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The costs to plan for with off-the-shelf subscriptions and custom builds, including the ones that are easy to miss: training, checking output and maintenance.
The landscape
AI costs range from monthly subscriptions to custom builds with ongoing support
AI costs for a small business come from several places: per-user subscriptions for off-the-shelf tools, usage charges for tools billed by volume, setup and integration work, staff training, time spent checking output, and ongoing support for anything custom. Prices and plans change often, so check current prices with each provider and note whether they include VAT.
A single subscription to an off-the-shelf assistant is a small monthly cost. A custom AI agent that carries out steps across several of your systems costs considerably more to build and needs looking after once it is live. The difference comes down to scope, complexity and how many systems are involved.
Compare the total cost of running a tool with the net time it recovers on specific tasks, after checking and maintenance. Whether a tool that recovers 15 hours a week is better value than one that recovers 3 depends on what each costs to build and run.
Cost breakdown
Four cost categories to plan for
| Bucket | Range | Examples | Suits | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-the-shelf AI tools | Usually per user, per month | ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini for Workspace, Notion AI | General drafting, research and summarising across the team | Cost scales with the number of users. Some plans add usage limits or charges. Check current prices, VAT and contract terms with the provider. |
| AI planning and setup | Varies by scope | Discovery workshops, scoping, tool selection, configuration, staff training | Choosing tasks and tools, and setting them up so the team uses them | Usually a project cost. It affects whether the other spending is worthwhile. |
| Custom AI tools and agents | Depends on scope | AI agents, custom workflow automation, integrations with your own data and systems | Tasks that off-the-shelf tools cannot handle well enough | A build cost up front, plus usage charges for any AI services it calls and the cost of maintaining it. |
| Ongoing management and support | Varies by complexity | Updating prompts and reference material, monitoring output, fixing problems, adapting to changes in connected systems | Keeping custom tools working as your business and the connected systems change | Plan for it from the start. Like any business system, AI tools need maintenance, and the amount depends on the tool and how much it is used. |
What to plan for
Costs that are easy to miss
People need time to learn to use a new tool well and to know what to check. Include that time in the budget. Tools that staff are not shown how to use tend to fall out of use.
Connecting AI to your existing systems, such as a CRM or finance software, often needs development work, and some built-in AI features need a higher plan. Scope this before committing.
Getting good results on your task usually takes several rounds of adjusting instructions and reference material. Allow time for it, and for repeating it when the task or tool changes.
Someone needs to check AI output, especially at the start. Count that time as a cost. It may fall as you learn where the tool makes mistakes, and some tasks will need checking for as long as the tool is used.
Common questions
Questions about AI costs
What's the smallest sensible AI investment for a small business?
For many businesses, a business subscription to one off-the-shelf assistant for a few staff is a reasonable start. Check current prices and plan terms with the provider. Whether it is good value depends on how it is used, so test it on specific tasks and measure the result.
Is AI expensive compared to hiring someone?
AI tools and hiring meet different needs. A tool can take on parts of some tasks, and people still check its output. Compare the cost of a tool with the net time it recovers on specific tasks. Decisions about staffing are for the business.
Are there free AI tools worth using?
Free versions of tools such as ChatGPT and Claude can be useful for individual experiments with non-sensitive material. For work involving client, personal or confidential data, use a plan whose terms and controls you have checked.
What should we budget for in year one?
It depends on your scope. A first-year budget might cover a team subscription, a discovery workshop to choose tasks, one custom tool for the highest-priority task, and support and training time. We set out the costs we know of before any commitment.
Do AI costs keep going up as we use it more?
It depends on how the tool is billed. Per-user subscriptions are mostly fixed per month, though some plans have usage limits. Tools built on an AI provider's API are usually charged by usage, so costs rise with volume. Prices change in both directions, so review them at renewal.
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