Guides / Automation and AI
Use AI Without Surprise Bills: AI Subscription and API Cost Guide
A plain English guide to what AI subscriptions, pay per use bills and free tiers really cost a small business, how usage limits work, and how to put a ceiling on what you spend.
The short answer
You can automate Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts with free tools: Python, ffmpeg, stock footage, no attribution music and captions on your own computer cost nothing. What is not free: a computer that stays on, platform approvals that take weeks, and an optional AI assistant to help you build it (Claude Pro is $20 a month). Running the finished machine uses no AI and has no per-video fee. This guide tags every cost before you start.
What is inside
- A 16 page A4 PDF that explains the three ways you get billed for AI: subscriptions, pay per use (API) and free tiers.
- Subscription and API price tables where every price is tagged Official page, Third party (check) or Not confirmed, with the date it was checked (2 November 2026).
- Tokens in plain English with worked sums, the five hour window and the weekly cap, and the traps that turn into bills.
- How to send routine work to a cheap model, free and local options, and how to put a ceiling on your spend.
- Three sample monthly budgets, a first month plan, and a starter kit: a cost calculator in plain Python, an editable dated price list, a budget worksheet, a usage log and routing rules.
What it really costs
We state the paid parts up front, so you are never surprised after you start. Prices checked on 26 October 2026; check each source before you pay.
- FreePython and the starter kit calculator. No fee. Python is free.
- Free, with a conditionFree tiers of AI tools. They have limits, change without notice, and some may use what you paste. Read the terms.
- Optional paidAn AI subscription or API credits. Claude Pro is $20 a month (about R360), checked 2 November 2026. The guide shows how to stay under a cap you set.
Questions people ask
How much does AI really cost a small business?
It depends on how you use it. The guide shows three sample monthly budgets, from free to heavy use, and a calculator so you can estimate your own. Every price carries its source and the date it was checked.
Does the guide promise savings?
No. What you pay depends on how you use the tools. The guide shows how to estimate and cap your own bill. It is not a ranking of the best AI.
Are the prices up to date?
They were checked on 2 November 2026 and each carries a tag: Official page, Third party (check) or Not confirmed. AI prices change often, so the guide tells you to recheck before you pay.
Do I need to code?
No. The calculator is a small Python script you can run as it is, and the rest is reading and a simple worksheet.
Does anyone pay you to recommend an AI?
No. We earn no commission from any AI company and the guide links to no sign up pages.
Who wrote it?
Legacy Solutions Architecture, a Cape Town technology advisory firm. It was written with the help of an AI assistant, then checked, edited and published by us.
Want this built for your business instead of doing it yourself? See our automation service or IT consulting, or send us a message.
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