How much does it cost to add an AI feature?
Adding one AI feature to an app costs $4,500 with us, on top of the first-version price. That covers one well-scoped job, such as summarizing documents, drafting replies, smart search over your own content, classifying incoming requests, or extracting data from images and files. It includes the prompts, the guardrails, cost controls, and testing against real examples. It does not cover training your own model or building a general chat assistant that does everything. After launch there is a running cost per use, paid to the model provider, which we estimate up front. This page explains what the $4,500 includes, what it leaves out, and how to budget running costs.
What $4,500 includes
- Scoping. We define the single job the feature does, its inputs, and what a good answer looks like.
- Model choice. We pick a model by quality, speed, and cost for your job, and keep it swappable so you are not locked to one provider.
- Prompts and structure. Structured outputs your app can trust, not loose text you have to parse.
- Guardrails. Input limits, output checks, refusal handling, and a clear fallback when the model is unsure.
- Cost controls. Per-user and per-workspace limits, token caps, and a usage log so a single user cannot run up your bill.
- Evaluation. A test set of real examples we run before launch and after every change.
What it does not include
Training or fine-tuning your own model, building a general assistant that answers anything, indexing millions of documents, voice interfaces, and real-time audio or video AI are larger projects. Each is quoted separately after a scoping call. Most products do not need them for a first version: one feature that does one job well beats a broad assistant that does many jobs poorly.
Running costs
Every AI request costs money at the model provider, priced by the amount of text in and out. For most features this is small per use, but it scales with your users. We estimate it before build from your expected usage and show it in the signed plan. Three habits keep it under control: use the smallest model that does the job, cache repeated answers, and cap how much text each request can send.
Search over your own content also needs a vector index, which adds a modest monthly hosting cost.
Good first AI features
- Summarize a long record, call, or document into the three things that matter.
- Draft a reply or report that a person reviews and sends.
- Route incoming requests to the right queue with a reason.
- Pull structured fields out of receipts, forms, or PDFs.
- Answer questions from your own help content, with links to the sources.
Each keeps a person in the loop, which makes it safer to launch and easier to trust.
Our AI work
We built LLM features into Fitzee's consumer fitness app, N3XUS Social's AI-native content platform, and a real-time audio and analytics platform for a consumer AI wearable company under NDA. Every one launched with cost limits and a test set in place.
How you pay
The AI feature is part of the fixed price and paid through the same four milestones as the rest of the build: signed plan, approved design, working build, and launch. If you add AI to an app that is already live, it is quoted as a fixed-price change or done by a dedicated engineer at $8,500 a month.
Before your first call
You get a firmer number faster if you bring three things: who the first users are, the one job they must be able to do on day one, and any outside system the app has to talk to. Sketches, screenshots of apps you like, or a spreadsheet you want to replace all help. On the call we place your idea in the table above, name the extras it needs, and tell you what we would leave out. You leave with a written range the same day and a fixed quote within two business days.
Questions founders ask
How much does it cost to add ChatGPT-style AI to my app?
One well-scoped AI feature adds $4,500 to the build price, plus a running cost per use paid to the model provider.
Do I need to train my own model?
Almost never for a first version. Current models handle most jobs well with good prompts, structure, and examples.
Will my data be used to train the model?
We use provider settings and plans that do not train on your data, and we tell you which providers process it.
Can I switch AI providers later?
Yes. We keep the model behind one layer in the code so switching is a small change.
Are the prices on this page final?
They are the table we quote from. Your fixed quote comes after a call, in writing, within two business days, and it does not change unless you approve a change in scope.
What is not included in the price?
Third-party running costs such as hosting, app store fees, email sending, and AI usage. We estimate them in the plan so there are no surprises after launch.
The Idea Lab turns a two-sentence idea into a build plan: why it could work, what to get right first, the first version worth building and its price. Two minutes, from our published rates.