When a cheaper model may be enough
Low-complexity, low-consequence tasks with measurable quality thresholds and a fallback path can justify a pilot.
AI cost guide
How to reduce AI subscription costs without cutting the useful work.
AI pricing changes quickly. Start with the business outcome, then map seats, usage, commitments, overlap, risk, and total operating cost.
01
Inventory the spend
List team subscriptions, company plans, API keys, providers, models, credits, commitments, and purchases on personal cards.
02
Map the capability
Ask what job each tool performs, who owns it, what quality threshold matters, and what would happen if it disappeared tomorrow.
03
Check overlap
Multiple AI tools may provide similar drafting, coding, analysis, search, or workflow capability. Treat overlap as a signal for review, then decide based on use and value.
04
Separate seats from consumption
Seat pricing, token pricing, API limits, model choice, and overage behave differently. Use the correct baseline for each.
05
Gate replacements
Subtract operating cost, implementation, migration, maintenance, human review, and risk before calling a cheaper workflow a saving.
When not to optimize for price alone
Critical workflows, sensitive data, unpredictable usage, unclear maintenance ownership, or a high cost of failure deserve a higher bar.
Renewals are a different job
Inventory is not the same as an AI-bundled uplift.
This guide is for seats, overlap, model choice, and commitments across AI tools. If the vendor is forcing an AI SKU or adding credits at renewal, use the AI tax at SaaS renewals playbook instead of stretching this inventory checklist. If the live issue is a take-or-pay credit floor or unused-credit breakage, use the AI SaaS minimum commitments playbook.
Find the AI spend that deserves a decision.
Start with a high-level spend profile in a free human-led assessment.