Burn AI: A Tool to Track Your AI Coding Costs

Research Context and Background

Burn AI is a free, open-source tool designed for developers who use multiple artificial intelligence coding assistants. It is part of a larger toolkit called BurnKit, which helps programmers manage their workflow when running several AI tools at the same time. The main goal of Burn AI is to show users how much of their paid plan they are using so they do not waste money on idle or unnecessary AI sessions. It works by reading local data from popular AI tools like Claude Code and Codex without requiring the user to log in or share their private API keys.

Benefits

Burn AI offers several key advantages for developers who rely on AI for coding tasks. First, it provides a clear visual indicator of how much time or credits are left in a user's plan. This helps prevent accidental overspending. Second, it supports many different AI providers, including Codex, Claude, DeepSeek, GLM, and Minimax. This means a developer can track usage across all their favorite tools in one place. Third, the tool is private and secure. It only reads data stored locally on the user's computer and never sends API keys to a central server. Finally, it is completely free to use and does not require a subscription.

Use Cases

Burn AI is ideal for developers who run multiple AI coding sessions in parallel. For example, a software engineer might be testing different AI models to see which one writes better code. Burn AI allows them to see exactly how much of their daily or weekly plan is being used by each model. It is also useful for teams that split work between different AI providers. The tool can show if one team member is using too many resources while another is underutilizing their plan. Additionally, it helps developers identify when an AI session has been running too long without producing results. This visual feedback encourages users to stop inefficient tasks and focus on building better automation systems instead of manually supervising every step.

Pricing

Burn AI is free to use. It is an open-source project available on GitHub, which means anyone can download and install it without paying a fee. The tool itself does not charge for tracking usage. Users only need to pay for the AI coding plans they subscribe to from providers like Anthropic or OpenAI. Burn AI simply helps them manage those existing plans more effectively.

Vibes

As an open-source project, Burn AI does not have traditional customer reviews or testimonials. However, the community feedback available in its development repository suggests it is well-received by developers who want more control over their AI workflows. Users appreciate the transparency it brings to AI usage costs. The project aims to turn hidden inefficiencies into clear signals, which many developers find valuable for optimizing their daily coding tasks. The focus on privacy and local data handling is also a positive point for users concerned about security.

Additional Information

Burn AI is developed by Hanzhangzzz and is hosted on GitHub. It is part of the BurnKit project, which was created to help developers build more robust agent harnesses. The project emphasizes that relying solely on stronger AI models is not enough; developers must also build systems that manage AI usage efficiently. The tool was designed to expose the hidden costs of AI workflows, such as wasted plan windows and idle sessions. By making these issues visible, the project encourages the creation of smarter, more automated coding environments. The code is available for anyone to inspect, modify, or contribute to, fostering a collaborative approach to improving developer productivity.