Claude HUD vs OmniRoute
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A status line plugin for Claude Code that shows context use, rate limits, active tools, agents, and todos.
Open source · MIT
A free, MIT-licensed gateway that routes one API endpoint to many AI model providers.
The short answer
Choose Claude HUD if you need…
- Developers who use Claude Code daily and want to see context usage at a glance
- People on subscriber plans who want to track rate limits while working
- Users who run several agents or long tasks and want to follow progress
- Anyone who wants a configurable status line without extra software
Choose OmniRoute if you need…
- Developers who use several AI coding tools and want one place to configure providers
- People who want to connect their own free-tier provider accounts and spread requests across them
- Users who want automatic fallback when one provider hits a rate limit
- Teams experimenting with multiple models through a single OpenAI-style endpoint
Side-by-side
| Claude HUD | OmniRoute | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 29.1k | 83.8k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | See the README | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Claude HUD
Claude HUD is a plugin for Claude Code, Anthropic's coding assistant. It adds a status display below the input box that shows how full the context window is, your subscriber rate limits, the current model, project path, and git branch. Optional lines can also show which tools are running, which agents are active, and todo progress. It runs as a status line command, so it needs no separate window.
OmniRoute
OmniRoute is a self-hosted AI gateway: you point your AI coding tools at one endpoint, and it forwards requests to many model providers such as Claude, GPT, Gemini and DeepSeek. It can fall back to another provider when a quota runs out, and it advertises token compression to reduce usage. The README says it works with tools like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and Cline.
Best for
Claude HUD
- Developers who use Claude Code daily and want to see context usage at a glance
- People on subscriber plans who want to track rate limits while working
- Users who run several agents or long tasks and want to follow progress
- Anyone who wants a configurable status line without extra software
OmniRoute
- Developers who use several AI coding tools and want one place to configure providers
- People who want to connect their own free-tier provider accounts and spread requests across them
- Users who want automatic fallback when one provider hits a rate limit
- Teams experimenting with multiple models through a single OpenAI-style endpoint
Strengths
Claude HUD
- Installs with a few commands inside Claude Code and includes a guided configure flow
- Configurable layout, element order, and git display options documented in the README
- MIT licensed and actively maintained, with a recent push date
OmniRoute
- MIT licensed and open source, with a large GitHub star count
- Single endpoint for many providers and models, as described in the README
- Includes a dashboard and documented methodology for free-tier usage
Not ideal for
Claude HUD
- People who do not use Claude Code, since the plugin only works inside it
- Users who want automatic updates by default, because Claude Code does not auto-update third-party plugins unless you turn that on
- Windows users without Node.js installed, because the setup step needs a JavaScript runtime
OmniRoute
- People who want a token grant or guaranteed free usage; the README says free tiers belong to third-party providers and their terms can change
- Users who do not want to manage provider credentials and configuration
- Those who need a hosted service with support guarantees; the README points mainly to community channels
Trade-offs
Claude HUD
- Optional lines depend on reading the session transcript, so behavior is tied to Claude Code internals that may change
- Configuration has many options, which can be hard to navigate for newcomers
- README is truncated in the source provided, so some details could not be verified
OmniRoute
- Headline figures such as the token total are estimates that the README says change over time
- Depends on third-party providers whose free tiers and terms can end or change
- Compression savings and provider counts are the project's own claims, not independently verified here
Getting started
Claude HUD
Add the plugin marketplace inside Claude Code
/plugin marketplace add jarrodwatts/claude-hudInstall the plugin inside Claude Code
/plugin install claude-hudOmniRoute
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/cheaper-inference/OmniRouteFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Claude HUD and OmniRoute?
Claude HUD: A status line plugin for Claude Code that shows context use, rate limits, active tools, agents, and todos. OmniRoute: A free, MIT-licensed gateway that routes one API endpoint to many AI model providers. Claude HUD suits developers who use claude code daily and want to see context usage at a glance, while OmniRoute suits developers who use several ai coding tools and want one place to configure providers.
Are Claude HUD and OmniRoute free?
Claude HUD: Free and open source. OmniRoute: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, Claude HUD or OmniRoute?
Claude HUD is easier to get started with (rated beginner); OmniRoute is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is Claude HUD or OmniRoute more popular?
OmniRoute has more GitHub stars (83.8k) than Claude HUD (29.1k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Claude HUD and OmniRoute?
Other options people compare them with include MCP for Unity, LibreChat, AI Website Cloner, CRS, vim-airline.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.