Token Time vs Code Airlock
Detailed side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right tool
Token Time
🟢No Codedeveloper-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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CustomCode Airlock
🔴Developerdeveloper-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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CustomFeature Comparison
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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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