Token Time vs Code Airlock

Detailed side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right tool

Token Time

🟢No Code

developer-tools

A macOS menu-bar app that meters every token your AI agents burn and shows full-screen break reminders when usage crosses thresholds you set — Screen Time, but for your AI tokens.

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Starting Price

$6 one-time (launch price, regularly $8)
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Code Airlock

🔴Developer

developer-tools

A thin CLI wrapper around Docker Sandboxes that runs Claude Code, Codex, or OpenCode in a disposable microVM against a clone of your repo, then brings the work back as ordinary git commits for review.

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Starting Price

$0 (self-hosted)
Full ReviewVisit Site

Feature Comparison

Scroll horizontally to compare details.

FeatureToken TimeCode Airlock
Categorydeveloper-toolsdeveloper-tools
Pricing Plans1 listed plan1 listed plan
Starting Price$6 one-time (launch price, regularly $8)$0 (self-hosted)
Key Features
  • • Menu-bar meter with live token count and today's spend in USD
  • • Hourly usage chart to spot runaway agent sessions the moment they start
  • • Per-model cost breakdown (Opus, Sonnet, GPT-5, etc.) compared to your rolling baseline
  • • Runs coding agents in disposable Docker Sandbox microVMs, a boundary below the agent process rather than inside it
  • • Clone mode by default: the agent works in a private clone while your host repo stays read-only
  • • One-command task runs (code-airlock run "...") using each agent's non-interactive mode

Token Time - Pros & Cons

Pros

  • ✓One-time $6 launch price — no subscription, no seats, no upsell
  • ✓Fully local: your token history never leaves the Mac (good for client-code or sensitive keys)
  • ✓Menu-bar surface means the number is one glance away, no dashboard to open
  • ✓Configurable full-screen nudges are effective at breaking agent-loop tunnel vision
  • ✓Per-model breakdown makes 'is Opus worth it here?' a real answerable question

Cons

  • ✗Mac-only, Apple Silicon required — no Intel Mac, Windows, or Linux support
  • ✗Only meters what runs locally — remote/cloud agents need a separate observability stack
  • ✗No team or cross-device sync (by design, but a real limitation for multi-machine builders)
  • ✗Not an MCP server or client, so no direct integration with agent tool graphs
  • ✗Very young app — expect some rough edges around less-common model catalogs

Code Airlock - Pros & Cons

Pros

  • ✓Real security boundary at the microVM level — not just agent-side prompts
  • ✓Host repo stays read-only; every change comes back as a reviewable git commit
  • ✓Multi-agent: swap between Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode with one flag
  • ✓Sandbox never needs GitHub creds — PRs push from the host
  • ✓MIT licensed with npm/Homebrew/curl installs and preflight `doctor` diagnostics

Cons

  • ✗Requires Docker Sandboxes and KVM/virtualization on the host
  • ✗No MCP integration — wraps agents but doesn't extend their tool surface
  • ✗Extra latency vs. running the agent directly on the host
  • ✗Small project (thin wrapper) — you're also depending on the underlying sbx CLI
  • ✗Adds cognitive load: another layer between you and the agent

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Review Token TimeReview Code Airlock