Comparison

Model Usage vs Charge

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Model Usage

Features
Read full description

Model Usage is a real time dashboard for your AI coding tool usage. See how much of your five hour window and weekly quota you have used, watch your session tick up live, and get notified before you hit a limit. HOW IT WORKS A small client runs on your computer and reads the usage files that your AI coding tools already write locally. It forwards that usage to a server address you control. The apps pair with that server over a QR code or short pair code. No account, no email, no login. LIVE WHERE YOU ALREADY LOOK - Live Activity: a glanceable card with your current session and weekly usage, visible on the lock screen and Dynamic Island. - Home Screen widgets: compact and expanded sizes that show your session, weekly totals, and rate multipliers at a glance. - Lock Screen widgets: a tiny usage indicator right next to the clock. PAIRS WITH THE REST OF YOUR DEVICES Once you are paired on one device, the same setup flows to every companion app automatically. Send a snapshot to anyone in a conversation with the Model Usage messaging app. PRIVACY BY DESIGN No analytics. No tracking. No accounts. No advertising SDKs. Your usage data goes from your computer to a server you choose, and then to your own devices. Model Usage never sees it. FEATURES - AI coding tool usage tracking, side by side - Five hour session window and weekly window - Live Activity with Dynamic Island integration - Companion apps across every size of screen - Messaging app for sharing usage snapshots - Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets in all sizes - Live rate multiplier awareness. Rate changes are reflected in real time. - Open pair code or QR flow. No account required. - Dark mode throughout SETUP IN UNDER A MINUTE 1. Install the desktop client. 2. Copy the pair code. 3. Enter it in the app. That is it. The setup guide lives at modelusage.app/setup. Model Usage is built by a solo developer and does not collect, store, or share any personal data. See modelusage.app/privacy for details.

About

Charge

Track your AI coding usage and costs across various providers directly from your iPhone. Monitor your remaining time, weekly caps, and daily spending with at-a-glance widgets and detailed dashboards. Setup is quick, and privacy is prioritized with no access to your code or conversations.

Highlights
  • Rate-limit gauges per provider
  • Burn-rate forecasts
  • Cost dashboard (daily, weekly, monthly)
  • Plan badges and account separation
  • Multi-computer support
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
  • Streak heatmap and cost trend
Features
Read full description

Charge shows your AI coding usage and cost on your iPhone. "How much of my 5-hour window is left?", "Am I close to the weekly cap?", "What did I spend today?" Check it away from your desk, or from Windows, in a glance. Setup takes two minutes. Sign in with Apple, paste the one-line command the app shows you into your computer's terminal, and a lightweight collector securely uploads your usage every five minutes. (Node.js 18+, macOS / Windows / Linux) WHAT YOU GET • Rate-limit gauges per provider: Claude and Codex out of the box, plus Gemini, Cursor, Copilot, OpenRouter and more through the macOS CodexBar bridge. Reset countdowns included. • Burn-rate forecasts that warn before you hit a wall: "at this pace you'll run out in about 4 hours." • Cost dashboard: today / 7-day / 30-day spend and tokens, a daily chart, and a per-model cost ranking. • Plan badges and account separation: your plan (Max 20x, Education, ...) is detected automatically, and machines signed in with different accounts get their own cards. • Multi-computer support: see which machine last reported and when, get a heads-up when one stops collecting, swipe to unpair. • Limit-reset notifications and custom gauge thresholds. • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, with per-provider and per-account layouts. • Streak heatmap and 14-day cost trend. PRIVACY Charge never sees your prompts, code, or conversations. The collector reads only usage counters and cost data from your local tools and uploads them under your own Apple ID. Unpair a computer any time and its token is revoked immediately. Charge is open source: github.com/baekdusan/charge

Screenshots

Model Usage3 screens
Charge3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Model Usage at every 3 days against Charge's fortnightly. Model Usage also leads on device support (6 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Model Usage ships an update every 3 days, Charge fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 3, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 6 level
Model Usage versus Charge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterModel UsageCharge
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRayan KhanDusan Baek

In-app purchases

None

Model Usage

No in-app purchases

None

Charge

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Model Usage free?
Model Usage is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Charge free?
Charge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Model Usage or Charge have ads?
Neither Model Usage nor Charge shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Model Usage or Charge?
Model Usage ships an update every 3 days, and Charge fortnightly. Most recently, Model Usage was updated on October 3, 2026 and Charge on October 3, 2026.

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