$13,259 projected operating premium minus $40,000 upfront implementation. Modeled value-margin effect: -0.7 points.
Free production AI calculator
AI cost per successful outcome—not cost per token.
Compare a current production workload with an alternative after retries, failed outcomes, human review, operating labor, fixed commitments, quality, and growth are included.
01 / Model the decision
Compare two production scenarios.
Replace the illustrative defaults with measured workload data. The calculator keeps model usage, review cost, operations, implementation, and successful-outcome rate in the same comparison.
- Two editable scenarios
- Quality-adjusted break-even
- No data leaves this device
Scenario assumptions
Illustrative defaults. Replace every value with your own measured data.
Shared inputs
Workload + business value
Scenario A / Current
Workflow
Token, pricing, and operating assumptions
Average tokens / call
Price / 1M tokens
Review + operations
Scenario B / Alternative
Workflow
Token, pricing, and operating assumptions
Average tokens / call
Price / 1M tokens
Review + operations
How retries and value are modeled
Extra retry attempts are the average additional calls per planned call: 25% means 1.25 total attempts; 150% means 2.5. Calls per workflow should already include intentional fan-out. Value per outcome may be revenue, avoided cost, or productivity value—the calculator does not treat it as verified revenue or gross margin. The 12-month projection starts at the entered volume, applies equivalent monthly growth, assumes implementation is paid upfront, and assumes operating savings begin immediately.
Calculated comparison
Current frontier API is lower-cost at the modeled volume.
$1,301 modeled monthly operating premium
| Metric | Current frontier API | Routed alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $13,610 | $14,912 |
| Projected 12-month cost | $181,417 | $194,676 |
| Cost / request | $0.4201 | $0.4481 |
| Cost / workflow | $1.361 | $1.4912 |
| Cost / successful outcome | $1.5466 | $1.7339 |
| Modeled value margin | 93.8% | 93.1% |
Requires positive monthly operating savings.
Unavailable without positive volume, savings, and a defined current cost per successful outcome.
Routed alternative is more economic above this volume.
Volume sensitivity
Monthly cost at 80%, 100%, and 120% of the modeled workload.
VolumeCurrent frontier APIRouted alternative
8,000 workflows$11,308$12,909
10,000 workflows$13,610$14,912
12,000 workflows$15,912$16,914
Modeled economics are not verified savings.
Validate prices, traffic mix, quality, escalation behavior, and operating load against production data before approving a change.
Method version: 2026-09-05.
What the model includes
A cheaper call is not always a cheaper outcome.
A lower token price can be erased by more calls, more retries, lower completion quality, additional human review, or new operating overhead. This calculator makes those assumptions visible instead of hiding them behind one blended cost number.
Usage economics
Calls per workflow, token mix, retries, provider prices, fixed platform cost, and expected workload growth.
Human + operating cost
Review frequency, minutes per review, engineering or operator labor, and alternative implementation cost.
Outcome quality
Successful-outcome rate, cost per successful outcome, gross-margin effect, payback, and tolerable quality loss.
What this calculator cannot decide
It does not benchmark model quality, verify provider prices, inspect production traces, or prove that a routing or self-hosting change is operationally safe. Its results are only as reliable as the assumptions entered. Use it to frame an experiment, not to skip one.