Headroom vs Caveman vs SuperCompress
These three get compared constantly, but they are not three versions of the same thing. Each one works on a different part of the conversation, which is why the right choice depends on your traffic rather than on whose headline number is biggest.
Short answer: Headroom compresses what the agent reads, locally and open source. Caveman shortens what the agent writes. SuperCompress compresses what the agent reads too, but hosted and question-aware, keeping original lines word for word. Caveman can be combined with either of the other two.
At a glance
| Headroom | Caveman | SuperCompress | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuts | Input: tool output, files, logs, RAG, history | Output: replies (plus some tool output) | Input: tool output, files, logs, MCP results, docs |
| Method | Content-type compressors, originals retrievable | Terse-reply skill | Hosted model keeps the original lines that answer the current question |
| Runs | Locally: library, proxy, MCP server, agent wrapper | Locally, as a skill | Hosted API plus MCP tool and hooks |
| Cost | Free, Apache 2.0 | Free, open source | Free tier of 5M tokens a month, then $0.10 per million |
| Watch out for | A proxy to run and tune | Measured savings below the headline; adds input tokens each turn | Context leaves your machine for the hosted API |
Choose Headroom if
You want everything local and open source, you are comfortable running a proxy or library, and you like having the original content retrievable when the model needs it.
Choose Caveman if
Your sessions produce long, chatty replies and you want a free change with no infrastructure. Measure it: an independent JetBrains A/B test found 8.5% output savings against an advertised 65%.
Choose SuperCompress if
Most of your tokens are bulky input where only a few lines matter, you want nothing to run locally beyond a one-time setup, and you need exact error lines, paths and IDs to survive. Setup is one command that wires every coding agent it finds:
npm install -g supercompress-proxy && supercompress setup
Can you combine them?
Caveman pairs with either, because it works on replies. Headroom and SuperCompress overlap, so trial them one at a time on the same tasks and keep whichever gives the lower bill per finished task.
Further reading
Where coding-agent tokens go · Best Headroom alternatives · Best Caveman Cloud alternatives
Disclosure: Arjun Shah builds SuperCompress and Loopy, so this guide is not neutral. Every other tool is described from its own documentation or public reporting, with links, and the guide says where another tool is the better choice. Check each project for current details before you decide.
FAQ
Is SuperCompress better than Headroom?
They solve the same problem differently. SuperCompress is hosted and keeps the lines that answer the current question; Headroom is local, open source and compresses by content type. Test both on your own tasks.
Does Caveman reduce input tokens?
Mostly no. Caveman shortens replies and shrinks some tool output; the skill itself adds instructions to every turn. For input, use Headroom or SuperCompress.
Which is free?
Headroom and Caveman are free and open source. SuperCompress has a free tier of 5M tokens a month, then $0.10 per million.