What Does AI Actually Cost? Follow the Units, Limits and Resources
AI pricing is rarely just a monthly subscription. It can depend on tokens, seats, credits, minutes, processing limits and the hardware required to serve each request. Cost Curve records what public pricing pages list, when those details were captured, and what buyers should verify before building a budget.
| Date | Entry | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Tokens, Seats, Credits and Minutes: A Dictionary of AI Billing Units AI tools use different billing units because they sell different kinds of access and processing capacity. | Billing Units Explained | |
| Reading a Free-Tier Limit Page: What Fair Use Usually Leaves Unstated An AI free tier is a defined access arrangement, not a promise of unlimited service at no charge. | Free-Tier Limits | |
| Why Audio and Video Features Cost More to Offer Than Text: A Structural Explanation Without Numbers Audio and video AI features often require more processing stages and larger quantities of structured input than a simple text interaction. | Cost of Media Types (text, audio, image, video) | |
| Annual Versus Monthly Plans for AI Tools: A Worksheet for Freelancers An annual AI subscription can reduce the listed average monthly price, but it also commits money before future usage is certain. | Budget Worksheets | |
| Building a Monthly Tool Budget: A Spreadsheet With Three Scenarios A useful monthly AI tool budget separates fixed subscriptions from variable usage charges and calculates both under low, expected and high-use scenarios. | Budget Worksheets | |
| Subscription Tiers in Consumer AI Apps: How to Read a Plan Page When the Details Are Thin A consumer AI pricing page is only useful when its plan names are translated into specific entitlements, limits and billing conditions. | Free-Tier Limits |
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