How do I plan my AI API budget?

Estimate your monthly conversations and tokens per conversation. Multiply by the model's price per million tokens. For example, 100 conversations/day with 1K input + 500 output tokens on Gemini Flash costs about $1.50/month. Use the Budget Planner tool to see exact costs for your usage pattern.

What is a reasonable AI API budget for a startup?

For most startups: $5-15/month for MVP testing (100 conversations/day on budget models). $15-50/month for early traction (500-1000 conversations/day). $50-200/month for growth stage (1000+ conversations/day). Premium models increase these by 5-10x.

Can I switch AI models to reduce costs?

Yes. Most providers use OpenAI-compatible APIs, making model switches easy. Use LiteLLM or LangChain to abstract provider differences. A common strategy: use cheap models (Gemini Flash, DeepSeek) for routine queries and escalate complex ones to premium models.

AI API Budget Planner — Set Your Monthly Budget & Find the Right Model

Conversations per Day

Average number of chat sessions per day

Input Tokens per Conversation

System prompt + user message + history

Output Tokens per Conversation

Average bot response length

Primary Use Case

$50

Monthly Budget

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