How Much Does It Cost to Run an AI Startup?
Break down hosting, database and AI inference costs for an early AI application.
The important part
AI products add a variable cost layer on top of normal software infrastructure. The key number is cost per successful user task, not simply cost per model request.
Cost categories
| Category | Typical behavior | Main driver |
|---|---|---|
| Web/app infrastructure | Low to moderate | Normal software workload |
| Database/storage | Low to moderate | Product and document data |
| Model inference | Highly variable | Input/output tokens and model |
| Embeddings/retrieval | Variable | Indexing and search workload |
| Observability | Variable | Logs, traces and evaluations |
What changes the bill?
- Requests per active user
- Input and output tokens
- Model mix and routing
- Document/context size
- Caching and repeated requests
Model your own stack
Use StackPilot to get a stack recommendation and cost estimates based on your expected users, budget, timeline and product requirements.
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Pricing varies by provider, region, plan and usage. Treat these pages as planning guidance and verify current provider pricing before making financial decisions.