Opportunities › AI code assistant CLI tools › Proposed app
Plainmeter
One clear meter for token use and quota across your AI coding CLIs
- Score
- 43
- confidence 65
- Evidence
- 15
- items on the page
- Rivals
- 5
- named in sources
- First version
- 25 d
- estimate
- Type
- Desktop app
- PWA: runs in the browser, installs on Mac and Windows
- Market since
- 2025
- New market · AI estimate
ScreensConcept
Desktop app: Developers monitor detailed token usage dashboards and compare AI plans at their desk during focused coding work. Sample screens on a computer, in the proposed brand. Their numbers are sample data.
Today
Plan A near limit62% used
About this appAI proposal
Plainmeter shows how much of your AI coding plan you have used, and what used it. A small local reporter reads the usage data your CLI tools leave on your machine and sends only counts to your dashboard: tokens, model, session and task label. Prompts and code stay local.
It is for developers who pay for more than one assistant and cannot tell where the quota went. Commenters describe unclear tracking, quotas that run out fast, and sub-agents that use a whole budget on one task. Plainmeter puts usage in one place, per tool, per plan, per task.
It is not another assistant. It sits beside the tools you already use, warns you before a limit, and shows which requests cost the most, so you can change how you ask. Figures are estimates built from local data and the plan limits you enter.
- Tagline
- Know what your AI coding plan is spending, before it runs out.
- Voice
- plainprecisecalm
- Why this name
- Plain words for the plain goal: a meter that makes token use readable. Two common words joined, easy to say and spell.
In the first version
Members say which features they would use. It tells PWAS what people want; it changes no score.
One meter for every plan
Add each subscription and its limits. See used, left and reset time side by side for every tool you pay for.
No member yet
Per-task cost breakdown
Group usage by session or task label to see which request, or which batch of sub-agents, used the most.
No member yet
Early limit warnings
Push alerts at levels you choose, plus a projected run-out time based on your current pace.
No member yet
Local-only reporter
A small command reads local usage logs and sends counts only. Prompts and code stay on your machine.
No member yet
Brand identityAI proposal
Check the name against trademark registers before using it.
Palette
#1F5C4APine · primary#F6F1E7Paper · surface#1F2A24Ink · text#D9822BAmber · accent#3A6EA5Slate Blue · data#B3382CBrick · warning
Typography
Aa
Plainmeter
PricingAI proposal
The material gives no price for this kind of tool. GitHub Copilot's verified pricing page lists a free plan and paid plans from $4 to $21 a month; these tiers sit in that range as a starting point to test.
Free
Free
- One plan tracked
- 7 days of history
- Basic limit alert
Solo
$6 a month
- Unlimited plans and tools
- Per-task breakdown
- Runaway session flag
- 12 months of history
Team
$15 a month
- Up to 5 developers
- Shared weekly reports
- Team plan comparison
- Everything in Solo
Would you pay Solo · $6 a month?
Your answer tells PWAS which prices people accept. It changes no score.
No answers yet.
What it could be worthEstimate
What a software business making this much sells for today, from real deals. Pick a monthly revenue.
If it makes
Worth about
$194,000
Sale range $132,000 to $263,000
$120,000 a year in revenue
From 87 software businesses listed and sold on Empire Flippers in the last year, revenue vetted by the broker: they sell for about 19× their monthly revenue, most between 13× and 26×.
Measured on profit, the middle deal is 32× monthly net profit: about 2.7 years of profit.
An estimate, not an offer or financial advice. A real price depends on profit, growth, churn, how much of the work is the owner's, and the buyer.
How it would growAI proposal
How the product would reach new customers through its own use, and how the first ones would be found. A plan to test, not a result.
- Built-in loop
- Shared outputs. Developers send a weekly usage report link to teammates or post it in threads about plan costs. The page shows totals and the Plainmeter name, with task names optional.
- Do they become customers?
- Viewers are developers with the same problem and could install the reporter. Test how many report-link viewers start a free account, and how many of those later pay.
- First customers
- Solo developers paying for two or more AI coding CLI plans who hit limits weekly, reached first among active Hacker News and developer forum users.
- Where to reach them
- Hacker News Show HN: Post the free reporter with a real usage chart, in threads where people complain about unclear quotas.
- Developer subreddits: Answer quota questions with the free tier and ask for feedback on estimate accuracy.
- Open-source reporter repo: Publish the local reporter on GitHub so developers can check what data it sends.
- First milestone
- Fifty free installs and ten paying Solo users within eight weeks, with most saying the estimate matched their provider's figure.
Why people already pay for this
- Public claimDevelopers are actively evaluating and switching between multiple AI code assistant CLI tools
- Public claimUsers pay for subscription plans like Google AI Pro to access CLI tools
- Public claimToken usage tracking is unclear and unavailable in current CLI tools
- AI inferenceToken quotas are exhausted quickly, limiting usefulness of CLI tools
- Public claimDevelopers actively use CLI tools for practical engineering tasks
Tech stack
Every proposal builds on the same PWA base, installable from the browser on any phone or computer. Dashed boxes are what this app adds.
- AppNext.js and TypeScript
- PWAManifest and service worker
- UITailwind CSS
- Data and authSupabase Postgres
- PaymentsStripe
- EmailResend
- HostingVercel
- This app · Local reporterSmall npm command that reads local usage logsCollects token counts on the developer's machine so prompts and code never leave it.
- This app · Push alertsWeb Push through the service workerLimit warnings must reach the developer while they work in the terminal.
RisksAI inference
- PlatformProviders may change or remove local usage logs, or never expose quota data. The tool would then show estimates only, and could break with each CLI update.
- CommercialProviders may add clear usage meters to their own tools, which would remove the main reason to install Plainmeter.
- DataEstimates may differ from the provider's real quota count. Wrong numbers would quickly cost trust, so each figure needs a clear estimate label.
- TechnicalEach CLI stores usage differently, so each needs its own parser. Tools being discontinued or replaced add ongoing upkeep.
- CommercialDevelopers may see a usage meter as a small feature and refuse to pay for it, even on a low price.
Everything marked AI proposal or AI inference was written by a model from the evidence on the opportunity page. The proposed name must be checked against trademark registers before it is used.