are plenty of Windows, Waybar, and status-bar versions. - GitHub (11-02): steipete/CodexBar has 22,932 stars, +1 in 18 days. ### Chrome Web Store 1 pieces of evidence - Chrome Web Store (11-02): free browser-side usage counters exist too: Claude Usage Tracker — Chat Export (jfds.tech, listed 2025-10-31) has 7,000 users and 194 ratings; Superpower for Claude (usage counting plus export) has 4,000 users. ## Already being built (11-02 backfill) SessionWatcher (declining, for sale); Claude Usage Tracker and Superpower for Claude on Chrome. ## Who it's for Nobody. Unless you're building around saving money (like Headroom) instead of just showing usage numbers. ## Should every product builder know this? Yes. Developer tool makers especially need to know this. ## Change log 2026-11-02 Backfill (from 《收入库「最近开始赚钱」》§1.1 (c) tier, 《Stringers》§3.1 "Avoid"): SessionWatcher −53% over 30 days, listed at $49,900; Headroom listed at $199,999. The two highest earners in this bucket are both for sale, which fits "crowded, little money." A free usage-counter extension has also landed on the Chrome Web Store. The conclusion stands. 2026-11-02 Nowdex $1,410, Headroom $2,962. Unchanged. 2026-11-01 Nowdex $1,479, Headroom $2,974, ClaudeUsageBar $39; CodexBar 22,914 stars. The conclusion stands. 2026-10-31 First recorded. Original: Scanner opportunity library #004 (updated daily, 06:00); this page was generated on the 2026-11-08 edition.