1 Select your AI subscriptions
Prices are the publicly listed monthly plans as of 2026. Prices may change — check each provider's site.
2 How much do you actually use AI?
Pay-per-use estimate: Light ≈ $5/mo, Medium ≈ $15/mo, Heavy ≈ $40/mo of API spend. See methodology below.
Frequently asked questions
Is pay-per-use AI really cheaper than a $20/month subscription?
It depends on usage. A $20/month subscription costs $240/year whether you use it heavily or barely. If you only make a few thousand API requests per month, pay-per-use pricing (often a few dollars per million tokens) can cost under $60/year for the same models. Heavy daily users usually save nothing by switching.
How is the pay-per-use estimate calculated?
We map your self-reported usage level to a typical monthly API spend: Light ≈ $5/mo, Medium ≈ $15/mo, Heavy ≈ $40/mo. These are rough benchmarks based on public per-token pricing from major model providers and API aggregators as of 2026. Your actual cost depends on models used and request volume.
Which AI subscriptions can I replace with API access?
Text-based assistants (ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, Gemini Advanced, Perplexity Pro) are the easiest to replace: the same underlying models are available via API and aggregators like OpenRouter. Image and video tools such as Midjourney have fewer direct pay-per-use equivalents.
Are the subscription prices on this page up to date?
Prices shown reflect publicly listed plans as of 2026 and may change. Always check the provider's official pricing page before making a decision.